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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →The best hacking and surveillance games make information a tool: you take control of connected systems, watch through cameras, or use what you learn to decide when and how to move. This ranking puts Watch Dogs first because hacking and surveillance shape its play directly. The remaining entries include games where hacking is a major mechanic and stealth games where observation or surveillance is central to the experience.
How this ranking works
This is an editorial ranking, not an objective consensus. Games rank higher when hacking or surveillance is central to play, players have meaningful control over information or connected systems, and observation changes stealth decisions. The list also considers how distinctive and memorable the overall experience is. A cyberpunk setting alone does not make a game a hacking game, so each entry notes whether its fit comes from hands-on hacking, surveillance, or adjacent stealth design.
The 13 best hacking and surveillance games
1. Watch Dogs
Watch Dogs is the clearest match for this list: hacking is not just atmosphere but a way to manipulate the fictional city around protagonist Aiden Pearce. Ubisoft describes using connected systems including traffic lights and electrical infrastructure to create opportunities or disruption. Ubisoft’s official game page lists PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.
Surveillance makes that control useful for stealth, too. PlayStation’s 2013 preview describes taking over cameras to locate guards, tag enemies, and monitor them remotely before acting. That makes the game’s camera network more than a visual flourish: it lets the player scout and plan. PlayStation’s preview also quotes lead story designer Kevin Shortt: “Aiden is a man with a dark past who has made questionable choices.”
#1 Best Overall
Best for: Players who want city-system hacking and camera-assisted stealth in the same game. Its hacking is a simplified game mechanic, not a simulation of real cybersecurity work.
2. Watch Dogs 2
The sequel is a natural choice for anyone who wants another game built around hacking and surveillance in the Watch Dogs world. Its place here reflects that franchise connection, but the sources available for this ranking do not independently establish its specific tools or mechanics. Treat it as a follow-up to investigate rather than assuming every detail works like the first game.
Best for: Players seeking another entry in the series after Watch Dogs.
3. Watch Dogs: Legion
Watch Dogs: Legion extends the series’ surveillance-and-hacking premise into a later entry. It earns a place as a franchise option, though the evidence available here does not verify particular tools or how they affect play. Check the edition and platform you are considering for current availability and compatibility.
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Best for: Players interested in the series’ later installment.
4. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a cyberpunk immersive sim, a genre that tends to reward choosing among different approaches rather than following one fixed route. PC Gamer highlights its city hubs, augmentations, and hacking minigame, making it a strong pick for players who want system interaction within a broader stealth-and-action game. The hacking is one part of a wider toolkit, rather than the whole premise.
Best for: Players who want hacking alongside exploration and flexible problem-solving.
5. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided belongs on a shortlist for players drawn to the immersive-sim approach of Human Revolution. The available sources for this ranking do not verify its specific hacking mechanics, so this recommendation is about its relevance as a companion entry, not a claim about particular systems or their depth.
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Best for: Players who want to explore another entry in the Deus Ex series.
6. Deus Ex (2000)
The original Deus Ex is a historical companion to the later games and a candidate for players interested in the series’ roots. The available evidence does not establish enough detail about its hacking mechanics or surveillance systems to rank it as a verified, hands-on hacking experience. Consider it for the broader series context, rather than on the strength of specific mechanics described here.
Best for: Players interested in the series’ earlier history.
7. Neon Struct
Neon Struct is a surveillance-state stealth game, not a direct counterpart to Watch Dogs’ city hacking. PC Gamer describes CCTV, alternate routes, gadgets, and stealth-focused design. Those elements make watching and avoiding detection part of the player’s decisions, even when taking over a connected urban infrastructure is not the point.
Rank #4
Best for: Players who want surveillance and route-planning to drive stealth.
8. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is an adjacent pick rather than a hacking game. Its relevance is the freedom it gives players to observe a situation and choose how to approach it. GamesRadar+ includes it at the top of its 2026 stealth-games list, emphasizing that open-ended player agency. It ranks below the more direct hacking and surveillance entries because its fit is stealth and observation, not hands-on system hacking.
Best for: Players who value flexible, observation-led stealth.
9–13. More games to consider
Hacknet, Uplink, Orwell, Quadrilateral Cowboy, and République are plausible candidates for a broader list of games about hacking or surveillance. They are not ranked individually here: the sources available for this article do not verify their relevant mechanics or establish that they meet the same criteria. Confirming those details matters because a surveillance theme, a hacking-themed interface, and player-controlled system intrusion are different kinds of fit.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsHacking in games is not cybersecurity training
Do not treat Watch Dogs as a way to learn real-world hacking. Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute says the game is not training software and describes its hacking as simplified, typically handled through button sequences or puzzles. Games can make information-gathering and system control compelling without reproducing the skills or risks of working on real networks.
What makes a game a hacking or surveillance game?
The label covers several experiences. In a direct hacking game, the player interacts with systems as a core part of play. In a surveillance-focused stealth game, cameras and observation help the player find threats, plan routes, or avoid detection. A game may also use surveillance as a theme without giving the player substantial control over it.
That distinction matters because the screen’s viewpoint is part of the design. An academic article in Surveillance & Society (2021) examines how surveillance games can bring together the player’s view, the character’s view, and the machine or camera’s view. In practical terms, a camera feed can let the player see a space the character cannot safely enter yet. The player is not simply watching; the information gained can shape the next move.
Quick Recap
Which game should you start with?
- For the most direct hacking-and-surveillance combination: Start with Watch Dogs, where city-system manipulation and remote camera scouting both inform play.
- For hacking within a broader immersive sim: Try Deus Ex: Human Revolution, whose hacking minigame sits alongside augmentations and city-hub exploration.
- For surveillance-led stealth: Consider Neon Struct, where CCTV and alternate routes support stealth decisions.
- For open-ended stealth without a direct hacking focus: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is the closest fit in this list.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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