Free Watch Dogs 2 Update Adds 4-Player Cooperative Party Mode

Watch Dogs 2 has no shortage of multiplayer modes, both cooperative and competitive. But next week it's getting another one: a four-player party mode is coming to the game in a free update.

Since the game's launch, you've been able to wander around Watch Dog 2's world with one friend. This party mode is essentially an expansion on that--it lets you play around, complete side activities, and generally just explore with three other people, without any sort of set objective. You can see the mode's trailer below.

Producer Kris Young explained that the mode is designed to encourage cooperation, not competition, although you can launch any four-player game type from within the world. "The cops will be there," he said in a blog post. "You could try to take down the Red Zones. Everything that's in the city of San Francisco will be there, so you can immediately have some fun exploring San Francisco with four people. Then, at any time, you can launch the activities that support the four-player Party--Bounties, Invasions, Loot Trucks, Races, Showdown, Man vs. Machine Robot Fights, and the DedSec Virus events."

The new mode is launching alongside a patch to the game that includes bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements. Among other things, it adds the ability to skip the 3D printer cinematic, fixes the unlocks for the shuffler takedown move and outfit, and increases the game's stability.

This update goes live on July 4. To celebrate the holiday, Ubisoft is also adding fireworks displays to the city and changing the color of the paintball gun's pellets to red, white, and blue. If you're interested in checking it out, Watch Dogs 2 is currently $30 on Steam and $36 on Xbox One if you're a Gold subscriber.