Watch Dogs®: Legion
Watch Dogs®: Legion
Game
Game2014
Watch_Dogs™
Developer Ubisoft
Watch Dogs is a 2014 action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the first installment in the Watch Dogs series. The game is played from a third-person perspective, and its world is navigated on foot or by vehicle. Set within a fictionalized version of the Chicago metropolitan area in 2013, the single-player story follows grey hat hacker and vigilante Aiden Pearce's quest for… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
456 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Mastodon, Bluesky) · newest Nov 5, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
83
LovedLoved
354 positive · 73 negative
95% range 79–86%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 354 | 73 | 0 |
| Mastodon * | 2 | 2 | 14 |
| Bluesky * | 4 | 0 | 7 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
16,504 of 21,681 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
77% recommend · 204 yes, 60 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 264 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Positive (42,925 of 53,804 positive).
Players praise the hacking system and atmosphere, calling the game underrated. [1][2][3] Some reviewers complain about Ubisoft Connect forcing a separate launcher. [4][5][6] Several note that online features are broken on the Steam version. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [4]
Ubisoft used to be one of the absolute best gaming companies, giving us iconic series like Far Cry, Prince of Persia, Assassin's Creed, and the original Watch Dogs, which was a genuinely refreshing take on the open-world genre. However, they are now ruining their own legacy with terrible anti-consumer practices, and my issue isn't even with Watch Dogs itself, but with Ubisoft as a publisher. They force you to …
- [1]
Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ (8/10) Watch Dogs is one of those games that got way more hate than it deserved. After fully completing the game and unlocking every achievement, I can confidently say it’s a serious, grounded, and underrated open world experience that aged surprisingly well. It might not have the variety or freedom of other Ubisoft titles, but it nails its atmosphere, story tone, and characters better than most …
- [2]
Forget the old graphical downgrade drama. Watch Dogs 1 is a seriously fun vigilante simulator. Playing as a hacker who can cause traffic accidents or blow up fuse boxes with a phone never gets old. The driving mechanic is slippery, but the stealth and combat are so satisfying that it easily makes up for it. Recommended 8.5/10
- [3]
When Watch_Dogs launched in 2014, it was unfairly crushed under the weight of massive hype and its infamous E3 graphical downgrade. Looking back today, its dark, rain-slicked version of Chicago offers a gritty techno-thriller atmosphere that the colorful sequels completely lost. Playing as the brooding vigilante Aiden Pearce feels like stepping into a modern John Wick movie where your smartphone is just as lethal as …
- [7]
Watch Dogs is a game about hacker Aiden Pearce, who, after the tragic death of his niece, seeks revenge and justice in a city controlled by the advanced ctOS system WARNING! If you're a gamer who likes to complete games 100%, you shouldnt buy it. This game doesnt allow that, as Ubisoft's servers wont connect via Steam. This of course influenced the final verdict of my review. Enjoy reading! ✅The main advantage of …
Summarised from 34 of the 292 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 11, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked Watch_Dogs™ talk about hacking system is fun and central to gameplay; those who didn't talk about ubisoft Connect launcher is problematic and intrusive. Which matters more to you?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Watch Dogs' reveal at E3 2012 generated favorable reception from critics. According to leaked marketing material, it received over eighty E3 awards and nominations and G4tv called it a "truly next-gen adventure". At E3 2013, the game received over fifty awards and nominations. The following year, Ubisoft was accused of graphical downgrading after a NeoGAF forum post compared its 2012 visuals to 2014 video footage. According to Ubisoft researcher Thomas Geffroyd, studies and quantitative analysis indicated that about sixty percent of gamers changed their view of technology after playing Watch Dogs. Chris Carter of Destructoid liked the virtual rendition of Chicago and the detail of…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 456 · most liked firstUbisoft used to be one of the absolute best gaming companies, giving us iconic series like Far Cry, Prince of Persia, Assassin's Creed, and the original Watch Dogs, which was a genuinely refreshing take on the open-world genre. However, they are now ruining their own legacy with terrible anti-consumer practices, and my issue isn't even with Watch Dogs itself, but with Ubisoft as a publisher. They force you to download their broken third-party launcher just to play a game you bought on Steam,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →CTos or Flock? What's the difference? They were trying to warn us. Solid story, needs a remaster.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Watch Dogs is a game about hacker Aiden Pearce, who, after the tragic death of his niece, seeks revenge and justice in a city controlled by the advanced ctOS system WARNING! If you're a gamer who likes to complete games 100%, you shouldnt buy it. This game doesnt allow that, as Ubisoft's servers wont connect via Steam. This of course influenced the final verdict of my review. Enjoy reading! ✅The main advantage of Watch Dogs is its hacking system. The game, which debuted in 2014, was one of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Useless Game, Wont even let me create an account on UBisoft Connect, it wont even let me log in when I created one, in other words, Ubisoft Connect is trash, dont buy anygames from them, it'll force you to create a Ubisoft Connect Account then refuse to let you create an account this is just so bad, no wonder their company is failing
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Haven't finished the main story yet but the fact that you can't access any of the "fun" side content because of the "Ubisoft servers aren't available" is such a bummer. Apparently there's two ways to fix that: -Buy the game on uplay -Contact support, pray and wait who knows how many months so they can fix your issue
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game won't launch sadly. It'll say its running, but it never starts.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →---{ Graphics }--- ☐ You forget what reality is ☒ Beautiful ☐ Good ☐ Decent ☐ Bad ☐ Don‘t look too long at it ☐ MS-DOS ---{ Gameplay }--- ☑ Very good ☐ Good ☐ It's just gameplay ☐ Mehh ☐ Watch paint dry instead ☐ Just don't ---{ Audio }--- ☐ Eargasm ☑ Very good ☐ Good ☐ Not too bad ☐ Bad ☐ I'm now deaf ---{ Audience }--- ☐ Kids ☑ Teens ☑ Adults ☐ Grandma ---{ PC Requirements }--- ☐ Check if you can run paint ☐ Potato ☐ Decent ☑ Fast ☐ Rich boi ☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer ---{…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nobody wants to use your stupid launcher man. If I wanted that (which I don't) I'd go to uplay myself and download the game from there instead of using Steam.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →BEWARE!!!!!!!!! This is a great game and i highly recommend you to buy it (on sale preferably). I’m leaving a negative review because the Steam version of this game is sold without working multiplayer. None of the core online modes function — you just get an error every time you try to connect. Ubisoft only enables multiplayer if you buy the game through Ubisoft Connect, which makes no sense since the Steam version already requires Ubisoft Connect to launch. If you own the game on Steam…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ (8/10) Watch Dogs is one of those games that got way more hate than it deserved. After fully completing the game and unlocking every achievement, I can confidently say it’s a serious, grounded, and underrated open world experience that aged surprisingly well. It might not have the variety or freedom of other Ubisoft titles, but it nails its atmosphere, story tone, and characters better than most newer Ubisoft titles. Story Mode You play as Aiden Pearce, a hacker driven by…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →From all three Watch Dogs games. I'll call it, the first one is the best underrated Watch Dogs game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →worst launcher ever, just stop using your own and bow down to steam, i dont ever want tto use this god awful launcher ever in my life, i closed the game and got hit by 3 different game ads on a game ive never played.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Cant even open the game thanks to Ubisoft trash connect 'processing my license' non stop ♥♥♥♥ you ubisoft
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Beautiful game. But uhh... I think my specs can speak for themselves.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In terms of story, this is the best Watch Dogs game. But, where the dogs? I didn't find any dogs here xD
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Buried under the talk of hacking gritty Chicago and Adien's vigilante crusade, Watch dog normalises Gamified Data Surveillance years before it bacame a part of our day-to-day conversation. The game never outright explains how it collects all of our data, we just assume that in a connected city, our privacy doesn'st exist. Chicago is made to feel alive filled with NPCs with their own background history filled with gut wrenching details showing how information can be used as a weapon and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Don’t buy this game on Steam if you want the full experience If you buy the game here on Steam, you will NOT be able to play any online sessions, and you won’t be able to unlock any online-related achievements. Additionally, DLC purchases do NOT transfer between platforms, even if your Steam and Ubisoft accounts are linked. This is very important to know before buying anything extra. If you own the base game on Steam and buy the DLC or Season Pass on Ubisoft, it will NOT work on Steam. 🎮…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →---{ Graphics }--- ☐ You forget what reality is ☐ Beautiful ☑ Good ☐ Decent ☐ Bad ☐ Don‘t look too long at it ☐ MS-DOS ---{ Gameplay }--- ☐ Very good ☑ Good ☐ It's just gameplay ☐ Mehh ☐ Watch paint dry instead ☐ Just don't ---{ Audio }--- ☐ Eargasm ☐ Very good ☑ Good ☐ Not too bad ☐ Bad ☐ I'm now deaf ---{ Audience }--- ☐ Kids ☐ Teens ☑ Adults ☐ Grandma ---{ PC Requirements }--- ☐ Check if you can run paint ☑ Potato ☐ Decent ☐ Fast ☐ Rich boi ☐ Ask NASA…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Forget the old graphical downgrade drama. Watch Dogs 1 is a seriously fun vigilante simulator. Playing as a hacker who can cause traffic accidents or blow up fuse boxes with a phone never gets old. The driving mechanic is slippery, but the stealth and combat are so satisfying that it easily makes up for it. Recommended 8.5/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →-Plays games to escape from reality for a while -Launches Watch_Dogs -Corporations are spying on everyone all the time through all their devices "Well ♥♥♥♥"
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Stupid Ubisoft launcher keeps needing log in for a single player game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I finally finished Watch Dogs after all these years, and honestly, I enjoyed it more than I expected. The story isn't going to win any awards, but it's far from bad. Aiden's journey kept me interested from beginning to end, and the ending felt satisfying. The game has aged surprisingly well, especially considering its release date. What really stood out to me were the gameplay mechanics. The hacking system is still fun, the atmosphere of Chicago is great, and there are plenty of creative…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Watch Dogs got a lot of hate back in the day for not living up to the expectations set by its E3 reveal. Looking at it now, I honestly think it's one of those games that has aged really well, especially considering the direction the AAA industry has taken over the last decade. The best way I can explain it is this: Sleeping Dogs feels like the natural successor to GTA IV, and Watch Dogs does the same for Sleeping Dogs. Not because it's trying to be bigger or better, but because all three games…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First playthrough review time. Watch Dogs is a game I first tried back in 2016, but I never finished it at that time. Later I had it in my Ubisoft account, and I bought the Complete Edition on Steam, since the Ubisoft version I had did not include the DLC content. The setting of Chicago looks detailed and gives a strong modern city feel. The hacking system is the main part of the game, where city systems like cameras, traffic lights, and other devices can be used during missions. The story…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Multiplayer does not function on the Steam version despite servers being online. Ubisoft support escalated the issue for months without resolution or clarification. Buy only for single-player.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →ubisoft forgot that they have a good IP like watch dogs, they ruined it in the last series and will never make a game like this again. very lame
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →When Watch_Dogs launched in 2014, it was unfairly crushed under the weight of massive hype and its infamous E3 graphical downgrade. Looking back today, its dark, rain-slicked version of Chicago offers a gritty techno-thriller atmosphere that the colorful sequels completely lost. Playing as the brooding vigilante Aiden Pearce feels like stepping into a modern John Wick movie where your smartphone is just as lethal as your grenade launcher. Triggering steam pipes to blow up enemy cars,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In order to play this online (the entire reason I bought it), you need to message Ubisoft support so you can get a Ubisoft Connect key. The game has a universal issue across Steam where this copy doesn't handshake Ubisoft's servers. To fix this you need to message Ubisoft support, wait a week for support to escalate your case (after giving you a hard time about you.. owning the game on the account you're messaging them from) and pray that they hopefully give you a key to the Connect client so…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Can not play because ubisoft login does not work? I can not even play singleplayer. Never going to buy ubish*t game again!!!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →its honestly disgusting that ubisoft, one of the biggest game companies, cant port a game to pc, theres no way to disable aim assist and that would be fine if the aim assist worked, it locked my mouse onto enemies and i couldnt move it, it also locked onto dead bodies, its a shame because its an actual good game
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Man I remember the hype this game was getting back in my high school days. In 20/20 hindsight of course this isn't a perfect game. It has many flaws but honestly I enjoyed my time playing it. It was something new at that time which I appreciated. Decent story, solid enough action and the best of all, crashing your car and flying straight out of the windscreen.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I get to play as a uncle who has ptsd and a phone addiction. Absolute cinema
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Set textures below maximum to prevent stutters For a 2014 game they pulled off a dark magic to make it work Overall the game is somewhat outdated but cool The city is less alive than in WD2 but still good
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In 2014, Ubisoft released Watch_Dogs, what they all but promoted as their answer to the "Will there ever be a modern-day Assassin's Creed?" question. It was greeted with very lukewarm reviews, with complaints targeting graphics downgrades and allegedly 'generic' gameplay. It wasn't until a year later that I got to play it for the first time (and I re-purchased on Steam to revisit it). My immediate thoughts? What on earth was everyone on about? Modern noir, proto-cyberpunk I don't know…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Everything is connected, and I'll use that to expose, to protect, and if necessary - to punish. --- Amazing art of Zay cosplaying Aidan Pearce by @geezz.bsky.social ❤️ Also my new pfp! --- #furryart #sfw #watch_dogs
neutral · AI labelView post →Out of the trilogy, this is without a doubt the best Watch Dogs when it comes to the story. I loved everything about how you slowly discover the black market through hacking while trying to avenge what happened to Aiden’s family. The story was probably my favorite part of the game. Aiden’s character, the dark atmosphere, and the whole idea of being able to hack almost everything around you made the game really interesting. I also loved how the story slowly reveals more about the world and the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Watch Dogs is a very good GTA-style open-world game with unique gameplay mechanics. Hacking is incredibly fun and is what makes the game stand out. The story is also really good. Some missions can feel repetitive, but it’s manageable and never became a major issue for me. I really liked Aiden Pearce as the protagonist. The atmosphere of Chicago is excellent, and the story follows Aiden as he seeks revenge against the people who ordered the hit on him. The hacking mechanics are fantastic. You…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good game, worth your time on sale, but you won't be able to take my word for it when the launcher doesn't ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ work. GGs Ubislop
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is underrated! I played this some 10 years ago on PS3 and I forgot how good this actually is. In my opinion still the best game in the series. Best story with very dark and gritty atmosphere. Main character Aiden Pearce feels like the mix of Bryan Mills from movie Taken and Punisher with cool hacking skills like city blackouts, controlling traffic lights and many more. He is on a path of revenge to avenge his niece that got mistakenly killed instead of him and during the process he…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I got sent through the ubisoft connect gauntlet and it decided I cannot play the game no matter what
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →"License Processing Due to database maintenance it will take a little while to process your license." Honestly, my bad for wanting to play the game I paid for (yesterday!)... Or better yet, expecting anything at all from ubislop... Even at a measly 2-3 euros on sale, cannot recommend. F**k you ubislop
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game, reminds me of GTA. Only downside is that there's no online servers for Steam anymore.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hard to believe that Ubisoft used to make above average to even legendary games. This is a classic, loved every minute of it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →now that hardware is good why don't remaster it and release the full game with no cut content like it was supposed to be in E3 8/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this is a good game, but not a good developer. you see if you buy this in steam it considerate like not a full game. you cant play online sessions with anyone, so cant get full achievement. this is a copy of message i write to a ubisoft, after they gave me activate key, so i be able play online: "well ticket closed and issue resolved. but i want to say a couple of things. while i was going through the all achievements and faced this problem i cannot resume it, i found a group of people who…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Its a good game until u wanna find all the collectables and 100% the game the online achievements are just a pain in the ass + finding all the songs
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i like the game and when i saw it on sale i thought it would be good memories but i just have this message that came up and wont go past i wish i could play it again but i think anything from ubisoft is done for. ""We have received your key for Watch_Dogs, however, due to database maintenance it will take a little while to process your license. We will send you a notification as soon as the key registration has been processed. You don't need to do anything else in the meantime - your game…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dont bother to buy if you dont have ubisoft account (which is the hardest part) make ubisoft account first then buy it's a good game i saw and i want to play. i already bought and cannot play because ubisoft account
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Can't progress because i don't have a key apparently to access online, which is needed for a mission. How can I solve this? Either complain to their customer service to give me a free key, or buy the game on Ubisoft connect. The game is good, but is ruined by Ubisoft
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Truly a superb game. The city is over the top detailed and amazing. Very good stealth options and gun play. The story works.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Better than GTA V honestly. Great gameplay experience, really mice story and mechanics and a a hughly interactive map and the world. The NPCs have an actual brain, making the game a little harder. The graphics are good too. Though there are story pacing inconsistencies, missions can get a little repetitive with same mechanics and the reputation system is hella annoying to keep up, still, a solid 8/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Amazing game with an equally amazing story. Side content can be mediocre but most is entertaining, not a single watching dog tho so its not perfect.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →DO NOT BUY if you wanna play the multiplayer. The game promises it to be multiplayer or co-op but as of 2025 These features are no longer accessible no matter what. Otherwise it is a good damn game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Work great in VR with the Luke Ross Mod. Being an older game the performance is excellent and you can really crank up the resolution. Graphically there are no issues with the mod and the game looks good in the headset. I had zero crashes/glitches in my 100+ hour playthrough. Having played the game before flatscreen when it first released I certainly was more immersed playing this again in VR. I got to "know" the city, it feels like a real place that I have visited. I already miss it now…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →IN WATCH_DOGS YOUR LIFE IS A HACK REVIEWED ON: (GeForce GT 1030/i7-3770 ) Took me quite some years to finally play this game to it's end, after some crashes, bugs, and save games wiped when pirating it in the past. Buying it on Steam and having the game up to date fix these issues for me, and I finally had the time to enjoy it nonsop. This said, as always let's break this review into points of interest, and talk about my experience with it all: STORY: You play as Aiden Pearce, a man with…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Played a couple of times and then today I was greeted with: "We have received your key for Watch_Dogs, however, due to database maintenance it will take a little while to process your license. We will send you a notification as soon as the key registration has been processed." What a joke, can't even access the game that I paid for
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game itself is fine. But the fact that you have to connect to Ubisoft ♥♥♥♥♥♥ ass apps is so damn annoying. Got my account suspended because the ubisoft connect keep failing to log on into my account. When I try to re-log, it says my account is suspended because multiple failed login attempts. Ridiculous.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A wonderful game with an excellent and dramatic story, pleasant graphics, and interesting gameplay. One of the game's distinctive features is the ability to hack urban infrastructure and cameras. The protagonist is essentially a kind of superhero, and his main superpower is his smartphone, which can hack various things around him. The dark, atmospheric, and very beautiful city of Chicago is also worth mentioning. I highly recommend this part of Watch Dogs, but I do not recommend Watch Dogs 2,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I expect ctOS to control the city, not Ubisoft Connect to control whether I could play a single-player game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Amazing game , good story . really great atmosphere and overall it's great game. Even in 2026 game looks very good and it's worth to play it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
Posts are quoted from public profiles with links to the original. Want yours removed? Contact us.
