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. pez
    May 27, 2014
    3
    I'm very disappointed. The side-by-side graphical comparison with what was shown at E3 2012 are ridiculous- it appears that Ubisoft was faking the footage as the real game doesn't look nearly that good. The campaign is boring. The online features are a joke- hacking invasions sound like an awesome idea but in reality they're not fun at all. The driving physics are about on par with GTA 3.I'm very disappointed. The side-by-side graphical comparison with what was shown at E3 2012 are ridiculous- it appears that Ubisoft was faking the footage as the real game doesn't look nearly that good. The campaign is boring. The online features are a joke- hacking invasions sound like an awesome idea but in reality they're not fun at all. The driving physics are about on par with GTA 3. I should never have trusted Ubisoft with a preorder.… Expand
  2. pokemoc
    May 28, 2014
    0
    This game not fun at all. First of all I stuck at 80% loading screen and when I play this game it very fking lag. If u think that's all? game element is sucks it like gta + saint rows without gangster and noob chat voice. **** ubisoft
  3. insanexyz
    May 28, 2014
    3
    It was inevitable that this game would be compared to GTA.

    While the game presents many possibilities and an open world, it fails enormously at letting the player experiment with them. You are guided through every step of the way, never having room for the imagination. Adding to that is the "meh" music selection. But as we all know, driving is half of what makes a sandbox game fun.    It was inevitable that this game would be compared to GTA.

    While the game presents many possibilities and an open world, it fails enormously at letting the player experiment with them. You are guided through every step of the way, never having room for the imagination. Adding to that is the "meh" music selection.

    But as we all know, driving is half of what makes a sandbox game fun. This is where Watch Dogs hits the ground and smashes its face hard.

    While driving, you will be frustrated to the point that you will prefer walking or even turning the game off. Every mission that has driving as a major component will be an excruciating experience that will leave your fingers hovering over "Alt+F4". Thankfully, a lot of these missions aren't compulsory, so you can avoid them.

    GTA IV should be taken as the standard for a driving mechanic with games such as this. It simulated realistic handling and car physics, which might have made it a little challenging for someone inexperienced with racing games or actual driving, but after a while anyone with half a brain mastered it and enjoyed driving even after the game's conclusion.
    In Watch Dogs, you will spend the whole game trying to keep the driving time to the absolute minimum so as to avoid tossing the DVD out of the window.

    I applaud anyone who can go from A to B in Watch Dogs without either
    - smashing their face into the keyboard
    - bouncing around like a rubber ball
    - crashing into pedestrians (which is especially annoying as it lowers your reputation which leads to constantly getting chased by the police and killing more pedestrians in the process)
    - crashing into a car or thirty (not really a problem as cars in Watch Dogs are made of kryptonite)
    - spinning the car out as you try to take off
    - choking on the Watch Dogs DVD

    Riding a motorcycle is especially amusing as they seem to superglue Aiden's butt to the seat every time he gets on one.

    All in all, the driving mechanic completely destroys this otherwise alright game. As I've said before, driving is half the game and receives a 0/5 from me, the rest of it I'd give a 3/5 based on the predictable story and oppressive and unimaginative but otherwise OK gameplay.    … Expand
  4. Katmandu
    May 28, 2014
    0
    AMAZING crab of perfomance on PC, i7 4930k ,16Gb ram 1866Mhz ,GTX 780 Ti. 15-45 Fps never STABLE.

    seriously do not recommend purchase.

    -Driving SOOOO bad

    -Static Shadows

    -hack is crap

    -AI .....seriusly bad.

    playing the pirate version before buying this crap optimization.
  5. Arsonist420
    May 29, 2014
    3
    Please be warned about any of the review sites giving this game high marks. Ubisoft gave Every reviewer a ton of free **** along with their watch dogs copies. A 500 $ nexus phone along with a ton of other free stuff to get high reviews. Not to mention all the ubisoft review bots making positive post.

    Lets talk about the game. Is it next-gen? Nope not even close. This game has so many    Please be warned about any of the review sites giving this game high marks. Ubisoft gave Every reviewer a ton of free **** along with their watch dogs copies. A 500 $ nexus phone along with a ton of other free stuff to get high reviews. Not to mention all the ubisoft review bots making positive post.

    Lets talk about the game. Is it next-gen? Nope not even close. This game has so many glaring bugs and inconsistency's I dont even know where to begin.

    Bad AI. AI goes full retard when you hack traffic lights its the worst thing I ever seen.
    Bad Physic's No ragdoll, barely any visible dmg to cars or things around you.
    Lighting is terrible. Gta5 had better lighting.
    Hacking not as cool as you would of hoped. Pretty much go here press a button good job you hacked!
    Horrendous PC controls. Worst mouse acceleration in history.

    The list of minor bugs is too long to list it would take me a hour. Everything from fallng through the world to **** just plain not working or glitching out.

    On top of everything the game runs like absolute **** and it doesn't make any sense. The games graphics are lackluster at best. So for this game to run so **** bad is mind boggling. Even when you get the game to a manageable frame rate the FPS drops are so insane that it ruins your gameplay.

    Run from this title. Run far    … Expand
  6. LeFred
    May 29, 2014
    3
    Buy the game for what it ''might be''
    Ubisoft have lied to his consumers once again. Created a massive hype for a game that is....ok at best. Gets repetitive after 4 hours. Full of PC bugs and slow downs. Don't believe the 8 and the 9's there is a reason why user score are 4.4/10 overall.
  7. AdamK
    May 29, 2014
    3
    Highest dissapoint of the year :( Very strange PR action in view of frustrated result. I tried find any good at the gameplay, but actually ... very hard to say any nice words about this game. Sori Ubisoft.
  8. Maksst
    May 30, 2014
    0
    Well.... Game is a huge lie. AI is stupid, driving cars makes you angry, reflections on windows are not real, car's lights don't give any shadows, cars can't damage walls, car's damage makes no sense, static shadows, boring multiplayer, city doesn't live, it's just scripted and many many many more....
  9. MaxBenevolent
    May 30, 2014
    0
    Unfortunately I've bought this "concoction" via steam. Everything I like in GTA I've missed in Watch Dogs. I was tourist trapped by the E3 trailers. I cannot express how emotionally disappointing the 'watch dogs experience' is for me. Just take a boat and try to drive to the open sea and within minutes bump against an invisible wall. Welcome to "The Trueman Show, 2014".
    This so-called    Unfortunately I've bought this "concoction" via steam. Everything I like in GTA I've missed in Watch Dogs. I was tourist trapped by the E3 trailers. I cannot express how emotionally disappointing the 'watch dogs experience' is for me. Just take a boat and try to drive to the open sea and within minutes bump against an invisible wall. Welcome to "The Trueman Show, 2014".
    This so-called open world is a cage. Why is this hobo protagonist wearing this unbearable ugly coat? Driving is a nuisance, FPS an ordeal, hacking a bad joke,the omnipresent flooding notifications distracting, the missions I've passed boring, storyline predictable, gaming freedom not existing. This "game" will be buried in my steam library.
    It will be my last time buying a game at release - hopefully.
    GTA SA is still unbeaten - even compared to GTA V - and will be my all-time favourite.
    Eventually the watch dogs are the naive customers of Ubisoft. Is this the profound message of this game?    … Expand
  10. Lunar-gaze
    May 30, 2014
    0
    How to make an awful game:
    -Add bad DRM (UPlay)
    -Don't optimize it at all (I can't even play this game properly)
    -Bad voice acting
    -Awful AI
    -Trains can stop on a dime
    -Make the key gimmick to the came completely unnecessary (I could do all of the missions more successfully by not hacking)
    -Physics? What are physics?
  11. Praetorian27
    May 31, 2014
    1
    I am extremely disappointed with this game. After all the hype, it turned out to be a horrible version of Splinter Cell. For starters...you play a dickhead. Not a cool, likeable guy. But a thief who hacks innocent people's bank accounts and steals their money. I know it's a game, but that a pretty crappy message to be sending to younger players. When you are playing, you realize thatI am extremely disappointed with this game. After all the hype, it turned out to be a horrible version of Splinter Cell. For starters...you play a dickhead. Not a cool, likeable guy. But a thief who hacks innocent people's bank accounts and steals their money. I know it's a game, but that a pretty crappy message to be sending to younger players. When you are playing, you realize that this is almost a carbon copy of Splinter Cell. You use tech to distract and sneak past NPC's...how original.

    Save your money guys.. $60 is WAAAAAY too much to pay for this crap. This is a $20 game tops. This one's headed to the bargain bin very soon.    … Expand
  12. Zetkov
    May 31, 2014
    0
    This has become one of the most frustrating games I have ever played. So frustrating that I actually just gave up and uninstalled it. Maybe the control on consoles are better but on PC I never have the feeling that I can accurately control my character. And driving? Impossible. You cannot even control a car unless you go very, very slow. You WILL hit everything around you. So bad.

    You    This has become one of the most frustrating games I have ever played. So frustrating that I actually just gave up and uninstalled it. Maybe the control on consoles are better but on PC I never have the feeling that I can accurately control my character. And driving? Impossible. You cannot even control a car unless you go very, very slow. You WILL hit everything around you. So bad.

    You will get stuck in side missions that you cannot find any way to drop. Once you pick it up and fail at it 15 times the only way to get around this is to start a new game. Then you will never play a side mission again for fear that you will be stuck in that side mission and never ever complete the game.

    The game will force you to play in ways you just don't want to play. You will spend hours on just trying to get one action done. You will even go to YouTube and watch people fail over and over on the same mission you're on and commenting how frustrating it is or how they'll have to do a lot of editing to take out the 2 hours of attempts to do this one action that is blocking them from enjoying the rest of the game.

    I've never uninstalled a game so quickly as this one. I honestly feel ripped off.    … Expand
  13. snipedhunt3r
    Jun 1, 2014
    0
    This game is absolutely terrible. Pros: Nothing... Cons: Very small environment, Hacking in this game is not hacking (One click is not hacking lol), Too much overhyped, It's more like game for kids.. dunno why It's 18+, Main protagonist is boring, Storyline is boring and not very meaningful, AI is stupid, Very bad physics of cars, Very buggy - Not much things to do in freetime, Too shortThis game is absolutely terrible. Pros: Nothing... Cons: Very small environment, Hacking in this game is not hacking (One click is not hacking lol), Too much overhyped, It's more like game for kids.. dunno why It's 18+, Main protagonist is boring, Storyline is boring and not very meaningful, AI is stupid, Very bad physics of cars, Very buggy - Not much things to do in freetime, Too short gameplay (approx. 8-9 hours), Game is too linear, Perfomance is terrible even on mid-high end PC's (My special GTX760 OC runs on 10-20 FPS on minium details but in car its like 0-1 FPS), No FPS difference between minimal and maximal details (=bad optimalization), Dead gameplay, No melee attacking (only sneak).
    I love how Critic Reviews gives positive rating but that's probably only becase they was well paid :)
    This game should be delayed for more like 1 year or so.    … Expand
  14. Carcer
    Jun 1, 2014
    0
    Shocking! Over hyped graphics, Poorly optimized that pop in is insane. Rather than ship the 2012 graphics Ubi***t gave us watered down console port (and hey don't get me wrong they buggered the console's too with 900p/720p resolutions) If you buy the game or think of buying it based on the graphics don't disappoint yourself buy something else or pirate this and then delete the copy inShocking! Over hyped graphics, Poorly optimized that pop in is insane. Rather than ship the 2012 graphics Ubi***t gave us watered down console port (and hey don't get me wrong they buggered the console's too with 900p/720p resolutions) If you buy the game or think of buying it based on the graphics don't disappoint yourself buy something else or pirate this and then delete the copy in disgust anyway haha… Expand
  15. Br4d
    Jun 6, 2014
    4
    Despite the abundant technical issues.. If you're a PC gamer, you might want to skip this one if you don't own a controller. Driving is almost impossible without it.. And you'll be driving from the mission icon, to the actual mission CONSTANTLY. This game defines 'mediocre at best' and has some of the silliest logic i've seen in a long time. One example of many. - Find someone with aDespite the abundant technical issues.. If you're a PC gamer, you might want to skip this one if you don't own a controller. Driving is almost impossible without it.. And you'll be driving from the mission icon, to the actual mission CONSTANTLY. This game defines 'mediocre at best' and has some of the silliest logic i've seen in a long time. One example of many. - Find someone with a $120,000 bank account.. Hack their pointless phone conversation.. Find someone with $32 in their account, rob them blind- ... One button Hacking is a gameplay mechanic they really let me down with.. Actually this whole game was a letdown for me. I would not recommend buying for full retail price. DONT BELIEVE THE HYPE and save your money .… Expand
  16. avrell
    May 28, 2014
    0
    Best case scenario: After 5-15 mins of putting up with assortment of BS by Uplay I actually get to play the game. THANK YOU UBISOFT! Based on little I've seen, it seems WD is a GTA V clone with less interesting protagonist(s), less humor,less attention to detail, horrible driving and one thoroughly unambitious gimmick. Hacking is truly an excellent concept. It could have been turned inBest case scenario: After 5-15 mins of putting up with assortment of BS by Uplay I actually get to play the game. THANK YOU UBISOFT! Based on little I've seen, it seems WD is a GTA V clone with less interesting protagonist(s), less humor,less attention to detail, horrible driving and one thoroughly unambitious gimmick. Hacking is truly an excellent concept. It could have been turned in to truly unique, game defining feature. It wasn't. This is a game about hacking every bit as much as Skyrim is a game about lockpicking.

    For me personally none of the above matters much; Dysfunctionality of Uplay ensures the process of trying to get to play the game is too taxing to be worth it.I'm glad I got the game free with my new graphics card. In current state of Uplay and Game combined, I'd never pay any money for this.    … Expand
  17. 911nsidejob
    May 29, 2014
    0
    Nothing like the E3 footage at all, once again we get gear boxed, whats that you ask, Colonial Marines ring a bell? They promise something they can't deliver.
  18. Witcharob
    May 28, 2014
    0
    I've never felt so robbed with a videogame! I bought the $70 Deluxe edition, just to feel I donated it to a greedy mediocre company.

    If you somehow manage to log into your UPlay account (which sucks like all DRM does), you get into a terribly developed game, which won't allow a High end PC to run any higher than Medium graphics. To make things even better, if you have an AMD card you're    I've never felt so robbed with a videogame! I bought the $70 Deluxe edition, just to feel I donated it to a greedy mediocre company.

    If you somehow manage to log into your UPlay account (which sucks like all DRM does), you get into a terribly developed game, which won't allow a High end PC to run any higher than Medium graphics. To make things even better, if you have an AMD card you're screwed, it will only be a session of one BSOD after another...

    Ubisoft should feel ashamed of the product they delivered and give everybody their money back. The game is unplayable.    … Expand
  19. Tihonovetsky
    May 28, 2014
    0
    Game **** I didnt like it! I can only hope better. It is for me crap made retarded. Couldnt make like in CTA 5! Both grafics and control! Bad game!!!!
  20. todders01
    May 27, 2014
    4
    Pretty disappointing.
    Mechanics are fine, the gameplay gets pretty boring after 2 hours. The main character lacks a personality and the story will not get you hooked. Graphics are OK if you have a powerful system. If you haven't got the game then I would consider getting it only if it is on sale.
  21. elazor
    May 27, 2014
    0
    Ubi take a half of year to finish this, but instead of getting game that working fine I'm paid for piece of Uplay crap. Blue screen crashes, long loadings, bugs, etc.
  22. CallMeSerb
    May 29, 2014
    4
    Outstanding Marketing... Looks like all the developers are taking this all-out on marketing and half-assing the gameplay route these days.

    - Easily one of the worst car handling I have experienced in about the last 6 years of gaming -"Hacking" got repetitive after less then an hour of gameplay.. So happy I didn't blow my money on this, poor friend.. btw, **** you developers, I'm    Outstanding Marketing... Looks like all the developers are taking this all-out on marketing and half-assing the gameplay route these days.

    - Easily one of the worst car handling I have experienced in about the last 6 years of gaming
    -"Hacking" got repetitive after less then an hour of gameplay..

    So happy I didn't blow my money on this, poor friend.. btw, **** you developers, I'm happy people are pirating your piece of **** games more and more, lying and stealing money from honest hard working people, you deserve it.    … Expand
  23. KatbertWanderer
    May 30, 2014
    0
    Facts about Watch Dogs:
    - Stupid NPC
    - Woods cars
    - Not interesting player's company.
    - Nothing to do in city
    - Static shadows
    It is game not about hacking. One button click is not hack. It is game not about freedom. You have only few opportunities which stay so boring after 2 hours.
  24. CrustyB
    May 30, 2014
    0
    Save your $60. I played four hours of this mess and I'm done with it. Deleted.

    My PC (Falcon Northwest) ate this game up, played it fine, so this isn't a technical beef. The gameplay is a joke. Walk & drive around, find your target, "hack" something (hacking is just pressing the Q key) and then a bunch of bozos shoot you and you die. Repeat. That's it. No actually gameplay as such. I    Save your $60. I played four hours of this mess and I'm done with it. Deleted.

    My PC (Falcon Northwest) ate this game up, played it fine, so this isn't a technical beef. The gameplay is a joke. Walk & drive around, find your target, "hack" something (hacking is just pressing the Q key) and then a bunch of bozos shoot you and you die. Repeat. That's it. No actually gameplay as such. I bought Castlevania off Amazon for $8 just to have something to do this weekend.    … Expand
  25. amuadr
    May 28, 2014
    0
    The Graphics aren't that good to be honest, the graphic sare like saints row 2 on high and like saints row 3 on ultra both games who runs way better than this piece of **** it's so poorly optimized that it really destroys the immersion. even if the game had good optimization it wouldn't even be that good, it has hurrendous view bobbing, like things render like 5 feet away from you even onThe Graphics aren't that good to be honest, the graphic sare like saints row 2 on high and like saints row 3 on ultra both games who runs way better than this piece of **** it's so poorly optimized that it really destroys the immersion. even if the game had good optimization it wouldn't even be that good, it has hurrendous view bobbing, like things render like 5 feet away from you even on everything maxed out. i wasn't even looking forward to this one because i've gotten used to the insane ammount of lieing game companies now throw at us. it looked better at E3 and that was almost a f''king year ago, you'd think that they had improved the graphics by then, but no. i bet they worked 1 month on it and then watched TV whilst eating pizza the rest of the time.… Expand
  26. Drivolis
    May 28, 2014
    2
    Lost 13 hours of gameplay. Can't use my phone to hack, can't play multiplayer, need to start over again? For 60€ for real? Yea... for real. The mouse handling is terrible, the menu is a joke. The gameplay itself is awsome... but so many bugs, graphical also gliches. Optimalisation? Never heard of it. I play it sometimes like a comic book. I have i7 4770k + 280x gaming edition 8 GB ram.Lost 13 hours of gameplay. Can't use my phone to hack, can't play multiplayer, need to start over again? For 60€ for real? Yea... for real. The mouse handling is terrible, the menu is a joke. The gameplay itself is awsome... but so many bugs, graphical also gliches. Optimalisation? Never heard of it. I play it sometimes like a comic book. I have i7 4770k + 280x gaming edition 8 GB ram. What's wrong with Ubisoft these days?… Expand
  27. Vasot
    May 28, 2014
    4
    1) Graphics are not as good as they promised
    2) At Ultra graphics it stutters a lot even if you have a super powerful PC
    3) UPLAY is garbage it really makes the game run worse and is one of the most awful services out there and as a DRM solution it does not stop the pirates... 4) Gameplay becomes repetitive really fast 5) Car physics are very arcade and unrealistic almost worse from    1) Graphics are not as good as they promised
    2) At Ultra graphics it stutters a lot even if you have a super powerful PC
    3) UPLAY is garbage it really makes the game run worse and is one of the most awful services out there and as a DRM solution it does not stop the pirates...
    4) Gameplay becomes repetitive really fast
    5) Car physics are very arcade and unrealistic almost worse from the Need for Speed series    … Expand
  28. me-0815
    May 30, 2014
    0
    This game uses Uplay, a DRM system that has lead to several reports of players being unable to start their purchased game. Even if you buy the game from Steam, it still insists on installing and using that other DRM system. What data it might transfer and to whom, remains the secret of its developers. And as usual with account-based systems, you can't resell the software.

    Furthermore,    This game uses Uplay, a DRM system that has lead to several reports of players being unable to start their purchased game. Even if you buy the game from Steam, it still insists on installing and using that other DRM system. What data it might transfer and to whom, remains the secret of its developers. And as usual with account-based systems, you can't resell the software.

    Furthermore, the graphics aren't close to the level shown in those famous previews. Add to that the reported perfomance issues as well as the generally mediocre quality of the game, which doesn't keep many promises of the publishers, and the game isn't worth the original price. Wait until it drops significantly or ignore the game, you won't miss anything essential.    … Expand
  29. Assassin8813
    May 28, 2014
    1
    This game is a mockery to any intelligent gamers in this world. It's clear to me that Ubisoft Montreal payed the critics who gave it anything over a 70 as any semi-intelligent human being would vomit in disgust at this pathetic display of next gen. Playing the game on maximum graphics using the most up-to-date hardware on the market leaves you bitterly disappointed at this game, givingThis game is a mockery to any intelligent gamers in this world. It's clear to me that Ubisoft Montreal payed the critics who gave it anything over a 70 as any semi-intelligent human being would vomit in disgust at this pathetic display of next gen. Playing the game on maximum graphics using the most up-to-date hardware on the market leaves you bitterly disappointed at this game, giving you fake reflections, no shadows in the entire world, and sun glare through the roof of a building while on the inside! I am not kidding, you get glare from the sun while INSIDE a building. I have seen Indy games that released five years ago with better lighting and reflection than this game.

    The physics engine in this game is a joke, cars are about as indestructible as Superman's pecs, and driving any vehicle will allow you to utterly destroy a wooden telephone pole at 1mph. I am not kidding. Anybody who worked on this game and isn't ashamed is either brain-dead or corrupt. More time and money when into making the E3 trailer two years ago than actually developing the game since then. I am ashamed that I even had to watch a friend play this game. The only reason I give this game a 1 is because if you can possibly get past the glaringly obvious issues, the broken physics, and the blindingly terrible graphics, it actually functions like a game.

    TL:DR, this game blows so hard in so many categories, porn stars look like nuns standing next to this game.    … Expand
  30. avil172
    May 30, 2014
    0
    -unnecessary/abnormal rain/thunder and its occurs more often
    -stealth , kill and escape
    -not optimized as always...expected from ubisoft
    -repeatitious missions
    -no shooting while driving
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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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