Far Cry 5 vs Far Cry Primal
Far Cry 5 is an action-adventure FPS game from Ubisoft Kyiv (2018) while Far Cry Primal is an action-adventure action-RPG game from Ubisoft Kyiv (2016).
What each one is
Steam files Far Cry 5 under Action-Adventure and FPS. In contrast, it files Far Cry Primal under Action-Adventure and Action-RPG.
Fight a fanatical cult in this open world FPS. Engage in intense combat, free hostile territory, recruit loyal followers and animal allies, and liberate Hope County solo or in full 2-player co-op.
The award-winning Far Cry franchise returns with its innovative open world gameplay, bringing together massive beasts, breathtaking environments, and unpredictable savage encounters. Welcome to the Stone Age, a time of danger and adventure.
At a glance
| Far Cry 5 | Far Cry Primal | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 7.4/10 | 7.4/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (81%, 188,832) | Very Positive (86%, 41,126) |
| Critic aggregate | No aggregate | 74/100 |
| Price | $59.99 | $29.99 |
| Install size | 40 GB | 20 GB |
| Steam Deck | playable | playable |
| Released | 2018 | 2016 |
| Developer | Ubisoft Kyiv | Ubisoft Kyiv |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Far Cry 5 vs Far Cry Primal, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Far Cry 5Action-adventure FPS gameFar Cry PrimalAction-adventure action-RPG gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Far Cry 5Open World, Action-Adventure, Co-opFar Cry PrimalOpen World, Survival, ActionThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Far Cry 5Score 7.4 · 81% on SteamFar Cry PrimalScore 7.4 · 86% on Steam · 74 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Far Cry 5188,832 reviews · 5 add-ons · 40 GBFar Cry Primal41,126 reviews · 1 add-on · 20 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Far Cry 5$59.99Far Cry Primal ✓$29.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Far Cry 5PlayableFar Cry PrimalPlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Far Cry Primal takes 1 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueFar Cry 5 and Far Cry Primal on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- Multi-platform
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The cheaper right now: Far Cry Primal ($29.99)
- Lighter on storage: Far Cry Primal (20 GB)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Far Cry 5 (188,832 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
Open WorldFPSShooterExplorationFirst-PersonHuntingActionAdventure
Where they differ
Action-AdventureMultiplayerCo-opStory RichRealisticAmerica
SingleplayerOpen World Survival CraftCraftingMatureRPGAction RPG
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Far Cry 5 is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Far Cry Primal is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Far Cry 5 | Far Cry Primal | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 (1GB |
| Minimum CPU | Intel Core i5-2400 @ 3.1 GHz | Intel Core i3-550 |
| Minimum RAM | 8 GB | 4 GB |
| Install size | 40 GB | 20 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Far Cry 5 · Far Cry Primal.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for Far Cry 5 and 1 for Far Cry Primal. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Far Cry 5 and Far Cry Primal in scope?
Far Cry 5 has drawn 188,832 Steam reviews, ships 5 add-ons and installs in 40 GB. Far Cry Primal has drawn 41,126 Steam reviews, ships 1 add-on and installs in 20 GB.
Is Far Cry 5 or Far Cry Primal better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Far Cry 5 rates higher (7.4 to 7.4). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Far Cry 5 or Far Cry Primal?
Far Cry Primal is cheaper right now at $29.99, against $59.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.