The Coolest Things You can do in Watch Dogs

Spy on people, fool the cops and add more songs to your playlist.

Hack Chicago with Prima’s free Watch Dogs walkthrough

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Go in-depth with the official Watch Dogs guide!

The technological world is at your fingertips in Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs, which is finally available digitally and in stores after years in development. In it, you portray Aiden Pierce, a man who causes havoc with the help of his smartphone. Whether it’s profiling a would-be criminal, smacking thugs like a vigilante or creating a 10-car pile-up with a simple traffic light change, there’s plenty to do.

You’re welcome to explore Chicago as you wish, but we have a list of fun things to do. 

Make citizens freak out with surprise explosions 

Throughout the city of Chicago, you’ll find small objects that you can overload using your smartphone, creating an explosion. You’ll want to usually save these in case you get chased by the cops and need a distraction to get away, but if you spot a couple of these around – and a few folks walking around them – go ahead and set these babies off. Seeing the citizens’ reactions to the sudden explosion is hilarious. 

Spy on people

Bored? In the world of Watch Dogs, there’s always something interesting to watch. With the help of your smartphone, you can hack into nearby cameras and survey people doing all sorts of things, from having random conversations about hiring someone to making out with their boyfriends or girlfriends. Although these may not be crucial to the game, you can learn a thing or two watching these folks – and even stumble upon missions where you’ll have the opportunity to increase your reputation. 

Go “fishing”, high-tech style

There’s more to Watch Dogs than your phone. Aiden is capable of creating gadgets with the right tools. With this, you can create electronic lures, which are sure to get a guard’s attention once thrown and activated. With the distracting noises, they’ll clear a path and either let Aiden slip free, or sneak up behind to knock them out. The choice is yours, but either way, it pays to “fish.” 

Create havoc with the cops, then create a clean getaway 

Changing traffic lights to create car accidents is fun, but they’re even more beneficial when you do this at the right time. During police chases, you can activate these so traffic comes dashing out – even with the cops’ sirens blaring just as you slip past. As a result, they’ll get into an accident that the cops won’t be able to avoid, thus creating an even bigger pile-up. 

For good measure, here’s a better scenario. Let’s say you’re headed towards a drawbridge. You can activate its electrical controls so it begins going up. As you’ve probably seen in the movies countless times, you can go over it while the cops struggle to keep up. You’ll land safely on the other side, while they’ll either drive over the edge or stop short of clearing it. Regardless, it’s fun to execute.

Hack freeway road signs 

Your hacking skills aren’t limited to simple things like bridge controls and traffic lights. You can even go as far as hacking road signs that hang over freeways, usually reserved for weather alerts. With his phone, Aiden can enter a number of great nostalgic greetings, including “Be excellent to each other” (from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure) and “Do a barrel roll!” (from, of course, StarFox). There are various ones available, so play around and see what kind of reactions you get.

End a foot chase with a sudden surprise

As you’ve seen from trailers in the game, there’s plenty of fast-paced running action in Watch Dogs. You’ll often take part in on-foot pursuits, mainly chasing suspects that may do harm to other folks. Sometimes, it may appear that they’re too fast for Aiden. However, with a press on his phone, he can easily activate something that explodes and make them fall over. As a result, he’ll catch up, stop the criminal and increase his reputation. 

Ride the train 

Since this game takes place in Chicago, chances are that you’ll run into one of the trains in the city sooner than later. Why wait for it to pass by when you can simply hop on the roof and hitch a ride? This not only provides you quicker access to missions across town, but also gives a fast, stunning view of the surrounding city. Just make sure you don’t jump off too soon. Otherwise you’ll go rolling into a traffic intersection. Yikes.

Sit down and play cards and chess 

Aiden doesn’t always have to be on guard around the city. Sometimes he can kick loose, have a drink and play a game of cards with the fellas. These games can take a little while to find, but once you do, you can stop in, drop your chips on the table and see how you fare at the likes of poker and chess. While you’re at it, you can have a drink or two, and in modern day video game fashion, watch the screen blur after your first couple of swigs. Don’t drink and black out the city, though. 

Unlock new music

Finally, the world of Watch Dogs is your oyster, and Ubisoft went a long way into making a soundtrack that fits perfectly. The best part about it, though, is that you can continue expanding your collection of tunes. By scanning other people’s phones and completing secondary missions, you’ll be able to upload extra songs, which you can play at any time in the game. Sure, it may not be as involving as the game’s combat missions, but it never hurts to have more music, right?

Watch Dogs is available for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One, and is coming soon to Wii U.


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