Play Watch_Dogs 2 For Free On PlayStation 4 And Xbox One

If you haven't checked out Watch_Dogs 2 yet, you're running out of excuses: Ubisoft is making the first three hours of the open-world action game free to would-be hackers on both the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4.

The Watch_Dogs 2 free trial begins Jan. 17 for PlayStation 4 owners and Jan. 24 on the Xbox One. The trial ends at 10PM PT on Feb. 7 on both platforms. While the trial lasts, players have access to everything Watch_Dogs 2 has to offer, including co-op multiplayer. While the demo shuts down after three hours of playtime, free players can pick up where they left off by purchasing the full game from the PSN Store or the Xbox Live Marketplace—no extra download required.

Released in November, 2016, Watch_Dogs 2 stars Marcus Holloway, a hacker-turned-vigilante who roams the streets of San Francisco while trying to take down an evil operating system and the megacorporation behind it. In addition to the running and shooting that's found in most open-world games, Marcus can hack the environment using his cellphone, taking control of traffic lights, security cameras, and other mechanical devices and causing mayhem for villains, police, and civilians.

Compared to its predecessor, which disappointed both reviewers and players, Watch_Dogs 2 received generally positive reviews, as critics praised the game's lighthearted tone, immersive open world, and robust hacking options. Pre-orders, however, didn't meet Ubisoft's initial expectations, although Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot remains publicly confident that sales will pick up once positive word-of-mouth-spreads—something this free trial is probably designed to help with.