Watch Dogs

 PC
User Score
6.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 5182 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,662 out of 5182
  2. Mixed: 913 out of 5182
  3. Negative: 1,607 out of 5182
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  1. lars180
    May 29, 2014
    4
    May look simple but these points mainly bothered me:

    - There is an awful amount of lagg spikes - Im getting barely 30 fps on minimal settings on a fairly good PC - The driving is by far the worst I've seen in an open world game - Next to the main story, there isn't a whole lot to do that doesnt get boring after two times. - Because of the awful driving mechanics and lagg spikes it's    May look simple but these points mainly bothered me:

    - There is an awful amount of lagg spikes
    - Im getting barely 30 fps on minimal settings on a fairly good PC
    - The driving is by far the worst I've seen in an open world game
    - Next to the main story, there isn't a whole lot to do that doesnt get boring after two times.
    - Because of the awful driving mechanics and lagg spikes it's awfully hard to lose chasers (10/10 would hide under a bridge again).

    Some positive points:

    - The story is alright
    - Every npc has a hobby, a job etc.
    - The mechanics on foot are pretty good
    - The multiplayer 'hacking each other' feature is a nice idea.

    Conclusion:

    If it wasn't for the bad performance and driving i would've given this game a 7, but unfortunately this game disappointed me after waiting for it's release since the first trailer came out..    … Expand
  2. username1222
    May 31, 2014
    0
    Do NOT be fooled by the paid positive reviews (notice how the paid critics who got a nexus tablet gave this game a good grade) this game is a large stinking POS.

    The Open world and Driving are utterly pointless, the hacking is boring after 3 or 4 times. The main quest is good but stealth is the only way to play given the gameplay difficulties. It's a bastard of GTA IV (not up to    Do NOT be fooled by the paid positive reviews (notice how the paid critics who got a nexus tablet gave this game a good grade) this game is a large stinking POS.

    The Open world and Driving are utterly pointless, the hacking is boring after 3 or 4 times. The main quest is good but stealth is the only way to play given the gameplay difficulties.

    It's a bastard of GTA IV (not up to level with V) and Deux ex Revolutions but not as good as either of them.    … Expand
  3. fabittar
    May 27, 2014
    2
    Game sucks. Buyer Beware! Stay away! Bargain bin material. Overhyped piece of c...

    NPCs are dumb. Car physics are moronic. Hacking is retarded. Story is stupid. Avoid! Seriously, the game crashes all the time, there's nothing to do in the "live, breathing city", and it's short. This game is awful.
  4. vash47
    May 27, 2014
    3
    If you're an AMD user you should know that the game has been programmed to run 40% slower on your computer thanks to the partnership (bribe) of ubisoft with nvidia.
  5. BrokenPipe
    Jun 11, 2014
    0
    Bored after 2 hours, deleted. I'm actually very surprised this game is so boring. I can play tetris for 6 hours, but I was unable to find ANYTHING interesting in this game after 2 hours.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idA9BEA4Hxs
  6. Potitoman
    Jun 21, 2014
    3
    Broken. Ubisoft releases another very broken game on PC. Surprise.
    Framerate issues abound, crashes while the game loads and stutter. Dear lord, the stutter.
    Once you get past that, you'll find a very, very average sandbox game with the novelty mechanic of 'hacking'. The main character is as bland as they come. He's the usual brooding, violent and morally empty anti-hero with the    Broken. Ubisoft releases another very broken game on PC. Surprise.
    Framerate issues abound, crashes while the game loads and stutter. Dear lord, the stutter.
    Once you get past that, you'll find a very, very average sandbox game with the novelty mechanic of 'hacking'.

    The main character is as bland as they come. He's the usual brooding, violent and morally empty anti-hero with the personality of a turnip that Ubisoft love creating. The hacking is laughable, simply press 'X' and you're a l33t h4ck3r. And don't get me started on the driving, it's like trying to control a watermelon while juggling fine china and having rats nibbling at your genitals while going at 100 km/h.
    That and the stutter makes it impossible.

    No. The game is a technical mess, the story and motivation of the main character are childish and considering it was released by Ubisoft, you know it will never get fixed.
    Avoid like the bubonic plague.    … Expand
  7. Artano
    Jun 22, 2014
    1
    - Stupid NPC
    - Horrible AI
    - Forced online side mission (I hate them beyond any measure)
    - Boring Story
    - Main character is plain and boring.
    - Awful graphics and optimisation
  8. themans
    Jun 23, 2014
    0
    A really terrible game with absolutely no good quality's whatsoever... I really can't even believe it was released. I can't remember a more boring pointless game even if I tried. The game delivers absolutely nothing.. Terrible vehicles handling, terrible shooting mechanics that make it feel really weird, terrible soundtrack, terrible story, terrible everything. Absolutely nothingA really terrible game with absolutely no good quality's whatsoever... I really can't even believe it was released. I can't remember a more boring pointless game even if I tried. The game delivers absolutely nothing.. Terrible vehicles handling, terrible shooting mechanics that make it feel really weird, terrible soundtrack, terrible story, terrible everything. Absolutely nothing happening in this game AT ALL. No activities to do for a supposed open world type of game... The most boring game I can ever remember playing... Wish I didn't download it so I could just sell it back.. You really can't say enough bad things about this game... A real disgrace.… Expand
  9. Valko
    Jun 16, 2014
    0
    Damn, it runs so **** on my AMD card and 4670k. Bad optimising, boring story and awesome promo company = 1 of 10 points. Good luck with Far cry 4, Ubi!
  10. DOYSH
    Jun 9, 2014
    0
    In Watch_Dogs you play as Aiden Pearce, a Batman wannabe with an awesome button smartphone that can hack everything from security cameras to toys.

    He is aided by Christy Mack and the lead singer of a White Zombie cover band. It is the most original game I have ever played and in no way, shape, or form, Assassin's Creed with a smartphone and less polish. It's also wonderfully    In Watch_Dogs you play as Aiden Pearce, a Batman wannabe with an awesome button smartphone that can hack everything from security cameras to toys.

    He is aided by Christy Mack and the lead singer of a White Zombie cover band.

    It is the most original game I have ever played and in no way, shape, or form, Assassin's Creed with a smartphone and less polish.

    It's also wonderfully optimized in true Ubisoft tradition, any frame drop you experience is due to your PC being overwhelmed by the brilliance of Ubisoft's latest Masterpiece.

    Game of the year!

    P.S., the only reason I rated this 0/10, is because our earthly scales cannot accurately rate a divine masterpiece such as Watch_Dogs, and I daren't insult the gods by trying.    … Expand
  11. jarmenz
    Jun 9, 2014
    0
    The game went fine (nothing special regarding a "hacking" (one button pushing) open world game) then few days later I was struck with "90% bug" aka "Stuck on loading screen" and haven't played the game since. Impossible to continue due to fact the save file is somehow corrupted. Ubisoft has ignored me and thousands of other customers with the same issue for way too long (tomorrow it willThe game went fine (nothing special regarding a "hacking" (one button pushing) open world game) then few days later I was struck with "90% bug" aka "Stuck on loading screen" and haven't played the game since. Impossible to continue due to fact the save file is somehow corrupted. Ubisoft has ignored me and thousands of other customers with the same issue for way too long (tomorrow it will be 2 weeks). They are getting ready for E3 and are trying to hide the smoke. A game breaking but which is ignored for so long - "polished masterpiece". Do not buy this game nor any other future Ubisoft games! The hype is fake and the media sites are in their pockets!… Expand
  12. Ack36
    Jun 9, 2014
    0
    Game is broken and unfinished.
    Contains game breaking bugs.
    Stutters on any system.
    Your save WILL get broken in time.
    Game could get a higher score from me for graphics, but Ubi totally shows disrespect by selling dlcs for broken game.
  13. payne666007
    Jun 9, 2014
    0
    game broken , wont even load ,bad optimized graphics, no support , and i got a high end pc..........Ubisoft dont give a **** about us , and they already got a dlc to pay for more when we cant even play the game . solution they say start over but still , the loading bug is back again , and they propose a patch in fall when it will come out on the wii . ehat a joke 3 or 4 months withoutgame broken , wont even load ,bad optimized graphics, no support , and i got a high end pc..........Ubisoft dont give a **** about us , and they already got a dlc to pay for more when we cant even play the game . solution they say start over but still , the loading bug is back again , and they propose a patch in fall when it will come out on the wii . ehat a joke 3 or 4 months without playing .....LOL!!!!!!!!!give me back my money you thief with no respect… Expand
  14. RNEGDE2012
    Jun 9, 2014
    0
    Wow, Ubisoft... Really?! Make us wait so long for a game that doesn't work? WTF!
    The game itself is mildly entertaining despite all the flaws, but seriously, why postpone the release if the finished product is a piece of sh!t? I hope there is a solution to the damn loading screen bug soon! I've made it to 88% and I really don't want to start over again.
    Never buying another Ubisoft title    Wow, Ubisoft... Really?! Make us wait so long for a game that doesn't work? WTF!
    The game itself is mildly entertaining despite all the flaws, but seriously, why postpone the release if the finished product is a piece of sh!t? I hope there is a solution to the damn loading screen bug soon! I've made it to 88% and I really don't want to start over again.
    Never buying another Ubisoft title ever! That's a promise.    … Expand
  15. mrpole
    Jun 9, 2014
    0
    Garbage. Horrible framerates on a i7 3370k@4.2Ghz with 32GB ram, sata 3 raid 0 SSDs and dual 680GTX in SLI. No proper mouse keyboard support, with no strafing, really? If I wanted to play with a console controller I'd play on a console. The only saving grace is a got it free with a Kingston SSD I bought for my other PC, if I paid any money for this, I would be even less forgiving, thenGarbage. Horrible framerates on a i7 3370k@4.2Ghz with 32GB ram, sata 3 raid 0 SSDs and dual 680GTX in SLI. No proper mouse keyboard support, with no strafing, really? If I wanted to play with a console controller I'd play on a console. The only saving grace is a got it free with a Kingston SSD I bought for my other PC, if I paid any money for this, I would be even less forgiving, then again I guess I can't rate it lower than a zero.… Expand
  16. lise_ecc
    Jun 9, 2014
    1
    This game runs PERFECTLY on my pc (660gtx ti, machine 1.5 yrs old), so this review isn't about technical (performance issues)! That doesn't mean the UI is good - far from it. Bad camera angles, responses, controls, atrocious driving. Worst of all, it's BORING. Terrible terrible writing and game design. It really makes me wonder how many game review sites get paid off by AAA companies.
  17. wastchdogssucks
    Jun 14, 2014
    0
    WORST GAME I HAVE EVER PLAYED. not even close to real physics. I was on the top of a parking lot building, police came after me somehow, and watched the cop car teleport to the top of the building. this is ridiculous. if you had the option to buy this game or GTA 5 get GTA 5, even if you already have it, buy it again. this game is just terrible and will not buying games from this company again.
  18. SvenEdt
    Jun 19, 2014
    2
    I found the game to be a general letdown. The story was refreshing, although dry and hard to follow. The biggest flaws aside from graphics is the Mission Design and the Game Controls. The 3rd person game-play barely functions, and vehicles feel like bumper cars on ice. I purchased the game and would like to finish it but am finding the game generally unplayable.
  19. GenericBob
    Jun 21, 2014
    3
    Released with a ridiculous number of bugs and terrible optimization driving is nigh impossible without a controller. game was delayed for 8 months already the end result is unacceptable.
  20. pioslik
    May 27, 2014
    2
    Doesn't look very good (it's not even close to 2012 version, maybe except water), has really poor optimisation (but not as much as AC 4)- and no, I don't have the Bitcoin edition. It's 2014 for god's sake, PC development tools has really improved and yet, there are Ubisoft which can't make a proper game.

    The whole game makes an impression of being unpolished, NPCs are really dumb, whole    Doesn't look very good (it's not even close to 2012 version, maybe except water), has really poor optimisation (but not as much as AC 4)- and no, I don't have the Bitcoin edition. It's 2014 for god's sake, PC development tools has really improved and yet, there are Ubisoft which can't make a proper game.

    The whole game makes an impression of being unpolished, NPCs are really dumb, whole game world feels very repetitive. I don't know how much publisher has paid to press for all those great reviews. Oh, and you (and NPCs too) can't shoot while driving a car or motorcycle. Yeah... And many other restrictions. Welcome to the Next-Gen.
    So many promises, so little fulfilled...    … Expand
  21. MartinParodi
    May 28, 2014
    0
    If you own an AMD card, don't buy this game!! just don't.!! Ubish1t became Nvidias little **** and decided to give the middle finger to 40% of the PC market. 2 days and game crashes every time after Ubish1t logo. my PC config I7 16gb Ram at 2133 and ATI HD 6990 4GB
  22. gopo2004
    May 29, 2014
    0
    BANK ACCOUNT HACKED
    [Being, Sentient]
    [Suckered by Ubisoft]
    [Age: 27]
    [Occupation: Idiot]
    [Bank Account: -$59.99]

    - Stupid NPC
    - Woods cars
    - Not interesting player's company.
    - Nothing to do in city
    - Static shadows
  23. Shady_Glen
    Jun 2, 2014
    2
    The game uses UPlay ... which is a huge problem in and of itself. The game has a story line which is both bland and boring .... very, very, very repetitive missions. Driving using a mouse and keyboard sucks. Poor car control, poor speed control, and poor tire traction results in very poor driving dynamics. Graphics and physics worse than GTA 4, Hacking into other peoples personal dataThe game uses UPlay ... which is a huge problem in and of itself. The game has a story line which is both bland and boring .... very, very, very repetitive missions. Driving using a mouse and keyboard sucks. Poor car control, poor speed control, and poor tire traction results in very poor driving dynamics. Graphics and physics worse than GTA 4, Hacking into other peoples personal data was interesting .... for about the first half hour or so .... then got boring as hell. This game is a huge letdown ... I would not buy it again ... save your money for something good.… Expand
  24. Shahzaky
    Jun 16, 2014
    4
    As a port, the fact that they have all the common graphic options is good, but unfortunately the actual gameplay functionality is very "consolified". The wheel which selects gadgets are anything but good and the controls feels sluggish. The story is weak, The glitchy presentation becomes annoying really fast, the missions are boring and a lot of ideas are directly taken from the gtaAs a port, the fact that they have all the common graphic options is good, but unfortunately the actual gameplay functionality is very "consolified". The wheel which selects gadgets are anything but good and the controls feels sluggish. The story is weak, The glitchy presentation becomes annoying really fast, the missions are boring and a lot of ideas are directly taken from the gta series but most of them are not as well implemented as its rival. Police are non existent until someone gives them a call then the all appear from nowhere and start shooting headless. As others have mentioned, theres nothing to do in the city and I would much rather have the city size cut by half and make the remaining half come to life. I have nothing bad to say bout the graphics, I think its rather good though as we all know, its nothing like when the game was firstly announced. Watch Dogs is probably more likable on the console but its still a mishmash of mediocre stuff.… Expand
  25. mpelley92
    Jun 7, 2014
    4
    The developers had some good ideas for Watch_Dogs. The only thing stopping them is releasing this game in this condition... It's unfinished. The lighting is all wrong, the shadows are all wrong and the physics feel like physics from DRIV3R, except that was actually a decent game. Ubisoft Montreal needs to prioritize releases and make sure they finish every part of the game and work onThe developers had some good ideas for Watch_Dogs. The only thing stopping them is releasing this game in this condition... It's unfinished. The lighting is all wrong, the shadows are all wrong and the physics feel like physics from DRIV3R, except that was actually a decent game. Ubisoft Montreal needs to prioritize releases and make sure they finish every part of the game and work on polishing.

    Don't get me wrong, I'm going to play the crap out of the campaign in this game, but once that's over it will have nothing to offer me and I will move on.

    I borrowed the game from a friend and that's how I'm able to write this review. Otherwise, I will not be paying the $60 they are asking for it. I give it 6 months to be in the wally world $18 bin.    … Expand
  26. CYB34
    Jun 18, 2014
    0
    I completely regret buying this game.

    For a 2014, single player TPS: - Awful camera movement - Awful driving physics and animations. - Awful shaders during daytime - No sense of acomplishment, reward or progress - Dull story and characters - Replayability 0 - Uninstalled after a few hours. Graphics and animations... they're a must for new games. Nothing impressive there.    I completely regret buying this game.

    For a 2014, single player TPS:

    - Awful camera movement
    - Awful driving physics and animations.
    - Awful shaders during daytime
    - No sense of acomplishment, reward or progress
    - Dull story and characters
    - Replayability 0
    - Uninstalled after a few hours.

    Graphics and animations... they're a must for new games. Nothing impressive there.

    I know it's rough, but I'm really disappointed, I was expecting much more. I'd rather start over GTA 4 than try to finish this game.    … Expand
  27. jstq
    Jun 2, 2014
    3
    Another piece of trash from ubisoft. No physics, no logics, no realistic features that provide depth to gameplay, boring story, bad engine, tons of different bugs. Not worth the time, not worth the money, not even worth to pirate. Loosing to GTA4 by any parameter. Loosing to any gta by most of parameters.
    The only positive moments is as side chess missions and spider drug (for the first    Another piece of trash from ubisoft. No physics, no logics, no realistic features that provide depth to gameplay, boring story, bad engine, tons of different bugs. Not worth the time, not worth the money, not even worth to pirate. Loosing to GTA4 by any parameter. Loosing to any gta by most of parameters.
    The only positive moments is as side chess missions and spider drug (for the first couple of hours). Lets see what **** will make in watch_dogs 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, etc.    … Expand
  28. asquirrel
    Jun 2, 2014
    0
    Go PC gamers to tell people like it is. Basically, the game is crappy. Crappy cut scenes that you cannot skip. The cut scenes are so long that you could to go the kitchen, make a sandwich and come back. The cut scene is still going . The vehicle handling is complete crap. The story is horrible. A guy who electronically steals money from people and companies but likes to fight crime byGo PC gamers to tell people like it is. Basically, the game is crappy. Crappy cut scenes that you cannot skip. The cut scenes are so long that you could to go the kitchen, make a sandwich and come back. The cut scene is still going . The vehicle handling is complete crap. The story is horrible. A guy who electronically steals money from people and companies but likes to fight crime by beating the P** out of or outright killing bad guys. What a bizarre game.… Expand
  29. sprankel
    Jun 2, 2014
    1
    - AMD performance is very bad but even on Nvidia, expect to have hiccups.
    - Frame rate is all over the place, when it goes over 60 you have bad tearing so you need V-sync. But then you go for a drive and suddenly you only get 20 FPS. If V-sync is activated you need to hold at least 60FPS otherwise hiccups will occur (this is not related to Watch Dogs but is negative point about V-sync)
    -    - AMD performance is very bad but even on Nvidia, expect to have hiccups.
    - Frame rate is all over the place, when it goes over 60 you have bad tearing so you need V-sync. But then you go for a drive and suddenly you only get 20 FPS. If V-sync is activated you need to hold at least 60FPS otherwise hiccups will occur (this is not related to Watch Dogs but is negative point about V-sync)
    - Graphics are "ok" but nothing mind blowing, people who say that aren't used much
    - It's a port and like most ports it says f*** pc, if you still want to get it, don't go for the PC version. Expect clunky controls and shooting in this games is the worst I have ever experienced. Machine guns are horrible, a pistol works better and are far more effective.

    Now let's say you buy this for console, no performance problems and no crappy port issues, should I buy it? simply said, no, don't

    - missions are boring, don't expect to much of it.
    - car handling is bad, very bad. No idea why some people would say its ok. It's total completely utterly garbage.
    - side missions are fun, for 30 minutes. It's always the same, you pick up a conversation, go to location X, shoot the bad guy. Or steal some money by tapping a, go to the atm and get your cash
    - if you die, the game "refreshes", you are still in the same place with anything you got before you got killed you still got. Forget running away, just get your self killed and the chase is over. You even get rewarded, all you're ammo is back up 100%
    - the hacking is fun, the first 30 minutes. Just tap A and you hack everything. You can't make a escape route by hacking the city and alternating traffic lights. Instead when you are at a intersection, just press a, lights will flicker and any npc at the intersection will crash.
    - the game demands that you use your magic A button hacking skills. You have no other option in a chase, cops will keep chasing you and losing them is no option. Doesn't matter what car you take. If you need to kill for example a prisoner that is being transported you can use magic a button skills or you ram it until it catches fires and explodes.

    So you start to ignore the basic repetitive a button hacking skills, uninteresting story line and those never ending same side missions. You have a whole city but there isn't anything else to do.

    Just to set things straight, this is a over hyped game that got a crappy PC port. The graphics are ok but nothing near what they promised. And the worst of all, this game is boring. Their I said it.
    Even more it's quite clear when you go trough the reviews there are a lot of fakes one.

    You still want to buy this game? Well go ahead, you do with you're money what you want but you have been warned.    … Expand
  30. hendrick2k6
    Jun 2, 2014
    3
    Basically (Hitman Absolution + bad stealth) + (Assassins Creed +Saints Row ) - everything that made it cool and awesome. This is like if Tiger Electronics and LJN would come back from the dead and partner with Ubisoft. The lag makes driving and shootouts impossible ,the stealth is crap, "hacking"? more like using an app called ihack. Ubisoft made this game with hacking to test the playersBasically (Hitman Absolution + bad stealth) + (Assassins Creed +Saints Row ) - everything that made it cool and awesome. This is like if Tiger Electronics and LJN would come back from the dead and partner with Ubisoft. The lag makes driving and shootouts impossible ,the stealth is crap, "hacking"? more like using an app called ihack. Ubisoft made this game with hacking to test the players skills , skills with what ? The skill to keep pressing the damn "Q" button? Even the missions seem overused in other games totally unoriginal . More disappointing than Virtual boy, probably the most hyped game of ubisoft, story totally overused , I mean you know a guy whose a vigilante the gets the most important people in his life messed with, then one dies then he seeks out for revenge. I think that story line is very overused totally unoriginal . They even force you to go to next gen computers to fully enjoy the game, its like they want us to go straight to the hi-tech stuff and upgrade our pcs and if you dont have the next best pc your gonna have a crappy experience.Ubisoft better redeem themselves wit h and not repeat this again in Assassins Creed : Unity {also this is my 4th time to submit this cause everytime i try to submit the net crashes}… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Most Discussed PC Game of 2014
20
#20 Most Shared PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Sep 3, 2014
    79
    Ubisoft's flagship title has a really, really repulsive protagonist. The entire storyline feels like it was cranked out of a automated story generator. On the positive side, Watch Dogs looks really good on PC, especially after modding the graphics to match the visual splendor of the early E3 demos. [Aug 2014]
  2. PC PowerPlay
    Jun 29, 2014
    70
    There are some strong gameplay elements in Watch Dogs, but overall it's merely an adequate open world game. [July 2014, p.46]
  3. GameCritics
    Jun 23, 2014
    80
    Nothing could have realistically lived up to the immense level of hype that Ubisoft stirred up for this game, and while I value strong narratives and envelope-pushing technological advancements, I place just as much importance in the ability to enjoy the gameplay that's being offered to me. Watch Dogs is one of the more exciting sandbox games of the last few years, and if this is to become Ubisoft's next big franchise, I'm excited to see where they take it.
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