Choose Far Cry 3
Choose Far Cry 3 if you want the Multi-player and Co-op side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 83% cheaper on the Steam Store. 41,842 Steam reviews back the pick.
Far Cry 3 vs Far Cry® Primal
Far Cry 3 and Far Cry® Primal both land in Action, Adventure on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Action, Adventure on Steam. Far Cry 3 (2012) is 4 years older than Far Cry® Primal (2016). Far Cry® Primal scores higher on Steam reviews (85.4% positive) than Far Cry 3 (84.4% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Far Cry® Primal
Choose Far Cry® Primal if it's the newer release (2016) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 14,008 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Far Cry 3 and Far Cry® Primal sit in Action and Adventure on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (84.4% vs 85.4% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Far Cry 3 |  Far Cry® Primal | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2012 | 2016 |
| Genres | Action, Adventure | Action, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | 4.99 USD | 29.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 84.4% positive (41,842 reviews) | 85.4% positive (14,008 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Co-op | Single-player only |
| Developers | Ubisoft Montreal, Massive Entertainment, and Ubisoft Shanghai | Ubisoft |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Adventure on Steam.
- Far Cry 3 (2012) is 4 years older than Far Cry® Primal (2016).
- Far Cry® Primal scores higher on Steam reviews (85.4% positive) than Far Cry 3 (84.4% positive).
- Far Cry 3 is currently ~83% cheaper on Steam than Far Cry® Primal (4.99 USD vs. 29.99 USD).
- Far Cry 3 has co-op; Far Cry® Primal does not.
- Both are Deck Playable.
Far Cry 3 vs Far Cry® Primal — FAQ
- Which is better, Far Cry 3 or Far Cry® Primal?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Far Cry 3 sits at 84.4% positive (41,842 reviews), Far Cry® Primal at 85.4% (14,008). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Far Cry 3 or Far Cry® Primal first?
- If you want chronology, Far Cry 3 (2012) came out before Far Cry® Primal (2016). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Far Cry 3 and Far Cry® Primal similar?
- They overlap on Action, Adventure on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Does Far Cry® Primal have multiplayer like Far Cry 3?
- No. Far Cry 3 supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Co-op), while Far Cry® Primal is listed as single-player only.