Watch Dogs 2 is a 2016 open-world action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. The game quickly became a critical and commercial success, selling over 10 million copies worldwide. Following its success, Ubisoft released Watch Dogs: Legions, which expanded upon the first two games. Three years after Watch Dogs’ events, DedSec is back at it again to take down ctOS 2.0.
Watch Dogs 2 Premise
The setting of Watch Dogs 2 is a fictionalized San Francisco Bay, which becomes the first city to install the new version of ctOS. This central Operating System, developed by Blume engineers, links every device together into a single system. The story revolves around Marcus Holloway, who was wrongly convicted of a high-tech robbery crime he did not commit. The evidence against him was a predictive software similar to ctOS. This led to Holloway becoming an outcast and discriminated against in his community. Seeing the rise of the new ctOS system in San Francisco, Holloway joins the hacker group DedSec. Together the group searches for ctOS’s weakness and tries to eliminate it for the good of the people.
Players are able to roam freely around the world, drive cars, and hack a plethora of technology. Watch Dogs 2, much like its predecessor, has unique gameplay where you can hack cars, objects, and even people. This adds to the creative solutions players can come to to solve problems. Players can solve and complete each mission in the game in multiple ways, adding to its replayability.
The developers greatly expanded upon the first game, overhauling the driving mechanics to make them smoother. They also brought in real hackers to validate different mechanics and gameplay scripts, adding to its authenticity. The game plays like an advanced Grand Theft Auto.
Watch Dogs 2 Main Characters
Marcus Holloway: Marcus is the main protagonist in Watch Dogs 2 and part of the hacker group DedSec. Marcus’s world is turned upside down after he is convicted for a crime he didn’t commit. Marcus successfully infiltrated ctSO 2.0 and installed a backdoor for the group to use. With this information, he has control of the entire city’s power and can hack anything he pleases.
Wrench: Wrench is the deuteragonist in Watch Dogs 2. He is a hacker in the group DedSec and serves as an engineer and “fixer”. Wrench wears a mask to hide his emotions and is an animated loudmouth.
Sitara Dhawan: Sitara is the tritagonist in Watch Dogs 2 and is a hacker and DedSec member. Sitara works as the group’s public image specialist and is hyper-focused on perfecting every message. She joined the group due to a dislike of the soulless tech corporations that plague the city.
Dušan Nemec: Dušan is the main antagonist of Watch Dogs 2. He is the Chief Technology Officer of Blume, the company behind ctOS 2.0. Dušan’s goal is to take control over everyone on the ctOS 2.0 system. By attempting to manipulate DedSec, he wants the government and major companies to join his satellite web security system. Doing so would allow Dušan to have access to everyone’s information and sell their data.
Horatio Carlin: Horatio is a supporting character in Watch Dogs 2 and serves as DedSec’s tactical coordinator. Horatio sends DedSec to whichever location they need to be at and provides intel for the missions.
Lenora Kastner: Lenora is an antagonist in Watch Dogs 2 and is the leader of Prime_Eight. Prime_Eight is a rival hacking group of DedSec. Dušan hires the group to steal a large sum of money from DedSec. She accepts this mission as she believes DedSec are “sell-outs” and disagrees with their political views.
Aiden Pearce: Aiden is a Chicago hacker in control of the city’s ctOS system. He was the main protagonist in Watch Dogs but appeared as a minor cameo character in Watch Dogs 2.
Watch Dogs 2 Video Games in the Series
Due to the commercial and critical success of Watch Dogs, the series has expanded since its initial release in 2014. There has been no official announcement of a fourth game in the series at this time.
- Watch Dogs (2014)
- Watch Dogs 2 (2016)
- Watch Dogs: Legion (2020)
Watch Dogs 2 Cheat Codes
Although the game centers around hacking, there are no official cheat codes. However, this does not mean there aren’t any loopholes or glitches that can be exploited. There are a few ways to make easy money in this game and places to get unique vehicles.
Infinite Money
To get infinite money, you need to progress in the game until you get to the mission “An Eye for an Eye.” The game tasks players with robbing a man’s bank account for $18,000. If you quickly reload the checkpoint after getting the money, you are able to rob him again. Complete this as many times as you wish. However, the developers issued a patch for this glitch. The man only gives $500 now but still allows for infinite money if you have the time and patience. Alternatively, if you play an unpatched version of Watch Dogs 2, you will still receive the $18,000.
Missions and side quests will reward the player with money. For those who just want money without progressing the story, there are a few options available.
Hacking Bank Accounts
Although the task of hacking into everyone’s bank account can be tedious, it is the easiest method. Every pedestrian you see, you can hack into their account and steal money. Check out their profiles to see which ones are the richest.
Driving Missions
If you want to earn your money the moral way, consider taxing around town. Players can drive NPCs to and from locations for a small fee. Since you get scored on time, it’s best to pick a fast car that you can reliably control.
Armored Trucks
While exploring the open world, players may come across random armored truck events. These require players to take down the escorts, steal the money, and lose the police who are chasing them. All the money will be returned should the player fail any part of these steps.
Drone Racing
For players who need a challenge, consider drone racing. A gold time in these races will net $15,000, which, if done in succession, can lead to $300,000 in twenty minutes. If you are not used to flying, the race can prove challenging, but with a few attempts, you should be able to reliably secure a gold medal every time.
Unique Vehicles
| Vechile | How to Unlock/Location |
|---|---|
| The Nudle Car | Complete the Limp Nudle mission |
| The Mountain King | Go to your safehouse in Oakland. Use the RC Jumper to get into the locked gate |
| The Red Thunder | Near the lighthouse at the Golden Gate Bridge |
| CHP-AAD | Complete the CyberDriver mission |
| The Dangerzone | Go to the underground garage across from Nudle. Use the RC Jumper to get into the vent |
| The Danger Mobile | On an unnamed island near Yerba Buena Island, between two houses |
| The Rainbow Missile | Go to San Mateo near Silicon Valley. Distract the woman and the robot to unlock a Blume box |
| The Wrecker | At the Port of Oakland, use the Quadcopter to scan the shipping containers |
| The Flip Wagon | Go to the Painted Ladies alley in San Francisco |
Watch Dogs 2 Cheat Codes FAQ
Does Watch Dogs 2 have cheats?
No, while the game allows you to hack into ATM accounts, there are no official cheat codes. For those on PC, community mods are available for download if you wish to alter the game.