Watch Dogs may not have received its fair share of praise for its inventiveness, but there’s no denying that it’s one of the best open-world games of the last decade. Given the abundance of such games appearing left and right, being at the top can be a bold claim. Even though this open-world shooter has flaws, it is still innovative and entertaining after all these years. Watch Dogs: Legion, the franchise’s third and most recent entry, aims to be the most ambitious of the bunch, which, honestly, can go either way. With Legion’s sandbox approach, the storyline isn’t up to par with other open-world games like GTA V or Red Dead Redemption 2. Nevertheless, it’s still too early to tell how things will turn out. While new installments are still being released, let’s look at some games like Watch Dogs.
12 Best Games like Watch Dogs – Watch Dogs Alternatives
Games like Watch Dogs – Watch Dogs Alternatives you can try.
1. Sleeping Dogs
The Sleeping Dogs, developed by United Front Games and published by Square Enix, is one of the most underappreciated games, along with Watch Dogs. Despite a large fan base, the game failed to perform well in the market and could not pave the way for a sequel. Despite its short length, the campaign is one of the best. It’s unusual, especially these days, to come across a free-roaming game with an intriguing storyline. Of course, there are exceptions, such as The Witcher 3 and Red Dead Redemption 2, but these are just a few examples.
There are many activities to choose from when you want to take a break from the information-dense content. These side missions do their best to divert your attention away from the main mission for the appropriate time. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Sleeping Dogs is far more than a GTA clone. It lacks the grandeur of the GTA franchise, but the game gracefully transforms its limitations into its strength.
2. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Miles Morales, the sequel to Insomniac’s original web-slinging Marvel title, is a superhero story with an awesome setup and an open world waiting to be showered on the web. The story is short in the world, and the map has been tastefully cut, but the overall experience is open-world bliss. This title should be on everyone’s holiday wishlist if they want baddie-smacking action, the coolest traversal mechanic ever, and a good story that involves Peter Parker taking a much-needed vacation.
3. GTA 5
Rockstar knows how to master open-world single-player games. The Grand Theft Auto 4 was a masterpiece in every way, earning a perfect ten from IGN, a rare accomplishment. In addition, they set a new standard for adventure games five years later. They experimented with more than one protagonist for the first time, allowing the player to control three people throughout the game. Except when you’re on a mission, you can switch characters instantly with a single click at any time. It’s a miracle that they could weave all the stories together seamlessly.
Once you’ve completed the main and side missions, which should take around 50 hours, you can join GTA Online and share the same world as other players. Go one-on-one, compete in races, rob banks together, or wander around the city with your group wreaking havoc. It’s entirely up to you. Before playing GTA Online, you should understand how the game’s economy works. If you’re not careful, you’ll spend real-world money on it because everything in the game is expensive. Make sure to watch the tutorial to learn the fundamentals of the game. After that, learn how to make some quick money. There are a few YouTube videos available to guide you through the process. Well, You can afford its countless properties, bikes, yachts, penthouses, and cars once you have some money in your bank account.
4. Mad Max
Mad Max is an underappreciated gem that deserves more attention. Yes, the journey, while enjoyable, can become monotonous at times. Except for the main bosses, you’ll be fighting the same enemy types repeatedly. On PC, there are some optimization issues. Regardless of its flaws, Mad Max deserves your attention. Inspired by Batman games, this one will have you ducking, bobbling, weaving, rolling, and throwing punches. Once you’ve mastered melee combat, you’ll be eager to get your hands on many bad guys. Honestly, thrashing people has never been more enjoyable! Mad Max is not the best choice for an intriguing storyline. The story is adequate, at best, as a backdrop for much action. On the other hand, Mad Max will satisfy you if you enjoy car customization and vehicular combat.
5. Driver: San Francisco
Every legitimate “game to play” list requires a classic, and Driver: San Francisco is just that. This Northern Californian adventure is what you’d get if you crossed the carnage of GTA with the campy classic-ness of Starsky and Hutch. Instead, it’s an open-world car chase simulator inspired by the feverish and spectacular car chases of 1980s action movies (with a little more emphasis on the carnage). It’s quick. It’s entertaining. The chases are ferocious. The collisions are ridiculous. They will likely play it unless players are willing to dig out two generations of consoles (or their PCs). But they’ll realize why this hilarious game made a list if they do.
6. Far Cry 5
Far Cry 5 is one of the best free-roaming first-person shooters to come out in recent years, developed by Ubisoft. It’s not the best of the bunch, but it’s the most liberating and free-flowing, allowing you to interact with the world however you want. This is the first time since Far Cry 3 that there are no towers to climb. Instead, you must also seek out the quests on your own. Gone are the days when you could climb a tower and fill the surrounding areas with quests and treasure markers.
Instead, far Cry 5 will prompt and motivate you to explore its vast and sprawling world. While the main mission is enjoyable, all side missions can become tedious. Things become monotonous after a while. Even when the story isn’t engaging, the game’s shooting and stealth mechanics keep it entertaining. The game’s silliness, craziness, and capriciousness will make you fall in love with it and eventually become addicted. Those looking for games like Watch Dogs will enjoy what Far Cry 5 offers.
7. Just Cause 4
Just Cause 4 has vastly improved over its predecessors but still has some technical flaws. The developers should have spent more time putting the finishing touches on it. There’s no denying that it’s a hurriedly packed product with rough edges that must be polished. It’s worth noting, however, that these technical flaws will not interfere with your gameplay. While playing it on my PC, I have not encountered any game-breaking bugs. Of course, there were a few stutters here and there, but nothing that ruined the fun. Well, Remember the grappling hook from Just Cause 2 that helped you wreak havoc in the game? It returns in the fourth installment but with new attachments to make it more powerful, unpredictable, and devilish. It’s far from a realistic experience, but sometimes we must have some stupid fun.
8. Ghost Recon: Wildlands
Wildlands, set in Bolivia, is a tactical co-op shooter where you can work with three friends to eliminate cartel members nationwide. While Bolivia implodes, you and your teammates are the only hope. Wildlands is frequently chastised for its filler campaign, but its lighter side is often overlooked. You’ll have a great time clearing out enemies from the map if you know what you’re doing and have teammates who can aim reasonably well. However, I would not recommend that newcomers play this with other teammates. So before you jump in with your friends, try the solo option. The world can feel a little dull sometimes, especially if you’re soloing through the entire campaign, but there’s enough to keep you entertained for at least a few days.
9. Yakuza 0
Well, The Yakuza series has always been known for embracing its erratic nature, providing hours of endless fun and enjoyment. Unfortunately, while revered in Japan, the Yakuza series did not achieve the same level of success in the West, owing to a lack of marketing for these types of games. Japanese gaming companies such as Saga, Bandai Namco, and Capcom have only recently begun to push their niche products in the Western market, proving to be a win-win situation for everyone. With niche games like Personna 5 selling like hotcakes on PC, we can expect more goodness to arrive on the platform.
Yakuza 0 perfectly balances the two with a great mix of main missions and side content. If you feel the storyline is becoming too intense, you can take on a few side missions to help you relax. The side content is entertaining and engaging, and it diverts your attention for a short time. Yakuza 0 keeps you on your toes for the entire 50-hour runtime. There’s always something to do, someone to stomp on, or some absurd mini-game to play.
10. Assassin’s Creed: Oydessey
Ubisoft has finally embraced the role-playing genre with Odyssey, introducing one of the best open-world games. Unlike previous iterations, this game allows you to select your gender. While this choice has little impact on the game, aside from a few altered dialogues, it is a welcome change from previous versions, which had pre-selected protagonists for the players.
The game, which Mass Effect and The Witcher 3 inspired, will require you to make numerous decisions. However, your choices will be meaningless in the long run. The ending will be similar, more or less. Because of the never-ending chain of the main storyline and side quests, this massive RPG can easily take more than 100 hours to complete. However, you’ll always find something new in your path, whether it’s something to do, someone to meet, or someone to kill. Well, My only complaint about this game is that it can be a little too repetitive at times. But, aside from that, it’s a flawless work of art.
11. Red Dead Redemption 2
The Red Dead Redemption 2, developed by Rockstar and published by 2K Games, is arguably the best action RPG of the last decade. Everything about it, from the stunning graphics to the meticulously crafted quests, will immerse you in the world of cowboys. It’s a difficult world where life is only worth a few coins. You can, however, change the world to your liking. Each quest can be completed in a variety of ways. Of course, you can go all guns blazing if you want, but there’s almost always a backup plan. Shooting is entertaining, but sometimes you just want to use your silver tongue and see where it takes you.
If the usual main quests bore you, you can always switch to poker, hunting, or fishing. Surprisingly, these activities provide more than just entertainment. These extracurricular activities will keep you occupied for hours. Once you’ve completed all the main and side content, you can jump into Red Dead Online, where you’ll be introduced to online content to fill your days. Red Dead Online, like GTA Online, can be a highly addictive experience. So, prepare to spend an unhealthy amount of time staring at a screen.
12. The Division 2
I understand that an online looter-shooter RPG is only for some. However, you have every reason to be cynical, especially after the hasty release of the franchise’s first game. Despite their efforts to turn things around with updates and fixes, most of the player base never returned to the game. Well, I’m happy to report that Division 2 has different issues. Yes, the launch was a little rocky, but for an always-online game, it was surprisingly smooth. Division 2 improves on the original in every way possible, including shooting and movement mechanics.
While there has yet to be much progress in graphics, there’s no denying that this looter-shooter is a more refined version of the original. Ubisoft, the developer and publisher behind this behemoth, has learned from the first game’s mistakes and worked hard to create a better version. As of this writing, there are 11 PVE zones, enough to keep you busy for days scouring the post-apocalyptic map. Of course, you can go alone, but having fun with your friends is always a better option.
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Wrapping Up: Games like Watch Dogs
These are some of the best games similar to the Watch Dogs series. Also, Did I miss out on any other games like Watch Dogs? Please let me know in the comments.