Far Cry: New Dawn originally launched on February 15, 2019, and, like any rational gamer, I promptly ignored it. It wasn’t that I had anything against it—I just wasn’t particularly in the mood for a Far Cry spinoff that looked like it had been designed by someone who mistook a highlighter set for a color palette. However, hearing about its availability on Xbox Game Pass caught my attention.
Fast forward to 2025, and New Dawn has popped up on Xbox Game Pass, which meant I could finally see what I’d been missing. So, like a moth to an open-world flame, I downloaded it immediately, expecting some classic Far Cry chaos. Instead, I got… well, more of the same, just with tiered enemies, excessive crafting, and a visual aesthetic that reminded me of a Pride Parade I attended circa 2001—except with way more gasoline explosions and fewer shirtless men on floats.
Welcome Back to Hope County… Sort Of
Far Cry: New Dawn is a direct sequel to Far Cry 5, set 17 years after nuclear bombs reduced the world to a Mad Max cosplay convention. But instead of the usual gray-and-brown post-apocalyptic wasteland, Hope County has been bathed in violently fluorescent hues thanks to a “superbloom” effect.
Everything is covered in eye-searing pinks, purples, and oranges, like someone let a 12-year-old loose with a box of neon spray paint. The last time I saw colors this loud, I was stumbling out of a techno club in 2001, trying to remember where I left my Nokia 3310. The effect is striking, but it also makes the world feel less gritty and more like a post-apocalyptic Lisa Frank folder.
Of course, humanity has responded to this second chance at life by doing what it does best—forming violent factions and shooting at each other. The biggest threat comes from the Highwaymen, a gang of Mad Max-lite bandits led by twin sisters Mickey and Lou, who have all the swagger of Vaas but none of the substance.
Your job? Help a small group of survivors rebuild their home base, Prosperity, while fending off the Highwaymen, scavenging for resources, and wondering why Ubisoft insists on making you grind for duct tape.
The Same Old Far Cry, But With RPG Nonsense
At its core, Far Cry: New Dawn is still the chaotic, open-world playground Ubisoft has been recycling since 2012—liberate outposts, hunt wildlife, steal vehicles, and enjoy the bizarre AI-driven moments where your companion accidentally runs over a friendly NPC with a tractor.
But there’s a twist: tiered enemies and weapons. Instead of just picking up a gun and blasting away, New Dawn forces you to craft weapons in a weirdly RPG-lite system. Enemies come in color-coded ranks, meaning if you try to take on a Level 3 enemy with a Level 1 gun, you might as well be throwing pride flags at them.
I’m sure someone at Ubisoft thought this system would add depth, but all it does is turn combat into a numbers game. Instead of experimenting with different weapons and playstyles, you’re stuck grinding for resources, upgrading Prosperity, and rethinking your life choices every time you run out of gears and duct tape.
The Story: The Twins Try, but They’re No Vaas
Ubisoft has a history of giving us charismatic, scene-stealing villains (Far Cry 3’s Vaas, Far Cry 4’s Pagan Min, Far Cry 5’s Joseph Seed). Mickey and Lou? They’re fine.
They look cool, they have some solid voice acting, and they occasionally say something interesting. But their motivations are vague, their dialogue is repetitive, and their whole intimidation strategy boils down to “We’re unpredictable and scary, right? Right?!”
The story itself? Predictable. The Highwaymen keep attacking. You fight back. There’s a forced connection to Joseph Seed. Things escalate. Dramatic showdown. Roll credits.
Progression: Please Stop Making Me Grind for Gears and Duct Tape
Because Ubisoft loves open-world busywork, New Dawn leans heavily into scavenging and crafting. Want better weapons? Upgrade Prosperity? Unlock fast travel? Better start looting every abandoned gas station for screws and adhesives.
It’s not challenging—it’s tedious. In Far Cry 5, you could just buy or find a better gun. In New Dawn, you have to scavenge, craft, upgrade, and THEN use the gun, turning the whole process into a glorified fetch quest that exists purely to pad out the game’s length.
Final Verdict: A Serviceable, Unnecessary Sequel
Far Cry: New Dawn isn’t bad, but it’s a textbook example of a sequel nobody really needed. It’s Far Cry 5.5—same world, minor gameplay tweaks, and a forgettable story. If you loved Far Cry 5 and just want more of it, you’ll probably enjoy yourself, even if the RPG mechanics feel tacked on.
But if you were hoping for a bold new direction? There’s nothing here you haven’t seen before.
Far Cry: New Dawn
Summary
If you loved Far Cry 5 and just want more of it, you’ll probably enjoy yourself, even if the RPG mechanics feel tacked on.
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