Watch Dogs series explained: which to play first (2026 guide)

In brief: Watch Dogs, Watch Dogs 2 and Watch Dogs: Legion are three separate open-world hacking games, so you can start with any of them. Watch Dogs 2 is the best single starting point. Only Legion has a native PS5 and Xbox Series X|S version; the other two run through backward compatibility. On 3 November 2026 the games cost $19.99, $49.99 and $59.99 on Steam. The PS4 version of the original was $4.99 on the US PlayStation Store until 5 November, 07:59 UTC.

By Tulasiram Pemmadi · NextPlayIntel · Last updated 3 November 2026.

Ubisoft's Watch Dogs series has three main games, three cities and three different leads, and its stores are confusing: a Complete Edition here, a Gold bundle there, a PS5 version for one game but not the others. This guide explains how the games differ, which one to play first, how each runs on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, and what they cost in US dollars, pounds, euros and Indian rupees on 3 November 2026.

What the Watch Dogs series is

Watch Dogs is a series of third-person open-world action games where you hack the city around you. From a phone-style profiler you can read people's details, open doors, raise bollards, jam traffic lights and take over cameras and vehicles, then use that to fight, drive, sneak or stay out of sight. Each game then swaps the city, the cast and the tone.

It is often grouped with GTA-style games, but the hook is different: surveillance and hacking replace car theft and heists. If you want a wider map of the genre, start with our open-world crime games history.

The three games compared

Release dates for Legion come from Ubisoft's next-generation console post and Steam's store page; Watch Dogs 2's from Wikipedia and Ubisoft's store. Legion launched in 2020 on Ubisoft Connect and Epic; Steam lists its release as 26 January 2023.

Which Watch Dogs should you play first?

• Play Watch Dogs 2 first if you want one game. Marcus, a young hacker in San Francisco, leads a lighter, funnier story with more varied side content. Insider Gaming notes many fans rate it the best of the series, and its Steam player count surged in July 2026.

• Play Watch Dogs first if you want Aiden Pearce's origin. It is the oldest game and feels it, but the story of Chicago's vigilante is the root of the series, and the PS4 version is the cheapest entry point while its sale lasts.

• Play Watch Dogs: Legion if you want modern console features. Its recruit-anyone system lets you play a grandmother, a barrister or a spy in London. It is the only game with native PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions and has ray tracing on the new consoles.

The games are story-separate, so there is no required order. One exception is Bloodline, Legion's expansion: Ubisoft describes it as a prequel adventure that brings back Aiden Pearce from the first game and Wrench from Watch Dogs 2, and it lands better if you have met both. See Ubisoft's announcement.

How they run on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Steam Deck

• PS5: Watch Dogs and Watch Dogs 2 are PS4 games that run on PS5 through backward compatibility. Legion is sold as a PS4 and PS5 product, and Ubisoft says PS4 owners get the PS5 version at no extra cost.

• Xbox Series X|S: The first two run as Xbox One games. Legion uses Smart Delivery, so one purchase covers the Xbox One and Series X|S versions, and the Microsoft Store lists ray tracing, 4K, HDR10 and Series X|S optimisation for it. The US Microsoft Store pages list Xbox Cloud Gaming for all three.

• Steam Deck: On 3 November 2026 Valve rated Watch Dogs and Legion Playable and Watch Dogs 2 Unsupported because of its EasyAntiCheat setup.

• PC: Watch Dogs needs 6 GB of RAM and 25 GB of storage, Watch Dogs 2 needs 6 GB and 27 GB, and Legion needs 8 GB and a hefty 115 GB. Legion's minimum GPU is a GTX 970 or GTX 1650 (Steam).

Editions and what to buy

For most people the standard edition is enough, except for the first game, where the Complete Edition is worth $10 more on PC and $1 more during the current PlayStation sale.

Prices worldwide (checked 3 November 2026)

Official prices on the US, UK, French and Indian storefronts on 3 November 2026 (IST). Euro prices are from France. “Unconfirmed” means the official page did not show a price we could verify.

The PlayStation sale is the story. The US prices end on 5 November at 07:59 UTC (4 November, 23:59 PST; 5 November, 13:29 IST). The UK, France and India prices end on 4 November at 23:59 UTC (5 November, 05:29 IST). After that the original game returns to $19.99 (£15.99, €19,99, Rs 1,499). The US store also had the Watch Dogs 1 + 2 Standard Editions Bundle at $11.99 (list $59.99) and the Gold Editions Bundle at $13.49 (list $89.99) on the same deadline.

Store gaps are worth checking. Watch Dogs 2 is €59.99 on Steam France but €49.99 on the Microsoft Store France, and £49.99 on Steam UK against £44.99 on Microsoft and PlayStation. Legion is $59.99 everywhere but €69.99 on the Microsoft Store against €59.99 on Steam France.

For players in India

Checked 3 November 2026 (IST) on the official India storefronts. Steam India is the cheapest rupee price for Watch Dogs 2 and Legion, and the PlayStation sale makes the original game Rs 374 until 5 November, 5:29 am IST.

Subscriptions: Ubisoft+, PlayStation Plus and Game Pass

On 3 November 2026 the PlayStation Store pages for all three games showed them as included with a PlayStation Plus tier and with Ubisoft+ in the US, UK, France and India, and the Microsoft Store US pages listed Ubisoft+ and Xbox Game Pass access. Ubisoft also says Bloodline is included with Ubisoft+. Subscription catalogues rotate and depend on your tier, so check your own account page before relying on it. For a single playthrough, a month of a subscription can cost less than buying Watch Dogs 2 or Legion.

Cheats and unlockables

None of the three games has an official cheat-code system. There are no cheat menus on console or PC, and online “cheat lists” are trainers or mods, which are not official. Unlocks come from play: skill points, research and crafting, and in Legion the operatives you recruit. Because there are no codes to verify, we have not made a separate cheats page. Browse other games on our cheats hub.

What's next for Watch Dogs

No new Watch Dogs game has been announced. Ubisoft's CEO Yves Guillemot said at the 1 October 2026 annual meeting that the series is “not expected to be] put… in a creative house for the moment, before it's potentially remade”, as reported by [Insider Gaming. Insider Gaming also reported a Legion “Director's Cut” planned for the first half of 2027. Ubisoft has not confirmed it, so treat it as a rumour until it does.

Check the Watch Dogs hub for prices as they change. More open-world crime games: Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition explained, Saints Row games explained and the full games catalogue.