Watch Dogs cover art

Watch_Dogs series

Watch Dogs

Set in Chicago, where a central network of computers connects everyone and everything, Watch Dogs explores the impact of technology within our society. Using the city as your weapon, you will embark on a…

81 26 May 2014 ESRB M

Watch Dogs is an adventure developed by Ubisoft Montreal, released 26 May 2014 on PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xbox One and PlayStation 3. The main story takes about 37.5 hrs to finish.

Verified Sources: IGDB , Steam , Wikipedia

What Watch Dogs is

Watch Dogs is an adventure game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and released in 2014. It was published by Ubisoft Entertainment. It is available on PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Google Stadia and PC (Microsoft Windows). It runs on Disrupt. It carries an ESRB M age rating.

The premise, in the publisher's words

You play as Aiden Pearce, a brilliant hacker and former thug, whose criminal past led to a violent family tragedy. While seeking justice for those events, you'll monitor and hack those around you by manipulating the ctOS from the palm of your hand. You'll access omnipresent security cameras, download personal information to locate a target, control traffic lights and public transportation to stop the enemy... and more.
Description from the publisher · source

How it plays

It is played from a third person perspective. Its themes are action, open world, sandbox and science fiction. It is a single-player game with no multiplayer component. Available modes: Co-operative, Multiplayer and Single player. There are 49 achievements to unlock.

Where it sits in the Watch_Dogs series

Watch Dogs is the first of 12 entries we hold in the Watch_Dogs series. The next entry was Watch Dogs: Bad Blood in 2014. Its critic score of 81 is 9 points above the series average of 72. That makes it the highest-rated entry in the series.

See all 12 Watch_Dogs games in release order →

How it was received

Watch Dogs holds a critic score of 81 out of 100. That places it above 73% of the 7,527 rated adventure games in our database, which average 72. Games released in 2014 averaged 69, so it scored 12 points above the year average. Player ratings track closely with critics at 77, across 1,182 votes.

How long it takes, and what that costs

The main story runs about 37.5 hrs. Completing everything takes closer to 60 hrs, roughly 1.6 times the length of the critical path.

What you need to run it

The minimum specification calls for Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 @ 2.66Ghz or AMD Phenom II X4 940 @ 3.0Ghz, 6 GB RAM and DirectX 11 graphics card with 1 GB Video RAM - Nvidia Geforce GTX 460 or AMD Radeon HD 5770. An 6GB memory requirement is modest by current standards; most machines sold in the last five years clear it. Install size is roughly 25GB. Both tiers are compared side by side on the requirements page, and you can check your own parts against them without installing anything.

Full requirements and PC checker →

What it costs, and where

Storefront pricing varies enormously by country: Philippines is the cheapest region we track at ₱799.00 (about $12.67), while United Kingdom pays £17.99 — 1.9 times more.

Full price comparison across all regions →

What it launched against

Watch Dogs launched on 26 May 2014, within three weeks of Mario Kart 8, Wolfenstein: The New Order, Transistor and Rise of Nations: Extended Edition. It reviewed better than 1 of the 4. It arrived 1 year into the PlayStation 4's life, so it was built for hardware developers already knew well.

Released around the same time: Mario Kart 8, Wolfenstein: The New Order, Transistor, Rise of Nations: Extended Edition.

Cheats and codes

We have not confirmed any working cheat codes for Watch Dogs yet. Rather than reprint a list we have not tested, this section stays empty until one is verified.

Know one? Send it in and we will test it →

Official trailer

Season Pass Trailer thumbnail

Sourced from the publisher’s YouTube channel. See all 6 videos →

Screenshots

All media

Characters

All 12

Dlc

Quick answers

Watch Dogs — frequently asked questions

When did Watch Dogs come out?
Watch Dogs was released on 26 May 2014 for PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Google Stadia and PC (Microsoft Windows).
What are the minimum PC requirements for Watch Dogs?
At minimum, Watch Dogs needs Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 @ 2.66Ghz or AMD Phenom II X4 940 @ 3.0Ghz, 6 GB RAM, DirectX 11 graphics card with 1 GB Video RAM - Nvidia Geforce GTX 460 or AMD Radeon HD 5770 graphics, 25 GB available space of storage.
How long does it take to beat Watch Dogs?
The main story of Watch Dogs takes around 37.5 hrs, or 60 hrs for 100% completion.
How many GB is Watch Dogs?
The PC version needs about 25 GB of storage, going by the storage line in the system requirements ("25 GB available space"). Updates can add to that, and console versions have their own sizes, which are not listed here.
Does Watch Dogs have crossplay?
Steam's store listing for Watch Dogs does not list cross-platform multiplayer. That is Steam's listing, not a test: some games have crossplay without Steam showing it, so the publisher's own notes are the final word.
Does Watch Dogs have split screen?
Steam's store listing does not list split screen for the PC version of Watch Dogs. Console versions can differ.
Can you play Watch Dogs solo?
Yes. Steam lists a single-player mode for Watch Dogs as well as multiplayer.
Does Watch Dogs have controller support?
Partly. Steam lists partial controller support for Watch Dogs, which usually means some menus or modes still need a mouse and keyboard.
Can you play Watch Dogs on Mac?
Steam does not sell a macOS version of Watch Dogs; the Steam release is for Windows.
Is Watch Dogs on Linux?
Steam does not list a native Linux version of Watch Dogs. Windows games can often run on Linux and Steam Deck through Proton, but that is a different question from native support.

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