Ubisoft quietly thrilled longtime fans this week by announcing that Far Cry 3: Classic Edition will get a native 60 frames-per-second update on modern consoles — and its social teasing suggests two more classic entries could follow.
The publisher confirmed the Far Cry 3 patch will be available to download for free on January 21, 2026. The news began as a playful, emoji-heavy tease on the franchise's official account that eagle-eyed players quickly decoded: alongside the Far Cry 3 nods, fans spotted hints pointing at Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon and Far Cry Primal receiving similar treatment.
Why this matters
Far Cry 3 is often held up as the high-water mark for the series: a sharp open-world shooter with memorable characters and a tropical playground that rewards exploration. But like many older console ports, the modern releases have been capped at 30fps, which blunts responsiveness and makes rapid camera movements feel less crisp. Pushing the classic builds to 60fps won’t change the story or level design, but it will make gunplay snappier, traversal smoother, and aiming more predictable — especially welcome for players revisiting the island after years away.
What we know (and what’s still guesswork)
- Far Cry 3: Classic Edition — confirmed for a free 60fps patch on PS5, with the update rolling out January 21, 2026.
- Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon and Far Cry Primal — strongly hinted at in Ubisoft’s teaser posts. The emoji clues (a dragon and a gorilla among them) make a compelling case, and multiple outlets that followed the reveal expect those patches to arrive in short order.
- Platforms — Ubisoft’s announcement called out current-gen consoles; reports indicate PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S owners will see the benefits, though the firm’s official post focused on the PlayStation messaging. If you use Ubisoft+ Classic or PlayStation Plus, these versions should also reflect the upgrade when the patches are applied.
Ubisoft has leaned into quality-of-life upgrades for its back catalogue more often in recent years, and this is another example of the company keeping older hits playable on contemporary hardware rather than letting them atrophy. For players on PlayStation, the move follows a broader moment where Sony and publishers have been quietly reshuffling how legacy titles are presented, even as users debate ownership models and streaming options across the ecosystem. (For background on how Sony’s platform is evolving, see the recent PS5 cross-buy datamine and the PlayStation Portal streaming update.)
Technical stuff, briefly
These updates are being delivered through console-level backwards compatibility and game updates rather than full remasters. That typically means the original assets, maps, and core systems remain intact while frame-rate caps and certain performance settings are adjusted to take advantage of faster CPUs and more headroom on modern consoles. Expect better frame pacing and fewer stutters, but don’t expect major visual overhauls or new content.
Should you replay it now?
If the island, the villains, and the set-piece moments of Far Cry 3 still live in your head, this is an excellent excuse to go back. Blood Dragon’s neon-saturated absurdity and Primal’s primal-screaming survivalism both have cult followings, and a smoother framerate can change how those games feel in motion. For anyone lingering on whether to upgrade hardware for better performance, the new patch makes a reasonable argument for sticking with modern consoles — or even considering an upgrade if you’ve been holding out (the PlayStation 5 Pro Console remains the obvious high-end pick for serious players).
Ubisoft’s small but meaningful gesture is part of a quieter shift: publishers are investing a bit more effort into legacy support. That means improved performance for classics without turning them into full remakes — and, for many players, more reasons to boot up games they loved a decade ago and see how they hold up.
Related reading: For more on how PlayStation is shifting ownership and streaming experiences, check out the datamine on a possible PS5–PC cross-buy icon and the recent update that lets the PlayStation Portal stream your PS5 library.