Far Cry vs Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Far Cry is an FPS horror game (2004) while Return to Castle Wolfenstein is an FPS horror game from Gray Matter Studios (2007).
What each one is
Steam files Far Cry under FPS and Horror. In contrast, it files Return to Castle Wolfenstein under FPS and Horror.
A tropical paradise seethes with hidden evil in Far Cry®, a cunningly detailed action shooter that pushes the boundaries of combat to shocking new levels. Freelance mariner Jack Carver is cursing the day he ever came to this island.
World War II rages and nations fall. The Nazis are twisting science and the occult into an army capable of annihilating the Allies once and for all. As US Army Ranger William “B.J.” Blazkowicz, pierce the black heart of the Third Reich and stop them...or die trying.
At a glance
| Far Cry | Return to Castle Wolfenstein | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 7.6/10 | 8.0/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (82%, 11,764) | Very Positive (93%, 9,299) |
| Critic aggregate | 89/100 | 88/100 |
| Price | $9.99 | $4.99 |
| Install size | — | — |
| Steam Deck | playable | playable |
| Released | 2004 | 2007 |
| Developer | — | Gray Matter Studios |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Far Cry vs Return to Castle Wolfenstein, 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 CryFPS horror gameReturn to Castle WolfensteinFPS horror gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Far CryFPS, Action, ClassicReturn to Castle WolfensteinFPS, Action, World War IIThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Far CryScore 7.6 · 82% on Steam · 89 criticReturn to Castle Wolfenstein ✓Score 8.0 · 93% on Steam · 88 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Far Cry11,764 reviewsReturn to Castle Wolfenstein9,299 reviewsReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Far Cry$9.99Return to Castle Wolfenstein ✓$4.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Far CryPlayableReturn to Castle WolfensteinPlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Return to Castle Wolfenstein takes 2 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 and Return to Castle Wolfenstein 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
- PC
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 higher-rated of the two: Return to Castle Wolfenstein (GamingPickz Score 8.0)
- The cheaper right now: Return to Castle Wolfenstein ($4.99)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
FPSActionClassicShooterFirst-PersonSingleplayerStealthMultiplayer
Where they differ
Open WorldDifficultStory RichSandboxCo-opSurvival
World War IISupernaturalAlternate HistoryGoreRetroOld School
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Far Cry is demanding, for players who want a challenge. Return to Castle Wolfenstein is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Far Cry and 0 for Return to Castle Wolfenstein. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Far Cry and Return to Castle Wolfenstein in scope?
Far Cry has drawn 11,764 Steam reviews. Return to Castle Wolfenstein has drawn 9,299 Steam reviews.
Is Far Cry or Return to Castle Wolfenstein better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Return to Castle Wolfenstein rates higher (8.0 to 7.6). 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 or Return to Castle Wolfenstein?
Return to Castle Wolfenstein is cheaper right now at $4.99, against $9.99. 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.