Presentation
Developed primarily by Ubisoft Montreal, with contributions notably from Ubisoft Shanghai and Ubisoft Kiev, and published by Ubisoft, Far Cry New Dawn was released in 2019. Jean-Sébastien Décant served as Creative Director, Patrik Méthé as Game Director and Sébastien Ébacher as Producer. The game directly revisits Hope County after Far Cry 5 while substantially changing its environment and several progression systems.
The story takes place seventeen years after the nuclear catastrophe that concludes the events of Far Cry 5. Nuclear winter has been replaced by a superbloom that now covers the land with bright colors, abundant vegetation and altered wildlife. Remains of roads, buildings and recognizable locations from the previous game are still visible but have been repurposed by new communities.
Players take the role of Thomas Rush's Security Captain, part of a team traveling across the United States to help settlements rebuild their infrastructure. Reaching Hope County quickly brings the Captain into conflict with the Highwaymen, a group of raiders collecting weapons, fuel and materials from the territories they cross.
The Highwaymen are led by twin sisters Mickey and Lou, who view strength and usefulness as the primary measures of survival in the new world. Their presence structures much of the campaign and creates a different conflict from Far Cry 5: rather than freeing a county from a cult, the struggle centers on protecting resources and communities attempting to rebuild.
The player's primary base is Prosperity, a fortified settlement that develops throughout the adventure. Recruiting specialists and gathering ethanol allows its facilities to be upgraded, including the workbench, garage, infirmary and systems related to Expeditions. Each improvement unlocks more effective equipment or services.
This progression introduces a more pronounced light-RPG structure than in previous installments. Weapons, vehicles and enemies are divided into different ranks. Higher-level equipment becomes necessary to efficiently confront tougher opponents, encouraging players to improve Prosperity and gradually craft a more powerful arsenal.
Crafting consequently plays an important role. Far Cry New Dawn's weapons are often assembled from materials scavenged from the ruins, producing improvised equipment combining mechanical parts, tools and objects from the old world. The Saw Launcher is one of the most representative examples of this new aesthetic.
Outposts retain a central mechanic from modern Far Cry games but add an escalation system. After liberating a Highwaymen position, players can keep it or scavenge it for additional ethanol. Choosing the latter allows stronger enemies to reclaim the site, making it possible to attack it again for greater rewards.
Far Cry New Dawn also introduces Expeditions, missions taking place on separate maps beyond Hope County. A stranded aircraft carrier, Navajo Bridge, an amusement park and Alcatraz are among the locations that can be visited. Players generally have to recover supplies held by the Highwaymen and then survive their reinforcements until extraction arrives.
Guns and Fangs for Hire return with both familiar characters and new allies. Hurk, Nana, Timber and Horatio each possess particular abilities that develop after fighting alongside the player, while Specialists such as Grace Armstrong, Sharky Boshaw and Nick Rye contribute to Prosperity's development.
The character also progresses through Perks, improving areas such as health, equipment capacity and various movement or combat abilities. Several systems associated with recent Far Cry games remain present, including stealth, enemy tagging, vehicles, hunting, the wingsuit, parachuting and the ability to approach objectives in different ways.
The adventure can finally be played cooperatively with another player. A partner joins the host's world and can assist with missions, outpost assaults and exploration. New Dawn therefore retains the freedom of approach found in Far Cry 5 while placing it inside progression more heavily focused on resource gathering, crafting and settlement upgrades.
What to remember
- A story set seventeen years after Far Cry 5, in a Hope County transformed by nuclear catastrophe and a spectacular superbloom.
- Thomas Rush's Security Captain facing Mickey and Lou's Highwaymen, who raid the resources of surviving communities.
- Prosperity as an upgradeable home base, developed through Specialists and ethanol to unlock weapons, vehicles, health improvements and additional options.
- More RPG-like progression with ranked weapons, vehicles and enemies, combined with a major crafting system.
- Outposts that can be scavenged and reclaimed at greater difficulty, alongside Expeditions to standalone maps elsewhere in the United States.
- The return of Guns for Hire, Fangs for Hire and two-player co-op, integrated into gameplay still based on exploration and freedom of approach.
Conclusion
Far Cry New Dawn uses the ending of Far Cry 5 as an opportunity to transform a familiar environment. Hope County retains enough landmarks to remain recognizable, but seventeen years of reconstruction, vegetation and human settlement give its former locations a different purpose.
Prosperity becomes the center of this new structure. Missions no longer simply advance the campaign or liberate territory: they also provide Specialists, ethanol and materials required to develop the base and craft equipment capable of handling higher-ranked enemies.
The outpost scavenging system reinforces this loop. Temporarily surrendering a position in exchange for additional resources allows the Highwaymen to return with stronger defenses, turning previously completed locations into repeatable challenges. Expeditions extend the same concept beyond Hope County through independent maps centered on recovering supplies.
This approach gives New Dawn a stronger focus on progression and crafting than Far Cry 5. Makeshift weapons, resources and equipment ranks become highly visible, while Guns for Hire, vehicles and stealth options retain the flexibility traditionally associated with the series.
Far Cry New Dawn therefore functions both as a narrative continuation of Far Cry 5 and as a more compact variation on its formula. Its main identity comes from the transformation of Hope County and a loop in which rebuilding, scavenging and upgrading become as important as taking territory back from the Highwaymen.
Good to know
- Far Cry New Dawn was developed primarily by Ubisoft Montreal, with contributions notably from Ubisoft Shanghai and Ubisoft Kiev, and published by Ubisoft.
- Jean-Sébastien Décant is credited as Creative Director, Patrik Méthé as Game Director and Sébastien Ébacher as Producer.
- The game was released on February 15, 2019 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows.
- Its story takes place seventeen years after the nuclear catastrophe of Far Cry 5 and revisits a radically transformed version of Hope County.
- The primary antagonists are Mickey and Lou, twin sisters leading the Highwaymen as they raid communities across the new world.
- Expeditions allow players to leave Hope County and explore standalone maps set in different parts of the former United States.
- Far Cry New Dawn is a standalone adventure directly connected to Far Cry 5: it reuses its world and several characters but has its own campaign and can be played separately.
