Dishonored vs Watch Dogs
Dishonored is an action-adventure FPS game from Arkane Studios (2012) while Watch Dogs is an action-adventure open-world game (2014).
Quick answer: Dishonored rates higher, 8.5 to 7.3 on the GamingPickz Score, and Dishonored is the cheaper at $9.99.
What each one is
Dishonored is filed under Action-Adventure and FPS. In contrast, Watch Dogs under Action-Adventure and Open-World.
Dishonored is an immersive first-person action game that casts you as a supernatural assassin driven by revenge. With Dishonored’s flexible combat system, creatively eliminate your targets as you combine the supernatural abilities, weapons and unusual gadgets at your disposal.
In today's hyper-connected world, Chicago operates under ctOS, the most advanced computer network in America.
Story, characters and reception
Plot
Setting Dishonored takes place in the industrial city of Dunwall, where technology and otherworldly forces coexist. The city's design is modeled on London and Edinburgh between the late 1800s and the early 1900s. The capital of the Empire of the Isles, Dunwall is ruled by an oppressive regime that came to power following the assassination of the Empress and the kidnapping of her daughter. (Wikipedia)
Characters
Actress Chloë Grace Moretz voiced the young princess Emily Kaldwin, her second video game voice acting role. The main character of Dishonored , whom the player controls, is Corvo Attano , the former bodyguard to Dunwall's Empress Jessamine Kaldwin ( April Stewart ). Corvo becomes an infamous assassin after he is framed for the empress's murder. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Pre-release Dishonored was displayed for the public at the 2012 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), and received four nominations from the Game Critics Awards for Best Action/Adventure Game, Best Console Game, Best Original Game, and the overall Best of Show award. The game was also recognized at the event for: "Game of Show" by GameSpy , and Joystiq Editor-in-Chief Ludwig Keitzmann, and was nominated by Destructoid and EGM ; "Best Action Game" by GameSpy… (Wikipedia)
Plot
The Watch Dogs games take place in fictionalized versions of real-life cities that have implemented ctOS. Watch Dogs is set in the Chicago area , Watch Dogs 2 in the San Francisco Bay Area , and Watch Dogs: Legion in Greater London . While the first two games take place during modern times, Legion is set in the "near future" (circa 2030), depicting significant advancements in technology. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Watch Dogs received generally positive reviews despite criticism aimed at certain technical issues, the discrepancy in graphical quality between marketing and the real game, narrative, and protagonist. It sold more than 10 million copies by the end of 2014. Watch Dogs 2 received generally positive reviews upon release, with critics generally regarding it as an improvement over the original game. (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Dishonored | Watch Dogs | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 8.5/10 | 7.3/10 |
| Steam rating | Overwhelmingly Positive (98%, 88,064) | Very Positive (80%, 52,443) |
| Critic aggregate | 91/100 | 77/100 |
| Price | $9.99 | $19.99 |
| Install size | — | 25 GB |
| Steam Deck | verified | playable |
| Released | 2012 | 2014 |
| Developer | Arkane Studios | — |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Dishonored vs Watch Dogs, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
DishonoredAction-adventure FPS gameWatch DogsAction-adventure open-world gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
DishonoredStealth, First-Person, AssassinWatch DogsOpen World, Hacking, ActionThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Dishonored ✓Score 8.5 · 98% on Steam · 91 criticWatch DogsScore 7.3 · 80% on Steam · 77 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Dishonored88,064 reviews · 5 add-onsWatch Dogs52,443 reviews · 4 add-ons · 25 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Dishonored ✓$9.99Watch Dogs$19.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Dishonored ✓VerifiedWatch DogsPlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Dishonored takes 3 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueDishonored and Watch Dogs on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- Multi-platform
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Dishonored (GamingPickz Score 8.5)
- The cheaper right now: Dishonored ($9.99)
- Better on a Steam Deck: Dishonored (verified)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
StealthActionSingleplayerAtmosphericAdventureRPGOpen WorldShooter
Where they differ
First-PersonAssassinSteampunkStory RichMultiple EndingsDark
HackingMultiplayerThird PersonThird-Person ShooterParkourEpic
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Dishonored is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Watch Dogs is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Dishonored | Watch Dogs | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | — | DirectX 11 graphics card with 1 GB Video RAM - Nvidia Geforce GTX 460 |
| Minimum CPU | 3.0 GHz dual core | Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 @ 2.66Ghz |
| Minimum RAM | 3 GB | 6 GB |
| Install size | — | 25 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Dishonored · Watch Dogs.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 6 accessibility features for Dishonored and 1 for Watch Dogs. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
If you like one, also try
Common questions
How different are Dishonored and Watch Dogs in scope?
Dishonored has drawn 88,064 Steam reviews and ships 5 add-ons. Watch Dogs has drawn 52,443 Steam reviews, ships 4 add-ons and installs in 25 GB.
Is Dishonored or Watch Dogs better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Dishonored rates higher (8.5 to 7.3). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Dishonored or Watch Dogs?
Dishonored is cheaper right now at $9.99, against $19.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Should I get Dishonored or Watch Dogs?
Dishonored rates higher, 8.5 to 7.3 on the GamingPickz Score, and Dishonored is the cheaper at $9.99. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
All comparisonsHow we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.