Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is a 2013 standalone first-person shooter developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. Released on May 1, 2013, for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, it was built on the same Dunia 2 engine as Far Cry 3. However, it completely abandons the serious, tropical survival tone of its predecessor in favor of a neon-soaked, unapologetic parody of 1980s action movies, VHS culture, and dystopian sci-fi tropes. Because it is a standalone expansion, players do not need the base Far Cry 3 game to play it.

Core Story

The year is 2007. It is the future. Earth has been ravaged by a nuclear war, and “new paths for peace must be found.” You step into the cybernetic boots of Sergeant Rex “Power” Colt (voiced by legendary 80s action star Michael Biehn), a Mark IV Cyber Commando. Rex is deployed to a remote, unnamed island to investigate his former commanding officer, Colonel Sloan, who has gone rogue.

Sloan has taken control of the island’s Omega Force and is harvesting the blood of the island’s apex predators—the titular Blood Dragons—to create a devastating biological super-weapon. Driven by vengeance and a strict adherence to action-movie one-liners, Rex must infiltrate the garrisons, rescue the scientist Dr. Darling, stop Sloan’s evil plan, and save the world.

Gameplay and Features

Blood Dragon takes the incredibly solid foundation of Far Cry 3 and streamlines it into a hyper-condensed, explosive 5-hour action romp:

• Streamlined Progression: The tedious hunting and crafting mechanics of the base game are completely removed. Instead of unlocking skill trees, Rex automatically earns new, increasingly ridiculous cyber-abilities (like zero fall damage and chained ninja takedowns) simply by leveling up and killing enemies.
• The Blood Dragons: These towering, neon-glowing, dinosaur-like mutants roam the island and shoot actual lasers from their eyes. They are blind but have incredible hearing. Players can rip the glowing “cyber-hearts” out of dead cyborg enemies and throw them to lure Blood Dragons into enemy outposts to do the dirty work for them.
• 80s Action Arsenal: The weapons are redesigned to fit the retro-future aesthetic, including a laser-firing assault rifle (the Fazertron), a lever-action shotgun (the Galleria 1991), and a literal arm-mounted laser beam (the KillStar) unlocked in the late game.
• VHS Aesthetics: The entire game is filtered through CRT scanlines, tracking artifacts, and 8-bit cutscenes, fully committing to the bit of being a lost VHS tape from the 1980s.
• Legendary Soundtrack: The Australian electronic duo Power Glove composed the soundtrack, delivering an absolutely incredible synth-wave score that pulses during every firefight.

PC Version

The PC version perfectly handles the heavy neon lighting and post-processing effects that give the game its signature look. Uncapped framerates and high resolutions make the chaotic laser-battles pop beautifully. Since it is a slightly older title running on the Dunia 2 engine, modern PCs can run it flawlessly at maximum settings without breaking a sweat, making it the ideal platform for experiencing Rex Colt’s adventure.

Console Versions

The game originally launched as a digital-only title on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, where its heavy visual filters sometimes masked the hardware limitations of the older consoles. In December 2021, Ubisoft released Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon Classic Edition for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One (which is also playable on the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S). While this version brought the game to modern consoles at a higher resolution, it was criticized at launch for running at only 30 FPS and having some input lag, though it remains a highly accessible way to play the game on a TV.

Quick Note

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is widely considered one of the greatest DLCs/standalone expansions ever created. It is short, sweet, and perfectly executes its hilarious creative vision without overstaying its welcome.