In Far Cry 5 there are many instances of referential humor or throwbacks, which are known as Cultural references.
Alex Jones[]
- A note can be found complaining about how Bliss is causing homosexual behavior in animals, and even "turning the frogs gay," a reference to a famous rant by a conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
Aliens[]
- A man named Larry Parker references the Aliens meme, among other (strange) things.
And All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt[]
- A T-shirt can be obtained through Ubisoft Club that reads: "I was the First to Play Far Cry 5 and all I got was this lousy t-shirt", referencing the popular snowclone clothing trend.
Assassin’s Creed[]
- In a mission with Faith Seed, called A Leap of Faith, you have to jump off a cliff, a reference to Assassin’s Creed’s Leap of Faith mechanic.
- The list of names used to randomly generate non-specialist Guns for Hire fighters who can be hired to assist the Deputy includes both "Evie" as a first name and "Frye" as a surname, meaning it can generate a character named after one of the protagonists of Assassin's Creed: Syndicate.
- In the mission Patriot Acts a note can be found in the same bunker with the tape from G. Voronina, likely Galina Voronina, a modern-day Assassin in the series.
- An Assassin's Creed: Origins T-shirt can be purchased for the player.
- After rescuing a hostage, and then speaking with them, they can say "You remind me of the old timey sheriffs, like the Egyptian medjay, May God stand between you and evil in the empty places you must walk." (If this quote can be heard from non-hostages needs confirmation)
- In the Lost on Mars DLC during the final mission Anne references Those Who Came Before, the ancient civilization from Assassin's Creed.
Bambi[]
- The descriptions of both the Deer Skin and Alpha Deer Skin respective reference the death of Bambi's mother and the name (or title) of Bambi's father in the Disney film of the same name.
Beyond Good and Evil[]
- A Beyond Good and Evil T-shirt can be purchased for the player.
Cryptids[]
- A Jackalope (deer-horned hare) is seen in the second vision the Deputy has when dealing with Faith. These can also be found occasionally in the game world and are referred to as "Alpha Hares."
- The Prepper Stash quest Gone Squatchin' is a reference to the Sasquatch also known as Bigfoot. Throughout Hope County there are also signs with "Sasquatch Alert" written on them and several NPCs will occasionally make offhand comments about the creature as well.
Dirty Harry[]
- The .44 Magnum L has flavor text referencing the iconic scene where Harry questions a criminal at gunpoint, rhetorically asking if he fired five shots or six, followed by the line, "Do you feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?", the latter half of which is included in the weapon's text.
- The .44 Magnum "Cannon" has a prestige skin named, Empire State, which may be a reference to the early draft of Dirty Harry where the locale was New York City (New York is colloquially known as the Empire State), instead of San Francisco. The flavor text for the weapon also references the eponymous character: "guaranteed to get you out of dirty and/or hairy situations."
Far Cry (film)[]
- Guy Marvel makes a statement referencing how Blood Dragon 3 will be a better film than Far Cry; this is likely a jab at the ill-received Uwe Boll film.
Far Cry 2[]
- Casey Fixman makes an allusion to the fate of The Jackal, though the report will be declassified in 2058.
- Another random book can be found titled "Malaria: The Annoying Disease", referring to the unpopular gameplay mechanic.
Far Cry 3[]
- A bobblehead available for cars is a typical Hawaiian hula-girl, except with Vaas Montenegro's head.
- Likewise, a red tank-top like Vaas' wears, but with the addition of a black stencil print of Vaas' face can be purchased in the upper torso section of the clothing store.
- A book found in various shelves is titled "Trials of the Rakyat", a reference to the indigenous people of the Rook Islands.
- A few of Hurk's boxes contain "Rook Island Shit".
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon[]
- A few side missions involve film director Guy Marvel directing the "Blood Dragon 3" movie, including Blood Dragon posters around the set and the purple Blood Dragon eggs.
- Completing this mission also unlocks an Omega Force outfit for the Deputy.
- Another book is titled "Blood Dragon 2: Darling Revengeance".
- Larry Parker will mention that although he isn't a "gun-guy", if he had to pick one, he'd pick an A.J.M. 9, because, "If it's good enough for Rex "Power" Colt, then it's good enough for me!"
- An actual Blood Dragon appears at the end of one of the Dead Living Zombies missions.
Far Cry 4[]
- A Pagan Min bobble head can be unlocked in the Ubisoft Club via ownership of Far Cry 4 and placed on car dashboards as a decoration.
- A series of publications titled "Mumu's Fashion Week" can be found in several shelves.
- It is indicated that the cult got their weapons from a crazy arms dealer in South America, which is where Longinus said he was going at the end of his missions in Far Cry 4.
- A few of Hurk's boxes contains "Kyrat Shit".
Far Cry Primal[]
- The icon and name of the perk Primal Mastery is a reference to Far Cry Primal.
- Drawings found in Frobisher's Cave may also be a reference to the game.
- Mammoth statues can be found around the map, probably a reference to the game.
- A Clutch Nixon mission, The Mooseknuckle Run, references a "debunked Wenja ritual".
- In a phone call to the deputy at the southern entrance to the Mastodon Geothermal Park, Faith Seed will snarl "Shaja su dajri martiyi!" at the Deputy before hanging up. This is a phrase in the Wenja language that translates roughly to, "Today is a good day to die!"
- This is itself a daisy-chain reference to the famous battle cry of Klingon warriors from the Star Trek franchise.
- A few of Hurk's boxes contains "Oros Shit".
- When in a vehicle, Hurk will sometimes compliment the Deputy's driving calling them "Buda Kwala" which means "Smart Man" in Wenja. Hurk will then admit he doesn't know what the word means and most likely just made it up.
- A book titled "Oros: A Mesolithic Paradise" can be found in several bookshelves.
- A handwritten note found near the Clagett Boathouse shows that a man named Simon is apologizing for taking a boat called the "Beast Master" and promises to send help should he make it out of Hope County.
- An Far Cry Primal T-shirt can be purchased for the player.
- A tribal outfit based on Primal can be obtained through Ubisoft Club.
Far Cry 5: Dead Living Zombies[]
- A series of the comic books Nadine wants you find are named after the DLC.
- The setting of the DLC is based on another one of Guy Marvel's movies.
Far Cry 5: Hours of Darkness[]
- A series of the comic books Nadine wants you find are named after the DLC.
Far Cry 5: Lost On Mars[]
- Larry Parker has several posters of Lost On Mars.
- A series of the comic books Nadine wants you find are named after the DLC.
For Honor[]
- A For Honor T-shirt can be purchased for the player.
Friends[]
- When talking to Hurk, he may mention Rachel from the 1990s sitcom Friends.
Ghostbusters[]
- A note called, “From a Ghost Hunter” can be found referencing the Ghostbusters.
Heart of Darkness[]
- The title of the Hours of Darkness DLC is likely inspired by the title of the original novella the Vietnam movie Apocalypse Now (see Far Cry cultural references#Apocalypse Now) was based on, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (which also inspired the plot of Far Cry 2).
Heaven’s Gate[]
- The name for the game’s enemy faction, Project at Eden's Gate is based on the real life cult Heaven’s Gate, whose members believed that the Hale-Bopp comet was a spaceship that would take them away to heaven after their mass suicide.
Independence Day[]
- Dr. Larry Parker, a Holland Valley-based scientist obsessed with alien invasion, bears a strong physical resemblance to Dr. Brackish Okun (Brent Spiner), the astrophysicist in charge of Area 51 in the 1996 science fiction film, Independence Day.
IT[]
- A note called, “Clown thoughts” found in O'Hara's Haunted House references the IT films. Nearby, you can find a red balloon, an item from a key scene in the films.
- You can also find another red balloon at a sewer entrance.
Legend of Zelda[]
- A picture found on a locker reads, “Hey, I just met you & this is crazy. But it’s dangerous to go alone! So take this maybe."
- This also alludes to the chorus of the infamous song "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen.
Little Red Riding Hood[]
- The Wolf Leader skin description includes the line "who knows just how many grandmothers this one killed and impersonated."
Looney Tunes[]
- The inventory description for the skin of an Alpha Hare states that "they really should have taken that left turn at Albuquerque." This is a reference to Bugs Bunny In King Arthur's Court, where Bugs states this on realising he is not at the Georgia Peanut Festival.
- The description of the Alpha Skunk skin references a "Euro-skunk (who) never took no for an answer." This is a reference to the character Pepe Le Pew.
- The description for the Hunting Magazine for Hares reads: "Hares prefer brushy woods to avoid hunters with speech impediments." Referencing Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd.
Lord of the Flies[]
- The description of the Alpha Boar skin states that "its fly infested head will say the beast is really inside us all. Good lord!" This is a reference to the book Lord of the Flies, the title of which refers to a pig's head placed on a stake that plays a key role in the story.
Miami Vice[]
- The description for the A-99 noes that it "did a couple of seasons of a Miami crime TV drama in the 80s." This is a reference to the use of the Interdynamic KG-99, a gun almost identical to the in-game TEC-9, appearing in the TV series Miami Vice from 1984-1989.
Pee Tape[]
- Willis Huntley's mission Patriot Acts repeatedly references the infamous rumor that the Russian government has a tape in which two prostitutes urinate on a hotel bed that Barack and Michelle Obama once slept in, while future President Donald Trump watches, and are using it to blackmail him.
- In Far Cry's universe, such a tape "exists", and is being kept in an underground in Montana by a Russian intelligence agent. Huntley will explain that the tape, "if released, could make [the 'Big Man'] look bad to the public".
- He will also use suggestive phrases (such as "the bed has been wet"), and telling the deputy they are not to assassinate their target, because, "as ironic as this may sound, this is not wetwork".
Rainbow Six Siege[]
- An outfit from Rainbow 6 Siege can be unlocked on the Ubisoft Club called the Rainbow 6 Siege Armor Pack. The outfit is based on Castle’s outfit from the game.
- A Rainbow 6 T-shirt can be purchased in the clothing vendor that features the "Breach" key art as the graphic.
Rambo: First Blood Part II[]
- The description of the M60 ("apply red bandana, pull trigger and yell") references the Rambo films in general, but particularly Rambo's use of an M60E3 in the second film.
- The name of Whitetail Militia's base, "Wolf Den," is the radio callsign used by Rambo's support unit.
- The scene where Staci Pratt shoots up the radio equipment in Jacob Seed's bunker while yelling is also a reference the final scene, where Rambo uses his M60 to shoot up a radio room while doing the same.
- The flavor text of the Recurve Bow states that: "This bow is the non-firearm weapon of choice for highly skilled Green Berets from Vietnam."
- This is a little odd since Rambo is famous for using compound bows, particularly the custom design based on a Hoyt Archery Spectre that was used in First Blood Part II and Rambo III.
Raving Rabbids[]
- A Raving Rabbids bobblehead can be placed in cars as a decoration.
- A Rabbids T-shirt can be purchased in clothing stores.
Skyrim[]
- An NPC occasionally mentions the line "I used to be a deputy like you, until I took a bullet to the knee", referencing the "arrow to the knee" line said by Skyrim guards.
Transformers[]
- The "Widowmaker" has a color scheme very similar to Optimus Prime in the live action Transformers movies.
Watch Dogs[]
- A Watch Dogs 2 T-shirt can be purchased in the clothing vendor.
X-Men[]
- The description of the Wolverine skin states to make sure it's dead because "this resilient bastard has a way of healing," a reference to the regenerative powers of the X-Men character Wolverine.
Misc.[]
- The 308 Carbine 'Old Flame' variant references the trend of ex-relationships stalking you on social media: "This 308 Carbine still checks you out on social media. The spark between you will never die."
- The M133 makes a joke about the effects of cheap vodka (which in Russia is sometimes near-pure ethanol) on the internal organs of the consumer: "This pump-action shotgun will cause more internal damage than cheap vodka."
- Carrying on, the tactical variant, the M133 M, goes a bit further: "It will cause more internal damage than REALLY cheap vodka."
- The MedKit mentions the ever-present issue in American politics about private vs. public health care: "Healthcare in a box. You decide whether this is mandatory or optional."
- The P226 states that: "It's about as American as Swiss Cheese," referencing how the P226 is not actually an American design, but rather a European design by the German company Sig Sauer.
- The prestige variant, the Amendment 2 takes this a step further into the ridiculous: "This P226 is as American as George Washington eating a deep-fried bald eagle."
- The RPG-7 makes fun of people who wait outside stores for the latest products at midnight releases: "No need to camp outside of a store for a midnight launch," with the use of the word "launch" serving as a double entendre.
- The SA-50 description makes a joke about priapism (hours-long, agonisingly painful erections that can lead to gangrene due to pooled blood), a notorious side-effect of male enhancement pills: "If it does that for more than 4 hours, call a doctor."
- The SBS references the trend of "shotgun" weddings: "It's also been part of a couple quick weddings."
- The Socket Pipe references the board game Clue (or Cluedo in the UK): "One of six possible murder weapons you'd find in a mansion. 'Whodunit?' is the real question," with 'Whodunit?' being the tagline of the board game and the "lead piping" being one of the possible weapons.
- The prestige variant of the Vector .45 makes reference to the 1986 Timbuk 3 song The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades: "This Vector .45 ACP is so bright you gotta wear shades", with the 80s song era matching the arcade motif of the skin.
- The outfit getaway and viper are possible references to the Ryan Gosling film “Drive”.
- In Hours Of Darkness, your characters name is "Cowboy", and one of the people you need to rescue is named "Joker", possibly referencing Full Metal Jacket.
- There is a possible reference to Fallout: New Vegas via a premium skin for the 1911, with the description saying something about ‘a headshot with this thing will kill’, referencing the opening in which the game's protagonist is shot in the head with a similar pistol.