Watch Dogs 1: The Best Mods Worth Trying

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While the first entry in this series developed by Ubisoft was far from being a perfect game, it introduced tons of interesting mechanics that influenced open-world games considerably.

The following entries in the series are far & above the original in pretty much every way. And we’ve already covered some of the better mods for Watch Dogs 2 in another post.

But if you want to revisit Aiden Pearce’s first adventure after going through Watch Dogs Legion, then you may want to do it with these mods installed. You won’t be disappointed!

 

10. Watch Dogs Mod Installer

Watch Dogs Mod Installer screenshot

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No matter how much of a mod aficionado you are, a classic Mod Installer program is an essential download to make things smooth and easy.

This Watch Dogs 1 Mod Installer makes it very easy to install and manage mods.

Just drop the archive in a folder, select the game’s installation folder, and select patch-fat to merge any mod you want to install. Easy peasy.

 

9. No Intro

No Intro Mod for Watch Dogs 1

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Intro screens are fine for one, two, maybe three playthroughs.

But they become annoying soon enough.

No Intro is a straightforward no-frills mod that just removes the intro sequence, allowing you to jump into Aiden Pearce shoes’ as quickly as humanly possible and waste no time getting into the action. We need all the time we can get!

 

8. PSX Buttons

PSX Buttons Watch Dogs 1 mod

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Here’s a recurring issue with PC games that results in recurring mods that have to solve them.

I often find myself wondering why developers find it so difficult to include PSX button prompts in the PC versions of their games, it’s such a minor yet somewhat significant issue.

Ubisoft is among the publishers that has learned that lesson, but for Watch Dogs 1, you’ll want to download this mod if you’re playing the game with any DualShock controller.

 

7. Absolute Prerelease Modpack

Absolute Prerelease Modpack in Watch Dogs 1

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I’m sure you’ve heard of terrible downgrades, yes? The mysterious phenomenon that seems to hit high-profile video games before they release?

Watch Dogs is among the games that have been hit by this, as the final game doesn’t quite look the same as what was shown in trailers and promotional materials.

But if your PC can handle it, you can download the Absolute Prerelease Modpack: a compilation that attempts, and mostly succeeds, to restore Watch Dogs to its pre-release state. Watch and learn, Ubisoft!

 

6. First Person Camera

First Person Camera gameplay screenshot

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You really ain’t seen nothing in Watch Dogs until you play the game in first-person view mode.

Watch Dogs hails from an era where a first-person view mode in open-world games was not considered to be an essential feature. So it was up to modders to bring it to games.

This mod is definitely not perfect, as there are a lot of issues with minor bugs in place at times. So don’t expect to be able to complete the game in full with this installed (maybe try it on a save you’ve already beaten).

But it’s really perfect to experience the game like never before.

 

5. Variety Pack

Variety Pack Watch Dogs 1 mod

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Let’s say you love mods, but hate having to search through hundreds of them to improve the experience of any game. You’re not alone.

But no worries, we go through this phase quite often ourselves.

If you’re looking into improving Watch Dogs as much as possible with little-to-no effort, stop wasting time and download this Variety Pack. The included mods range from visual to gameplay modifications, so the pack features a little something for every type of player. How nice!

 

4. A Real Beauty v1.2

A Real Beauty v1.2 in Watch Dogs 1

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Hack your way to brighter mornings and darker nights with the A Real Beauty SweetFX preset.

This SweetFX preset goes a long way to make Watch Dogs look more vibrant than ever.

Mornings will be brighter, nights will be darker, and your open-world hacking action more epic than ever. Seeing is believing, folks!

 

3. Play as NPC

Play as NPC Watch Dogs 1 gameplay screenshot

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Watch Dogs Legion’s main shtick is that you can play any character in the game.

But did you know you can do the same in the original Watch Dogs on PC?

It’s obviously not exactly the same thing, as we’re talking about mere model swapping here. But the Play as NPC mod can really let you control any character you fancy.

They’ll still move and act like Aiden Pearce, so don’t expect the game to change all that much. If you want this to happen, you need to fork out some money for the latest entry in the series. But if you’re a fan you’ve probably already got a copy.

 

2. Unlimited Car on Demand

Unlimited Car on Demand Watch Dogs 1 mod

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Aiden Pearce is who anyone with a passing interest in cars should strive to be. As he can get tons of them. For free!

“Unlimited Car on Demand” is a simple modification that unlocks several cars in the Car on Demand app, like police cars, and a few others that cannot be obtained too easily.

It doesn’t change the game a whole lot, that’s for sure.

But imagine the cool screenshots you’ll be able to take. Ah, the joys of modding.

 

1. Watch Dogs ConfigTool

Watch Dogs ConfigTool mod screenshot

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For a modern PC, Watch Dogs isn’t a particularly demanding game.

But if you have a laptop without a dedicated GPU, this little tool can truly work wonders and let you enjoy Watch Dogs with a decent level of performance.

The Watch Dogs ConfigTool allows you to tweak many of the core settings that cannot be changed in-game, and without having to manually edit .ini files.

This means you can turn every setting to low and transform Watch Dogs into a PS1 era open world game. Which I really don’t recommend, but hey, anything to hit that coveted 60 FPS right?

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