No—you can follow the basic premise without playing the Watch Dogs games in order. For the most context, play Watch Dogs, then Watch Dogs 2, then Watch Dogs: Legion. Ubisoft calls Legion the series’ third entry. The documented carryovers are narrower than the title may suggest: Ubisoft describes progress moving within the same game across console generations or from a Watch Dogs 2 trial to its full game, but does not describe saves or general progression transferring between the numbered games.
Do you need to play Watch Dogs in order?
No. The games share a series and recurring characters, but the available official material does not say that playing earlier entries is required to understand Legion’s main premise. Release order is a recommendation for context, not a prerequisite: Watch Dogs → Watch Dogs 2 → Watch Dogs: Legion. Ubisoft’s franchise overview calls Legion the third entry: Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs franchise overview.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Watch Dogs Legion - PlayStation 4 Standard Edition | $9.40 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Watch Dogs | $28.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Watch Dogs xbox one | $9.49 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Watch Dogs 2 - PlayStation 4 | $23.11 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Watch Dogs Legion (PS5) | $22.75 | Buy on Amazon |
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What release order adds
Playing in release order lets you encounter the series and its returning characters in sequence. The clearest connection to earlier games comes in Legion’s Bloodline expansion, which features Aiden Pearce and Wrench, characters associated with the earlier games. If you mainly want to play Legion, you can start there; if you want the most background for those characters, play the earlier games first.
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What carries over between Watch Dogs games?
“Carry over” can mean save progress, platform upgrades, trial progress, or access to a returning character. Ubisoft’s cited material documents the latter three only in specific circumstances; it does not describe campaign saves, inventory, upgrades, or general progression transferring from one numbered game to another.
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- Recruit and play as anyone from London. Everyone you see has a unique backstory, personality, and skill set for unique situations
- Hack armed drones, deploy spider-bots, and take down enemies using an Augmented Reality Cloak
- Explore a massive urban open world featuring London’s many iconic landmarks and fun side activities
- Team up with your friends as you complete co-op missions and unique game modes
- Upgrade to the Gold Edition or Ultimate Edition for access to the season pass and more
| What carries over | From and to | What Ubisoft documents |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-generation progress | Watch Dogs: Legion on PS4 or Xbox One to its corresponding next-generation version | Ubisoft’s October 29, 2020 launch article said players could upgrade to the next-generation version at no additional cost and keep their progress through cross-generation progression. This is progress within Legion, not transfer from an earlier series game: Ubisoft News: Watch Dogs: Legion Out Now. |
| Trial progress | Watch Dogs 2 trial to the full version of Watch Dogs 2 | Ubisoft said progress from its three-hour trial could transfer to the full game. This applies within Watch Dogs 2, not between numbered games: Ubisoft: Watch_Dogs 2 Free Trial!. |
| Returning characters | Bloodline characters available in Legion | Ubisoft said the Season Pass version of Bloodline allowed Aiden and Wrench to be added to the main campaign or Online roster. This adds character availability within Legion; it does not transfer an earlier game’s save or upgrades: Ubisoft News: Watch Dogs: Legion – Bloodline Expansion Out Now. |
What is not established
Ubisoft’s cited material does not describe a campaign-save, inventory, upgrade, or general progression transfer from Watch Dogs to Watch Dogs 2, or from either game to Legion. That is a statement about what these sources document, not a claim about every platform, edition, or technical possibility.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where does Bloodline fit?
Bloodline is an expansion for Watch Dogs: Legion, not a fourth main-series entry. Ubisoft describes it as a prequel adventure featuring Aiden Pearce and Wrench. In its setup, Aiden visits London to steal a robot-controlling device from Broca Tech. Wrench takes the device, and Aiden is pressured to recover it to protect his estranged nephew, Jackson. The story gives returning characters a direct role in Legion without making the earlier games a stated requirement: Ubisoft News: Bloodline Expansion Out Now.
Quick Recap
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- Open-world London, explore a massive urban open-world where you can visit London's many famous landmarks
- play as anyone, experience a never-seen-before gameplay Innovation. Anyone you see can join your team complete with a unique backstory, personality, and skill set
- weaponise London's Tech infrastructure. Hijack armed combat drones, deploy stealthy spider-bots, covertly take down enemies using an augmented reality cloak, and much more
- bring your team online and join forces with up to three friends and explore the world together or take on entirely new co-op missions
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- PLAYSTATION EXCLUSIVE Play future Mission Packs 30 days early on the PlayStation4
- EXPLORE THE MASSIVE AND DYNAMIC OPEN WORLD OF SAN FRANSISCO BAY Experience an incredible variety of game play possibilities in the winding streets of San Francisco, the vibrant neighborhoods of Oakland, and cutting edge Silicon Valley
- HACK EVERYTHING Every person, vehicle and connected device can be hacked. Take control of drones, cars, cranes, and more to use them as your weapon
- CONNECT WITH FRIENDS Play Co op and Player vs. Player activities in a seamless shared world
- YOU ARE IN CTRL Develop your skills and combine hacking, weapons and stealth to complete missions in ways that suit your playstyle
Rank #3
- HACK THE CITY: Control the city's infrastructure, in real time, with Aiden's cell phone. Trap your enemy in a 30-car pileup by manipulating the traffic lights. Stop a train, and then board it to evade the authorities. Narrowly escape capture by quickly raising a drawbridge. Anything connected to the city's CTOS can become your weapon.
- SEAMLESS MULTIPLAYER EXPERIENCE: Discover a new level of interaction, cooperation and confrontation between players thanks to a brand new multiplayer game system that links the single and multiplayer modes into one seamless experience. That means no menus, no loading screens, just instant open world multiplayer action.
- DYNAMIC NAVIGATION: Watch_Dogs gives you the ability to not only use the city's ctOS to your advantage, but the streets as well. In real-world Chicago, cut through one of the buildings or climb to the rooftops to catch your target.
- HIGH OCTANE DRIVING: Get behind the wheel of more than 65 vehicles bursting with horsepower to explore the massive city while completing missions. Ubisoft Montreal partnered with Ubisoft Reflections, the acclaimed studio behind the award-winning Driver series to develop each vehicle with state-of-art physics and handling.
Rank #2
- HACK THE CITY: Control the city's infrastructure, in real time, with Aiden's cell phone; Trap your enemy in a 30 car pileup by manipulating the traffic lights; Stop a train, and then board it to evade the authorities; Narrowly escape capture by quickly raising a drawbridge; Anything connected to the city's CTOS can become your weapon
- SEAMLESS MULTIPLAYER EXPERIENCE: Discover a new level of interaction, cooperation and confrontation between players thanks to a brand new multiplayer game system that links the single and multiplayer modes into one seamless experience; That means no menus, no loading screens, just instant open world multiplayer action
- DYNAMIC NAVIGATION: Watch Dogs gives you the ability to not only use the city's ctOS to your advantage, but the streets as well; In real world Chicago, cut through one of the buildings or climb to the rooftops to catch your target
- HIGH OCTANE DRIVING: Get behind the wheel of more than 65 vehicles bursting with horsepower to explore the massive city while completing missions; Ubisoft Montreal partnered with Ubisoft Reflections, the acclaimed studio behind the award winning Driver series to develop each vehicle with state of art physics and handling
Which play order should you choose?
- For the most story context: Play Watch Dogs, Watch Dogs 2, then Watch Dogs: Legion; consider Bloodline as Legion expansion content.
- If you mainly want Legion: Start with Legion. The available official material does not make the earlier games a requirement for its main premise.
- If you mean save transfer: Do not assume progress carries between the numbered games. The documented examples concern the same title across console generations, a trial and full version of Watch Dogs 2, or access to characters within Legion.
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