How to download Sleeping Dogs

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Get the adventure game no matter what platform you're using

how to download sleeping dogs
(Image credit: Square Enix)

Sleeping Dogs is a classic game from 2012, placing you in the shoes of Detective Wei Shen. Sleeping Dogs is an open-world adventure game in the style of Grand Theft Auto, set inthe neon lights and seedy streets of Hong Kong. Shen is a Chinese-American police officer who goes undercover in Hong Kong to infiltrate and take down the Sun On Yee Triads. 

Sleeping Dogs was developed by the now-shuttered United Front Games, and was originally intended to be a new entry in Activision's True Crime franchise. Activision later cancelled the development of True Crime: Hong Kong after the game was mostly finished. Square Enix later bought the rights to publish the game, renaming it Sleeping Dogs and releasing it on August 14, 2012 for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Two years later, it also came out for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, with a Mac OS X release in 2016.

Wei Shen's adventure was inspired by classic Hong Kong crime dramas, including Infernal Affairs and Hard Boiled. Sleeping Dogs is an exciting game with excellent martial arts combat, some impactful environmental kills, and a system that pushes Wei Shen to decide whether he'll choose the criminal life or remember that he's an undercover officer. 

While the game didn't sell enough to keep United Front Games alive, it did inspire an upcoming live-action film starring actor and martial artist Donnie Yen in the lead role. And if you’re looking for a classic adventure game, you’ll want to download Sleeping Dogs — here’s how to find the game.

Where to download Sleeping Dogs

Sleeping Dogs was originally released on PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 in its standard edition. After launch, United Front Games updated the game with additional outfits and missions in the form of seven expansion packs. The additional content was bundled with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One releases, entitled Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition. This is the version that you can find on most modern platforms.

Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition is the only version available on Steam; there is a store page for the original on the Steam Store, but you can't purchase that version. 

What you can do with Sleeping Dogs

The main story of Sleeping Dogs, detailing Wei Shen's journey through the Hong Kong underworld, will take most players around 15 to 20 hours to complete. That adventure will see the player preventing crimes, committing crimes, racing around the city, participating in martial arts-themed fight clubs, and even doing a little dating. 

Once you finish the primary story, there's still the additional missions and content in the expansions. The Nightmare in North Point expansion is horror-tinged, with a focus on Chinese folklore. Shen uses his considerable skills to fight an army of Chinese vampires called jiangshi. Another expansion, Zodiac Tournament, is about an illegal fighting tournament in the style of Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon. There's also Year of the Snake, which has Shen fighting a group of cultists. 

Sadly, there was never a full sequel to Sleeping Dogs. United Front Games did start work on a sequel, which was supposed to take place in China's Pearl River Delta. Unfortunately, the planned sequel was scrapped. There was also an online-only spinoff called Triad Wars, but that was also canceled mid-production. United Front Games ultimately closed down in 2016.