Far Cry 5’s launch trailer appeared online earlier this week. Earlier today, we saw key art and characters from the upcoming Ubisoft game.
We already know the game will be set in Hope County, Montana. We also know some details about the characters involved. With that in mind let’s take a closer look at 5 things you need to know about the upcoming Far Cry 5 game for PC:

It’s Set in Hope County, Montana, Which Doesn’t Actually Exist

Residents of the prairies and mountains of northwest USA and Canada are finally getting a PC game set in their neck of the woods. Hope County, Montana is the setting for Far Cry 5. That county doesn’t actually exist. However, promotional images for the game showed a real life church in eastern Montana as part of a drone flyover.

The trailer features the snowy mountains, sprawling plains, and beautiful forests that Montana is known for.
One thing to note is that the church shown in the trailer is seen with snow-capped mountains in the background. However, you can’t see the mountain ranges of western Montana from eastern Montana – so there was obviously some editing. The Great Falls Tribune, by the way, first reported game developers scouting the church in early May of this year.

The Plot Appears to Involve a Religious Cult

There’s definitely a religious aspect to Far Cry 5. We see a church in the left hand side of the box cover art that was recently released, and we obviously see the church play a key role in the trailer above:

Based on information online, it appears Far Cry 5 will play out similar to the Branch Davidians situation in Texas in the early 1990s, when cult leader David Koresh led an offshoot of the Seventh-day Adventist Church into a standoff with the US government. The situation ended with more than 76 cult members and 4 ATF agents dead after a 51 day siege.
Information was leaked about one video for the game where someone was walking through an empty town in the middle of the plains, only to walk into the local church and have hundreds of residents staring adoringly at one man on stage.
I’m guessing the man at the center of the box art listed above is that religious leader.

It May Not Be Set in the Real United States

Ubisoft has never set a game in a real-life part of the world. However, every game has been based on a real place. Far Cry 3 took us to a Pacific island (or a Thai island? Nobody is really sure), while Far Cry 4 took us to Bhutan/Nepal/the Himalayas.
Many gamers were surprised when it was revealed that Far Cry 5 would be set in Montana – which is a real life state in a real life country called the United States.

However, many people were quick to point out that the region could be called Montana, even if it’s not Montana, USA. It appears Far Cry 5 could be set in Montana, [Insert Whatever Country Here].
As proof, take a close look at the “American” flags in the promotional images. They don’t feature 50 stars – they feature white designs instead of stars.
Of course, this could just be a plot element, with a band of religious nutcases setting up their breakaway republic in the real USA and creating their own flag. We’ll have to wait to see what Far Cry 5 has in store.

Republicans Are Already Mad About Being Painted as Enemies

Today’s political climate is more heated than ever before. You can’t say anything without offending anybody, and it seems like people require safe spaces on all ends of the political spectrum. It only took a few hours for right-wingers in the United States to become enraged at Far Cry 5.
Heat Street, for example, wrote an article saying “Liberals Salivating at the Prospect of Shooting Republicans in Far Cry 5”:

Of course, that article featured tweets from people (who the author described as “cucks”) who seemed genuinely excited at the prospect of killing right wingers. So hey, if you’re the type of person who takes anonymous accounts on Twitter seriously, then I can see why that would make you mad. Most people who actually live in Montana (a consistently red state), fortunately, seem genuinely excited to play a game set in their home state.
The pointless angry political debates about this game are just heating up. This should be a fun one to watch.

It Should Be Released in Late 2017 or Early 2018

We know nothing specific about the Far Cry 5 release date. However, thanks to our sharp-eyed friends at TechRadar.com, we know that Ubisoft told investors on an earnings call to expect a new entry in the Far Cry franchise in “2017-2018”. After Ubisoft released Far Cry Primal in February 2016, many people started to believe Far Cry 5 would be pushed back into early 2018.
As a longtime Albertan and a frequent visitor to Montana, I’m enormously excited for Far Cry 5. Stay tuned for more information about the game to appear online on Friday, May 26 and throughout the year as we get closer to launch.