If you've picked up, or you're thinking of picking up a physical copy of Far Cry 6 for your Xbox Series X, you'll probably want to be aware that due to how Smart Delivery works, you'll pretty much have to download the entire thing.
The disc actually includes the Xbox One version of Far Cry 6, so if you're playing on the next-gen console, you'll find that the game only installs 700MB from the disc, leaving the rest of the 68GB to be downloaded from the web.
This isn't overly surprising to us, and it's not the first time we've seen it, but we can understand why it's such an annoyance for those with poor internet speeds and/or bandwidth caps. Ultimately, it's a downside of the cross-gen era we're going through, where Smart Delivery physical editions prioritise the Xbox One version over Xbox Series X. In contrast, if you're playing on Xbox One, you should find that the majority of the game installs directly from the disc.
Additionally, if you're playing on Xbox Series X and haven't downloaded it already (it should download automatically), be aware that Far Cry 6 has an optional 34GB HD Texture Pack which you can locate by hitting 'Menu' on the game tile and then navigating to 'Manage game & add-ons'. In there, you should see an option for the texture pack to help boost your visuals even further.
Hopefully, by this time next year, these sorts of cross-gen issues with Xbox discs will be a thing of the past.
Have you run into problems with installing Far Cry 6 on Xbox Series X? Let us know down below.
Comments 24
Can someone please clarify.
I have downloaded digitally at 68gb and been playing.
Is the texture pack an additional 36gb on top of my 68gb?
Which is why I don't plan to buy any physical discs for my Series X. That and the DRM.
I went all digital around 2015 so this doesn't effect me.
It does kinda baffle me that this is even news, for years now a disc has just been a physical key for a digital game.
I would suggest that 100% of XBOX One game discs out in the wild do not contain the final game, they all have updates, some of which are actually most of the game itself.
We are not in the cartridge days where you can pop the game in 20 years down the line and you play the finished article, those days are gone, many many years ago now.
Physical copies are for the collector, not for the preservationist.
EDIT:
I understand that people with poor internet may want to buy a physical copy, but to be honest poor internet is gonna catch you out at some point, even if the game is on the disc, updates are often huge these days and games never release in a final state.
It's just the way it is, game publishers are not not going to release their game 18 months later just so you can get a final version on a disc, the world has changed.
Updates can also be a positive, games often get support for a long time and you are going to have to download lots of data, this is gaming and has been the case since last gen (2013 XB1/PS4).
With regards to the Series version not being mostly available and the XB1 version being on the disc, well there's a lot more XB1s out there, but even if they did release a specific Series disc (too costly to produce two physical versions, so no chance there) there's no guarantee that the Series version was ready at the time of disc production anyway.
I think there's been some confusion here.
On Series X, the HD Texture Pack is a forced install. If your file size is 68GB then you already have it installed.
You can confirm this by checking on the main menu, top left, it should say 'Far Cry 6.1.1.0 - HD Pack'.
If your file size is 40GB, which was the preinstall size, then that is without the texture pack, which I assume is what the Series S is using, but don't have one to confirm.
Hope that helps clear the confusion!
@blinx01 Yeah, I think its optional for the Series S, I saw it on a YouTube video.
I wonder if it is also optional for the XB1X?
I don't have the game to check this.
@blinx01 Yep, it's supposed to download automatically. I've updated the article to reflect this - it seems it's not doing it for everyone.
Here's what Ubisoft says:
"The PS5 and Xbox Series X/S should both have the HD Texture Pack included with the game installation. If you're still having any trouble, please let us know."
To be fair this is part of the sacrifice for Smart Delivery.
@blinx01
Thank you thought I had the HD texture pack download by the visuals.
I guess on series x it pre loaded it all for me with good ole smart delivery
@themightyant True, but this is still a major disadvantage over the PS5 in that particular area. Not this game as there's a huge patch even on the PS5 (and rare game here and there), but most games that you buy physically on the PS5 install almost completely from the disc with only having to download a small patch. Smart Delivery is nice, but then they should include two discs or just put the Series X version on the disc and make Xbox One people download the game like some games have done. I'm skeptical that Microsoft will ever switch over to UHD discs like Sony did right from the start even when games are no longer cross-gen.
Not trying to start an argument or anything. Just stating an unfortunate side effect of Smart Delivery and an advantage for PS5 owners who are new gen only, where Smart Delivery doesn't matter as much unless you are going back to play a game you had from the Xbox One before you got a Series X.
@JetmanUK Again, not trying to start an argument, but buying physical copies still has a big enough advantage on the PS5, where I can actually install a full game off of a disc (minus day 1 patches, which usually aren't huge like Far Cry 6's patch).
It's such a weird one because people will have different preferences. I think for me, it's a given that one day I will have a Series X so I would probably want to have the Series X version on disc and have that download the One version in the mean time but that would be frustrating for somebody who is never planning to upgrade
@KilloWertz Agreed. Though I think in reality this mostly only affects the hardcore and collectors. 95+% of users (who just play games) won't have any idea this is even happening in the background.
That isn't to say it isn't a problem, but the noise around it is from the vocal minority of hardcore fans and collectors, mostly thinking ahead X years about game preservation.
Personally I don't like it, but I accept it as a sacrifice for convenience, cost and less confusion. I would prefer the Xbox Series version was on the disc, but there are likely valid reasons this isn't always the case. We likely have all the information to make an informed decision. With no perfect solution, this is probably the least worst option.
@themightyant It affects anybody who still buys physical copies. Granted people with really good internet will have it downloaded in a quick enough amount of time, but the other side that has mediocre internet at best gains very little by buying it on disc. Also, in this case, Ubisoft screwed up as any game that has Xbox Series X listed first on the cover has always had the Series X version on the disc from the games I've bought. At least the cover posted online.
Maybe there is a valid reason, but I don't see it. Sure, maybe the cross-gen titles that came out around launch, but there's no excuse for any of them to not have the Series X version on the disc at this point.
In the end, you just have to work around it or whatever I suppose. It makes buying physical copies a significant less advantage on the Series X than the PS5, and it means you are very unlikely to play some games on day 1 unless you have really good internet, which is something that is rarely the case on PS5. It's also a knock on Microsoft's laziness with compression. Again, you have to plan accordingly, but it is also a shame nonetheless.
One of the many reasons why I am all digital now on Xbox.
If it wasn’t because I really have come to trust they won’t ever shut down stores like Sony and Nintendo, I would not be on Xbox platform at all.
Honestly, if Microsoft ever closes the 360 store they better handle it smoothly in a way that keeps those games purchasable and downloadable. Any misstep in that direction and it’s all PS5 disks for multiplat games for me again.
Doesn't bother me in the slightest. I have a fast internet connection and I only buy physical discs so I can resell them when I'm done. I don't have time to replay games anyway.
I usually end up paying $5-20 max when buying games at release and sell when finished.
@blinx01 Thank you. This is the answer I was looking for. Was confused about the HD texture pack and how to know if you had it already.
We really are in an all digital era for console games now (as it has been for PC for a while) which is a shame when it comes to things like preservation, and being tied to the internet.
Buying boxed games is just so you can have something on a shelf now rather than actually having a physical copy of a game.
At least you can still buy/sell them used which is something we'll never see for digital games despite games like this being, effectively all digital anyway.
My copy came on Wednesday. I knew I would probably have to download the whole game, so I was lucky enough to be able to nip home from work to start the download. By the time I got back home from work to was ready to play!
It was already like this with the Xbox One, it's the main reason I stopped buying physical games for everything besides the Switch.
I have been a defender of physical copies for years. Really : I'm the guy who enjoy to collect games, and put them on a shelf, near all my books and Dvds / Blurays.
But with my Series X, I finally made peace with a full digital way to play. At least on this console. Gamepass was a part of the equation, smart delivery was another.
I really don't see the point of discs anymore, on this console. They are now just keys to unlock your content, which has to be downloaded anyway. So you better download it right away, in order to cancel one step of the process (you just select your game and play).
I'm still going physical for the Switch, thought (planning to buy a Metroid copy this week).
Let’s not forget, that whoever buys far cry 6 on series, actually buys 2 games in one price. The Xbox one and the series s/x.
@KilloWertz
Hmmmm.
Just gonna leave this here. Unfortunate. 😜🤣
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/far-cry-6-has-reportedly-shipped-wrong-versions-in-the-uk-blocking-upgrades/
Not good. What if I was on limited data or had no internet? I buy disc based games so I don't have to download games. I have unlimited data, but I use mobile data. When it downloads too fast my phone overheats. So I can't be downloading games. If discs can't hold the whole game in it, then add an additional disc.
@JetmanUK That is pretty bad that Ubisoft did that again. They did it last year with Assassin's Creed Valhalla too.
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