Highlights

  • Far Cry 7's rumored time limit may change the series' gameplay dynamic, requiring players to strategize and prioritize in a new way.
  • The time limit should extend to NPCs and side missions for a more immersive experience in Far Cry 7's open world.
  • Making certain characters and quests available only at certain times could drive home the importance of player choice in Far Cry 7.

Far Cry 7's has played host to a variety of rumors and leaks over the last nine months, but none have been more explosive nor consistently divisive as its rumored time limit. In September 2023, Insider Gaming reported that Far Cry 7 will feature a 72-hour time limit in-game, which translates to roughly 24 real-world hours. The title will seemingly task players with completing a non-linear narrative within these 72 hours, though it is currently unknown what happens if they fail. While Far Cry 7's rumored time limit will place fans under a lot of pressure, the title needs to pressure more than the player to make the most of its central mechanic.

Far Cry 7's time limit hasn't been confirmed, but that hasn’t stopped the feature from becoming one of the most talked-about topics in gaming. If true, the concept would upend much of what drove previous entries in the series, as players were set loose to explore a large open world and deviate from the campaign at will. With Far Cry 7’s rumored time limit, players would need to change the very core of their approach to the title’s world, missions, and unlockables. While this could work to make the title feel original and different than what came before, this limit will feel artificial if developer Ubisoft doesn’t extend its impact beyond the players themselves.

Far Cry 6 Anton and Diego
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Far Cry 7’s Time Limit Should Extend to its Open World

Far Cry 7’s rumored time limit may risk feeling like a gimmick if its presence isn't felt throughout the title's open world. Exploration, side missions, and secret unlockables are a mainstay of the Far Cry series and the next entry’s rumored time limit threatens to disrupt these central concepts. Far Cry 7 players will be more focused on its mainline missions than ever before as the title’s newfound sense of urgency flips the status quo. However, a sense of balance can be restored if Ubisoft’s time-based approach is felt beyond the main narrative.

Far Cry 7 should make it clear that the urgency of its narrative extends to its NPCs. As the player traverses the title's open world and meets quest-givers, merchants, and allies, their respective roles and availability should be time-restricted as well. Specific side missions and vendors could only be available during certain windows of the overall 72-hour in-game clock, forcing players to approach the order in which they complete non-linear narrative missions or regions more purposefully. What's more, players will only be capable of obtaining a limited number of allies and items within a single playthrough, giving the title more replayability and opening the door to a greater variety of secret unlockables.

Far Cry 7’s Time Limit Needs to Apply The Right Kind of Pressure

Far Cry 7’s time limit is a new concept for the franchise, but the mechanic has a long history of application in the gaming medium. Various titles, including The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Unsighted, and Pikmin, all task players to complete the central narrative under a strict deadline. To succeed, Far Cry 7 needs to emulate the approach these titles took, using its deadline to embolden its unique world and story rather than drive the whole experience. By applying the right kind of pressure, Far Cry 7’s rumored time limit can represent a much-needed evolution to Ubisoft’s open-world formula and provide a boon to one of its most popular franchises.

Far Cry 7’s rumored time limit can evolve Ubisoft’s open-world formula, provided they take the right approach!

Little is actually known about Far Cry 7, despite an abundance of widely circulating rumors. When the title is formally announced, there's no telling how, or if, its rumored time limit will present itself within the narrative and environment. Fans are hopeful that Far Cry 7's time at the center of the industry's rumor mill will be over soon, with Ubisoft finally revealing the title to the public. Luckily for fans, that reveal may come quite soon, as Ubisoft has been confirmed as a partner for this year's Summer Game Fest, which will unveil a host of major titles later this week.