Far Cry 3 goes free on the Ubisoft Store

Vaas
(Image credit: Ubisoft)

One month ahead of the release of Far Cry 6, Ubisoft has made Far Cry 3 free for everyone until September 11. Just click here to pop around to the Ubisoft Store, select the standard edition of the game—the deluxe will still set you back $30—and then mash the "get it for free" button.

I only played a little bit of Far Cry 3—I'd opted to leap straight into the standalone expansion Blood Dragon instead, and after that I needed a break—but it's an outstanding addition to the Far Cry series. "You've got a huge island to explore, ridiculously effective tools for scouting every hostile situation, and so many clever intersecting systems to inspire creative ways to conquer them," we wrote in our 89% review. "It's a better stealth game than Far Cry 1, set in an open world that feels richer than Far Cry 2's. That's an amazing thing to play."

The selection of Far Cry 3 as a giveaway ahead of Far Cry 6 is interesting in its own right. A fan theory that's persisted despite an official denial is that Diego Castillo, the son of Far Cry 6 villain Anton Castillo, grows up to become Vaas Montenegro, the fan-favorite bad guy of Far Cry 3. 

(Image credit: Ubisoft)

The basis for the theory is thin—a small scar over Diego's eyebrow is similar to one on Vaas—and the timing seems dodgy: Vaas was born in 1984, which would set Far Cry 6 in the late '90s, which is a bit too soon for the earbuds Diego is clearly wearing in the first Far Cry 6 trailer.

Still, anything is possible. Maybe Ubisoft is hinting at a connection between the two games, maybe someone is having a little fun torquing conspiracy-minded fans, or maybe it's all just a big coincidence. We'll find out soon enough (maybe) after Far Cry 6 launches on October 7. For now, the important thing is that there's a free game to make your own—and for even more, be sure to have a look at our list of all the free games you can grab right now.

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.