(2004) wasn’t just another shooter. It was a PC-exclusive benchmark that made your gaming rig weep and your palms sweat.

If you’ve only played the modern console entries, you owe it to yourself to go back to where it all began. Here is why installing Far Cry 1 on your PC today is still a blast. Let’s be honest: the water in Far Cry 5 looks great. But the water in Far Cry 1 ? In 2004, it was a miracle. Crytek’s engine (yes, the same studio that made Crysis ) pushed DirectX 9 to its absolute limit.

Before Vaas’s definition of insanity, before the grappling hooks of Hope County, and before the RPG grind of New Dawn , there was a tropical hellhole that changed first-person shooters forever.