How to get Watch Dogs 2 for free during Ubisoft Forward

Watch Dogs 2
(Image credit: Ubisoft)

The summer of big virtual gaming events in lieu of E3 continues to roll on, with Ubisoft Forward set to take place this Sunday, July 12. And in addition to delivering world premiere reveals for titles such as Assassin's Creed: Valhalla and Watch Dogs: Legion, Ubisoft Forward will also give you a chance to score Watch Dogs 2 for free on PC. 

Ubisoft's 2016 open-world hacking game will be available to anyone with a Uplay account for the entire day on July 12, so don't miss out if you don't have a copy yet. Here's what you need to know in order to snag Watch Dogs 2 on PC for free.

How to get Watch Dogs 2 for free on PC

In order to get your free copy of Watch Dogs 2, visit the Ubisoft website today (July 12) and log in or create an Ubisoft account once Ubisoft Forward kicks off at 12 p.m. PT/ 3 p.m ET. You'll simply need to watch 1 minute of the show to have the game added to your account, and you can access it via the Uplay launcher once you own it.

You'll also get additional rewards the more you watch. Watching for 20 minutes will get you a Watch Dogs Legion Ubisoft Forward Jacket; watching 30 minutes will get you an apparel cache key pack for The Division 2, and watching 40 minutes will get you an Assassin's Creed Valhalla Moonlight.

If you're having issues logging into your Ubisoft account right now, you're not alone. Ubisoft has acknowledged the issue on Twitter, and is actively working on a fix. If the issue persists, our guess is that Ubisoft will extend the window during which you can get the game.

See more

Watch Dogs 2 received fairly positive reviews when it launched in 2016, trading the overly dour mood of the 2014 original for a vibrant open-world San Francisco that pokes fun at the Silicon Valley tech scene. Protagonist Marcus Holloway became an instant favorite, and the game got big praise for its dynamic setting and freedom of gameplay. 

Watch Dogs 2's system requirements start at Windows 7 or higher, an Intel Core i5 2400s/AMD FX 6120 or better, 6GB of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 660/AMD Radeon HD 7870 or better. You'll also need 50GB of hard drive space available.

What to expect from Ubisoft Forward

The Ubisoft Forward stream starts at 10:30 am PT/1:30 pm ET with a pre-show, which will contain updates for titles such as Trackmania, Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, Just Dance 2020 and The Division 2. The main stream will follow at 12 pm PT/3 pm ET, and will focus on upcoming titles like Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, Watch Dogs: Legion, Hyper Scape and "a few surprises." 

You can catch the action on Ubisoft.com as well as on Ubisoft's Twitch and YouTube channels. We'll be covering the biggest announcements from Ubisoft Forward, so be sure to check back to Tom's Guide during showtime on July 12. 

Michael Andronico

Mike Andronico is Senior Writer at CNNUnderscored. He was formerly Managing Editor at Tom's Guide, where he wrote extensively on gaming, as well as running the show on the news front. When not at work, you can usually catch him playing Street Fighter, devouring Twitch streams and trying to convince people that Hawkeye is the best Avenger.