Sleeping Dogs (2012)
Sleeping Dogs is a 2012 shooter video game made by United Front Games and Square Enix London Studios.
Wei Shen grew up in Hong Kong before moving to San Francisco, and now he is sent back as an undercover cop to infiltrate the Sun On Yee triad from the inside. The game is set in a dense, rain-slicked version of the city with day markets, neon-lit nightclubs, and rooftop chases woven together into a convincing whole. Wei's dual loyalties pull against each other as he builds genuine connections inside the triad and the line between the role and the man blurs. The hand-to-hand combat, borrowed from Hong Kong action cinema, is the best-feeling part of the experience.
Quick answers
What is Sleeping Dogs about?
Wei Shen grew up in Hong Kong before moving to San Francisco, and now he is sent back as an undercover cop to infiltrate the Sun On Yee triad from the inside. The game is set in a dense, rain-slicked version of the city with day markets, neon-lit nightclubs, and rooftop chases woven together into a convincing whole. Wei's dual loyalties pull against each other as he builds genuine connections inside the triad and the line between the role and the man blurs. The hand-to-hand combat, borrowed from Hong Kong action cinema, is the best-feeling part of the experience.
When was Sleeping Dogs released?
Sleeping Dogs was released on 13 August 2012.
Who made Sleeping Dogs?
Sleeping Dogs was made by United Front Games, Square Enix London Studios and Bandai Namco Entertainment.
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Explore Sleeping Dogs guides
Sleeping Dogs in our writing
- Companion guide: Mafia & Organized Crime
- Companion guide: Street Gangs
- Companion guide: Undercover & Deep Cover
- Companion guide: Vigilantes & Street Justice
A few thoughts on Sleeping Dogs
Gen-X Cops and OCTB are both rooted in Hong Kong undercover cop stories where the toll of the role on the person doing it is the real subject. Gen-X Cops has the same kinetic energy; OCTB covers similar moral territory in a longer serialized format.
Undercover cops who go so deep they start to lose themselves
Wei Shen spends Sleeping Dogs infiltrating Hong Kong's Sun On Yee triad so completely that the line between his cover and his real loyalties keeps blurring. OCTB and Gen-X Cops mine the same Hong Kong crime landscape, while Matahari and Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War follow other operatives whose double lives eventually catch up with them.