Watch Dogs: Legion Review Roundup

Watch Dogs: Legion is out this week, marking the third game in the open-world action franchise. While Watch Dogs has always revolved around hacking automated systems to tinker with the open world, this one adds a dramatic new mechanic: the ability to recruit any civilian to your cause and gain their own unique skills and traits.

Reviews have been populating in preparation for the release, and opinions are mixed. Many critics agree the new "play as anyone" gimmick is novel, but the game wore faster for some than for others. Reviews appear equally hot-and-cold on the game's message, with some finding it a stirring invocation of people's power against authoritarianism, and others feeling that it fell flat. Still others had issues with a nasty pre-release bug on Xbox One X, which has now reportedly been fixed.

In GameSpot's Watch Dogs: Legion review, we scored it an 8/10. Critic Alessandro Fillari said the game "takes the foundations and ideas of its predecessors and expands upon them exponentially." We've compiled reviews below to give you a glimpse of what critics think. Be sure to check out GameSpot sister-site Metacritic for an even broader overview from around the industry.

• Game: Watch Dogs: Legion
• Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One (PS5, Xbox Series X/S Versions Coming)
• Developer: Ubisoft
• Release date: October 29
• Price: $60 / £52 / $68 AUD

GameSpot - 8/10

"Watch Dogs: Legion is an anti-fascist game, and it's admirable that it sticks to that message and sees it through to a satisfying and affirming conclusion. It also bolsters the franchise's clever hacking gameplay to offer more creativity than ever. One of Legion's more profound messages is about what it means to be a true Londoner, and by the game's end, you'll have a DedSec crew made of wildly diverse and disparate citizens from unique cultural, ethnic, and economic backgrounds--all united in their goal to restore their home. If anything, that's as powerful a message for the game as you can get." -- Alessandro Fillari [Full Review]

Video Games Chronicle - 5/5

"In these emergent moments, Watch Dogs Legion elevates itself as a far smarter experience than the gimmicky political thriller we expected from its early reveal. While the narrative elements are enjoyable on their own – and there are some real impressive scenes – Legion is most rewarding as a sandbox for those looking to veer off course and create their own stories, with their own ludicrous crew." -- Andy Robinson [Full Review]

Game Informer - 9/10

"Legion feels like the realization of the hacker fantasy the first Watch Dogs tried to capture. Between the fun team-building, fantastic mission design, strong narrative, and a gorgeous world, everything comes together in a largely entertaining and cohesive package. Whether you're controlling a trained super spy or a gassy grandmother, Watch Dogs: Legion is a ton of fun." -- Marcus Stewart [Full Review]

EGM - 4/5

"Watch Dogs: Legion pushes through Ubisoft’s generally noncommittal attitude towards storytelling and exploiting current events to create something that feels like a genuine shift, or at least the prototype of that shift. It might be a sloppy game in many regards, but Legion offers a novel way to experience an open world, with its interconnected NPCs and the introduction of permadeath to the genre." -- Michael Goroff [Full Review]

GameRant - 4/5

"In the end, Watch Dogs Legion is an easy game to recommend for fans of the franchise, as it continues to utilize the solid gameplay foundation established by its predecessor. While the lack of a main character may not be a hit with everyone, it works surprisingly well. Over the last three iterations, Watch Dogs has introduced more and more player freedom, but with Legion, Ubisoft takes things to an insane new level." -- Derek Nichols [Full Review]

Attack of the Fanboy - 3.5/5

"Still, the story suffers greatly because of this system, and the repetitive missions don't help either. Watch Dogs: Legion feels like a great proof of concept, and I hope this isn't the last time we see the play as anyone system. All in all, Watch Dogs: Legion is an okay game propped up by an ambitious idea." -- Diego Perez [Full Review]

GamesRadar - 3.5/5

"Like that of Assassin's Creed's dual protagonists, I now can't imagine the Watch Dogs series without its Play as Anyone mechanic, which feels like a feature the franchise was always made for. Despite the deficiencies that underscore both its storytelling and gameplay, Legion thus represents an aspiring, albeit somewhat clumsy, step forward for the series at large. If a continued pivot towards dystopianism is what's needed to inspire Ubisoft to keep refining and honing its new APC formula for Watch Dogs' future, then I say bring on the end of the world as we know it." -- Alex Avard [Full Review]

Trusted Reviews - 3.5/5

"As a result, Watch Dogs Legion has nothing to say, and fails to reach the relatable heights of its predecessor. That being said, I still had fun cruising the streets of London as a gun-wielding granny, but I'm not sure this is the direction I was hoping the franchise would pursue, since now it can only delve further into the realm of absurdity." -- Jade King [Full Review]

VideoGamer - 5/10

"Where the action comes alive is in the leaving behind of bodies altogether. Most missions involve breaking and entering, and the thrill lies in the absence of any breaking." -- Josh Wise [Full Review]