Watch Dogs (named WATCH_DOGS) is a series of action-adventure video games created by Ubisoft. The games are mainly made by Ubisoft's studios in Montreal and Toronto, using a special game engine called Disrupt. The first game in the series was released in 2014, followed by two more games: Watch Dogs 2 in 2016 and Watch Dogs: Legion in 2020. The series also includes books, comic books, and a movie planned for the future that takes place in the same fictional world as the games.

In the Watch Dogs games, players explore a large open world where they can complete missions to advance the story and do other activities. The main gameplay includes driving, shooting, and sneaking, with some parts involving role-playing and puzzles. The games are set in cities that are based on real places but changed to fit the story. Each game follows a different hacker as the main character, who deals with criminals and bad groups in their city. The enemies are often corrupt companies, crime leaders, and other hackers who use ctOS, a fictional computer system that connects all electronic devices in a city and stores personal information about citizens. Players can also use ctOS to control devices to help with fighting, sneaking, or solving puzzles.

Most people have praised the games for their gameplay, story structure, and world design, but some have reported technical problems. The series has been very popular, with more than 20 million copies sold for the first two games combined.

Games

Set in a made-up version of the Chicago area in 2013, the first game in the series follows Aiden Pearce, a gray hat hacker and vigilante, as he seeks revenge after his niece is killed. The game began development in 2009 and had a budget of $68 million. Watch Dogs was based on a planned sequel to the Driver series, which was being developed at Ubisoft Montreal at the same time as Driver: San Francisco by Ubisoft Reflections. Driver: San Francisco did not perform well commercially, so the Montreal version was changed to focus on hacking, while still including driving elements. Ubisoft Montreal led the development of Watch Dogs, with help from Ubisoft Reflections, Ubisoft Paris, Ubisoft Quebec, and Ubisoft Bucharest. The game was highly anticipated after being shown at E3 2012, but the final version faced criticism for lower-than-expected graphics. It was released for Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One in May 2014, with a Wii U version released in November 2014.

Downloadable content (DLC) called Watch Dogs: Bad Blood was released in September 2014. This DLC features Raymond "T-Bone" Kenney, a character from the main game, as the main player. It adds ten new story missions, new "Street Sweep" contracts, weapons, outfits, side missions, and an RC car.

Set in a made-up version of the San Francisco Bay Area in 2016, Watch Dogs 2 follows hacker Marcus Holloway, who is wrongly punished for a crime through ctOS 2.0. He joins the hacking group DedSec to fight against the dangers of ctOS 2.0 and expose the corruption of Blume Corporation. This game added more multiplayer options and new weapons and gadgets compared to the first game. Unlike the first game, Watch Dogs 2 has a more positive and lively tone. Ubisoft Montreal led the development, with support from Ubisoft studios in Toronto, Paris, Bucharest, Kyiv, and Newcastle. Watch Dogs 2 was released in November 2016 for Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Five DLC packs were released for the game: the "T-Bone Content Bundle," "Human Conditions," "No Compromise," "Root Access Bundle," and "Psychedelic Pack." Due to an agreement with Sony Interactive Entertainment, all DLCs were exclusive to PlayStation 4 at first but later became available on other platforms in 2017.

• The "Root Access Bundle" (December 2016) and "Psychedelic Pack" (released with the game) include a mission involving the Zodiac Killer, new outfits, cars, skins, and weapons.
• The "T-Bone Content Bundle" was released for PlayStation 4 on December 22, 2016, and includes a new co-op difficulty called "Mayhem," plus T-Bone's clothes and truck.
• "Human Conditions" was released on February 21, 2017, for PlayStation 4, and March 23 for Xbox One and PC. It adds three new stories in San Francisco's science and medicine industries, new co-op missions, and a new enemy class called "the Jammer."
• "No Compromise" was released on April 18, 2017, for PlayStation 4 and May 18 for Xbox One and PC, featuring a new story mission, outfits, and weapons.

Set in a made-up version of a futuristic, dystopian London, Watch Dogs: Legion follows DedSec as they work to clear their names after being framed for terrorist bombings. DedSec also fights to free London's people from Albion, a private military company that controls the city with surveillance. The game allows players to recruit any NPC in the open world as a playable character. Each character has unique skills and backgrounds, and can be permanently lost if the permadeath option is enabled. Missions can be completed in different ways depending on the character chosen. Ubisoft Toronto led the development, with Clint Hocking as creative director. Legion was released for Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Stadia on October 29, 2020, with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions added later.

The online multiplayer component, delayed from its planned December 3 release to March 2021, allows up to four players to complete cooperative missions, play competitive modes, or explore London together. After its release, Legion received free updates that added new missions, game modes, and characters, including Mina Sidhu, a former test subject with mind-control powers; Aiden Pearce from the first game; Wrench from Watch Dogs 2; and Darcy Clarkson, a member of the Assassin Brotherhood from Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed franchise. A paid story expansion called Watch Dogs: Legion – Bloodline, featuring Aiden and Wrench in a new storyline, was released on July 6, 2021.

Common elements

The Watch Dogs series is a type of game called a sandbox game. These games mix action, adventure, stealth, and driving elements. Players can move freely through the game world on foot or by using vehicles. They can also use a variety of weapons and hand-to-hand combat. If players commit illegal acts, like attacking non-player characters (NPCs), authorities will respond quickly and often with deadly force. If a player dies during the game, they will restart near the location where they were killed.

In each game, players control a hacker who uses their in-game smartphone to access electronic devices connected to the ctOS system. Most abilities from ctOS help solve puzzles or complete stealth challenges, but players can use them at any time to create different situations, such as hacking traffic lights to cause delays or contacting the police to target NPCs. Players can improve their skills and unlock new hacking tools and gadgets as they progress. In Watch Dogs 2, additional weapons and hacking tools, such as a taser and a quadcopter, were added.

The Watch Dogs games are set in fictional versions of real cities that use the ctOS system. Watch Dogs takes place in the Chicago area, Watch Dogs 2 in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Watch Dogs: Legion in Greater London. The first two games are set in modern times, while Legion is set in the "near future" (around 2030), showing major technological advancements.

Reception

Watch Dogs received mostly positive reviews, even though some people pointed out problems such as technical issues, differences between the game's graphics in marketing materials and the actual game, the story, and the main character. By the end of 2014, the game sold more than 10 million copies.

Watch Dogs 2 received mostly positive reviews when it was released, with critics saying it was better than the first game. Although it had difficulty selling well at first, more than 10 million copies were sold by 2020.

Watch Dogs: Legion received mixed reviews. Critics had divided opinions about the game’s feature of allowing players to control many different characters. Some praised the game’s diversity and the use of permanent character death, which helped players form emotional connections. Others criticized the characters for lacking personality and for having uneven abilities. Additional criticism included problems with the game’s world design, ways to move around the game world, difficulty levels that changed too much, repeated missions, online features, and technical issues.

Other media

In 2014, an eBook titled Watch Dogs: Dark Clouds by John Shirley was released. This book continues the story of the first Watch Dogs game. In 2019, a two-part comic book series called Watch Dogs: Return to Rocinha was published by Titan Comics. It follows Sauda, a young hacker from Brazil’s slums who joins DedSec to fight local criminals. Before the release of Watch Dogs: Legion, two books were published: Day Zero, a prequel novel by Aconyte Books, and Resistance Report, a companion book by Insight Editions. A spin-off comic series began monthly in the United States in November 2021, published by Behemoth, and was released in two collected editions in France by Glénat in 2021. In 2022, a prequel novel titled Stars and Stripes was published by Aconyte Books. This book follows Aiden Pearce and connects the events of Watch Dogs and Legion.

In 2013, it was reported that a film adaptation of the first Watch Dogs game was being developed by Ubisoft Film & Television, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and New Regency. In 2014, Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese were hired to write the film. In 2016, Engadget reported that the film was still in development and that Ubisoft planned to create movies for all its game franchises. The film project remained inactive for over seven years until 2024, when it was announced that Sophie Wilde would star in the film. Mathieu Turi was named director, and Christie LeBlanc wrote the screenplay. In June 2024, Tom Blyth joined the cast. In July 2024, Ubisoft confirmed that filming had officially begun.

In 2019, it was reported that an animated television series inspired by Watch Dogs was being developed. Unlike the video games, which are rated for mature audiences, this series would target tweens and follow a teenage hacker who solves crimes at her high school.

In November 2024, an interactive audio drama titled Watch Dogs: Truth was released. It takes place after the events of Watch Dogs: Legion.