Watch_Dogs® 2
Last updated: 2026-01-01
- Highly enjoyable and innovative gameplay experience
- Immersive hacking mechanics in vibrant open world
- Excellent parkour and movement system
- Weak and repetitive story missions
- Frequent crashes and poor optimization
- Cringe dialogue with forced online dependencies
Emotions
Players experience significant frustration due to pervasive technical issues, including frequent crashes, screen flickering, and initialization problems. Gameplay mechanics such as flawed stealth systems, unrealistic police presence, and poor vehicle handling exacerbate this emotion, alongside repetitive missions and unclear checkpoints.
Players express satisfaction with the game's engaging story, well-designed puzzles, and smooth gameplay mechanics like hacking and parkour. Improvements over the original game, such as enhanced graphics, mission flexibility, and creative freedom, contribute to a positive experience, especially when the game runs smoothly on varied hardware.
Disappointment stems from the game's weak narrative, underdeveloped combat mechanics, and repetitive gameplay loops. Technical issues like poor optimization, unplayable performance on certain hardware, and unresolved bugs further diminish the experience, particularly when compared to the first game or player expectations.
Players feel excitement due to the game's immersive hacking mechanics, vibrant open-world design, and creative freedom in mission approaches. The dynamic atmosphere, engaging parkour, and innovative gadgets contribute to a sense of anticipation and enjoyment, especially for those drawn to cybersecurity themes and chaotic multiplayer activities.
Enjoyment arises from the game's fun and fluid gameplay mechanics, such as hacking, vehicle handling, and open-world exploration. The humorous tone, engaging side activities, and immersive world design create a refreshing and entertaining experience, particularly when the game's mechanics align with player expectations.
Verdict
Mixed
Summary
Positive 71% · Negative 29%. Score: 29 / 100
Positives:
- Players consistently praise the game for its fun, engaging, and well-designed gameplay. The balance of complexity, variety, and smooth mechanics contributes to a highly enjoyable experience, with many highlighting co-op and open-world exploration as standout features.
- Hacking is a core and highly praised feature, offering creative freedom, replayability, and deep integration with stealth, combat, and puzzle-solving. Players appreciate the variety of approaches it enables, such as environmental manipulation and non-lethal solutions.
- The game’s open world, particularly its depiction of San Francisco, is frequently described as immersive, dynamic, and full of life. NPCs with organic interactions, rich side activities, and detailed environments enhance the sense of realism and exploration.
- The game features a charismatic protagonist and a well-developed cast of characters, particularly the DedSec crew. Players appreciate the humor, chemistry, and idealistic motivations of the characters, which enhance the narrative and immersion.
- Parkour mechanics are highlighted as a standout feature, offering fluid, dynamic, and visually impressive movement. Players enjoy the seamless integration of parkour into exploration and combat.
Negatives:
- The game's narrative is widely criticized for being bland, repetitive, and lacking depth. Many players feel it fails to resonate emotionally and pales in comparison to the first game, with forced pacing and underdeveloped characters.
- Dialogue is often criticized as forced, immature, or cringe-inducing, with awkward humor and slang that feels out of place. The tonal shift from the first game's seriousness alienates some fans.
- Missions, particularly side content, are repetitive and lack depth. Tasks like graffiti, hacking, or scavenger hunts feel padded and fail to engage players after the story ends.
- Players report widespread crashes, freezes, and instability, particularly on PC. Issues range from blue screens at launch to mid-mission crashes, making the game unplayable for some without workarounds.
- The game suffers from severe optimization issues, including low FPS, stuttering, and hardware struggles even on high-end systems. Many players report inconsistent performance and demanding requirements.
Gameplay:
- The game features an open-world environment with extensive hacking mechanics, allowing players to manipulate traffic lights, cameras, drones, and other electronic systems. This creates a dynamic and interactive sandbox experience, particularly in a cyberpunk setting like San Francisco.
- NPCs in the game exhibit dynamic behaviors and react to player actions, such as calling the police, engaging in conversations, or responding to hacking. This enhances immersion and world interactivity.
- The game features a strong narrative focused on a hacker-themed storyline, with character development and side quests that advance the plot. The story is a key driver of player engagement.
- The game introduces unique mechanics distinct from other open-world titles, such as hacking-based interactions, strategic gadget usage, and creative mission approaches. These set it apart from competitors like GTA.
- The game offers a variety of side quests and optional activities, such as races, bounty hunts, and photography challenges. These add depth and replayability to the open-world experience.
Performance:
- Game fails to launch or initialize due to anti-cheat software, broken launchers, or reinstallation issues. Some players report blue screen crashes before the game even starts.
- Minor but noticeable graphical issues, including anti-aliasing problems, texture flickering, and NPC glitches. Some bugs cause characters to fall through the world or disrupt gameplay.
- Game demands high-end hardware for smooth performance, with many players reporting struggles on mid-range or low-end PCs. False minimum requirements exacerbate frustration.
- Online mode suffers from lag, particularly during driving or multiplayer sessions. Server issues also contribute to connectivity problems on some platforms.
- Mixed reports on Steam Deck performance, with some players experiencing compatibility issues, particularly for online play. Graphics driver warnings are also noted.
Recommendations:
- The game is highly praised for its open-world design, freedom, and hacking mechanics, making it a must-play for fans of the genre. Many reviews highlight its replayability and unique atmosphere.
- The majority of players strongly recommend purchasing the game only at a discounted price, citing technical issues, lack of gameplay depth, or poor value at full price. This sentiment is widespread across multiple clusters.
- Some players advise against buying the game due to persistent technical problems, such as performance issues, bugs, or language lock problems, which significantly impact the experience.
- The game is particularly recommended for players interested in hacking, programming, or cyberpunk themes, as well as those who enjoy non-linear gameplay and tech satire.
- The game is praised for its multiple mission approaches, freedom of playstyle, and engaging hacking mechanics, which contribute to its high replay value.
Miscellaneous:
- Players frequently highlight the game's social commentary on digital privacy, corporate control, and modern surveillance. These themes are central to the narrative and resonate with real-world concerns.
- Regional versions of the game have language settings problems, limiting accessibility for non-English speakers. This is a recurring technical complaint.
- The game's length is frequently criticized as being too short, with some players comparing it to the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee.
- Players express frustration that additional DLC content is necessary to achieve full completion, which may feel like an unfair monetization tactic.
- Players report problems with Ubisoft's server quality and online achievement systems, which can disrupt gameplay and progression.
