The player can hack into security cameras around the city, remotely hijack cars (either one or many at a time), drain people's bank accounts, redirect electrical currents to power gates and elevators, and much more. It's little wonder, then, that the player is armed with a plethora of fun hacking tools - in addition to all the usual open-world fare. Whether it's the InfoSec-rooted storyline or the hacktivist credentials of its lead character and his team, or the remote-controlled contraptions and Internet of Things trickery, this is a game that's as much about the ethics of tech-powered vigilantism as about holding technology corporations accountable for their wanton breaches of customer privacy and the security flaws of their products. Watch Dogs 2's satire-laden cautionary tale on the dangers of unchecked, unregulated technological progress has hacking woven into its very DNA. Watch Dogs 2 - an open-world hacker's toolkit

With that in mind, we reached out to several developers for their help building a list of games with hacking mechanics that every dev should study. These days hacking is more topical than ever, and for anyone making a game that even flirts with the implications of the growing interconnectedness and networking capabilities of objects and devices all over the world - and the sometimes-questionable security protocols protecting them - it's rife for potential as a video game mechanic.

Two hour wargames hacking rules