Parents' Guide to

Watch Dogs 2

By Chad Sapieha, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Hacker romp lets players choose violent or peaceful methods.

Watch Dogs 2 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

Community Reviews

age 12+

Based on 61 parent reviews

age 9+

Thanks

Thanks

This title has:

Easy to play/use
1 person found this helpful.
age 12+

Good Game, not as violent as the other reviews say

You are not put into a game with others unless you invite a friend so it is safe. There is not much violence at all. Kids already know swear words even if you think they don’t, so that is not a big deal because they won’t use them parents. There is a secret strip club, not marked on the map, but the strippers are only in bathing suits and will not become naked like in gta5 or show any inappropriate body parts. This game has racing, drifting, and cars and is fun in that way.

This title has:

Great messages
1 person found this helpful.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (61 ):
Kids say (128 ):

It's refreshing to not be forced into acts of violence in an M-rated open-world action game. Unlike most adult-oriented open-world adventures, which tend to turn characters who are normal and likable in story sequences into rampaging killers once they hit the streets to take on missions, Watch Dogs 2 gives players freedom of choice to maintain a character who acts more or less as one would hope someone in his position would. Or not. It's admittedly a lot easier to just shoot your way through earlier missions rather than try to be stealthy. But once players unlock some of Marcus' more powerful hacker abilities -- like taking remote control of pursuing vehicles, using aerial- and ground-based drones to surveil secured areas, or even hacking people's ctOS profiles to make it seem as though they're wanted by the police, creating a distraction -- it becomes a lot more enjoyable to try to complete missions without causing a ruckus.

The biggest obstacle to enjoying Watch Dogs 2 is simply having the patience to keep playing until it gets really fun. The DedSec hackers are a funny and likable bunch, but the intrigue they're embroiled in takes a good five or six hours to really pick up. And while Marcus can hack phones and cameras right from the start, you'll need to wait for some time before he can begin doing some of the cool hacker stuff mentioned above. This makes early missions a bit uncreative and perhaps harder than they need to be if you try to play them without killing anyone. Stick with it, though, and Watch Dogs 2 eventually proves itself one of the more innovative and memorable open-world action games to come along in years.

Game Details

  • Platforms: PlayStation 4 , Windows , Xbox One
  • Pricing structure: Paid
  • Available online?: Available online
  • Publisher: UbiSoft
  • Release date: November 15, 2016
  • Genre: Third-Person Shooter
  • Topics: Adventures
  • ESRB rating: M for Blood, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
  • Last updated: October 22, 2021

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate