Night City remains the most detailed urban setting in games. Image: CD Projekt Red
Cyberpunk 2077 launched on 10 December 2020 in a famously broken state and was pulled from the PlayStation Store. It is now a different game. The 2.0 overhaul in September 2023 rebuilt its core systems, and the Phantom Liberty expansion added one of the best story campaigns CD Projekt Red has written. In 2026 it is a straightforward recommendation.
Cyberpunk 2077 at a glance
| Developer | CD Projekt Red |
| Released | 10 December 2020 · Update 2.0 September 2023 |
| Platforms | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S (PS4 and Xbox One legacy versions) |
| Expansion | Phantom Liberty (2023) |
| Length | ~25 hours main story · 60–100 hours for most content |
Is Cyberpunk 2077 fixed? Yes — and this matters
Almost every negative review still circulating describes the December 2020 build. That version genuinely was a disaster: broken AI, constant crashes, and performance on PS4 and Xbox One so poor that Sony removed it from sale for six months.
None of that describes the current game. Here is what actually changed:
- Update 1.5 (Feb 2022) — native PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions, ray tracing, major stability work
- Update 2.0 (Sept 2023) — the big one. Skill trees rebuilt from scratch, cyberware capacity replacing the old armour system, a completely rewritten police response, proper vehicle combat, and redesigned enemy AI.
- Phantom Liberty (Sept 2023) — a paid expansion adding the Dogtown district and a spy-thriller campaign with Idris Elba
- Updates 2.1 and 2.2 — a working metro system, radioport, vehicle upgrades and continued refinement
Update 2.0 was not a patch. It replaced the RPG systems the original release was criticised for.
What is it about?
You play V, a mercenary in Night City, a corporate-run megacity in 2077. A heist goes wrong and you end up with a biochip lodged in your head carrying the digitised personality of Johnny Silverhand — a dead rockstar terrorist played by Keanu Reeves — who is slowly overwriting your mind.
The story is about what you do with the time you have left, and it is genuinely well written. Multiple endings branch meaningfully, and side quests like the Judy, Panam and River arcs are frequently better than the main path.
What is Night City actually like?
It remains the most convincing city in any game. Verticality, density, signage, layered street-level detail — walking through it is the point, and no open world has surpassed it.
The 2020 criticisms about empty streets and absurd police behaviour were fair at the time. Update 2.0 rewrote the police system entirely: NCPD now pursue you through the city with escalating response and vehicle chases, rather than materialising behind you.
Crowd density and traffic still fall short of a truly living city on lower settings, but the gap between the marketing and the game has narrowed enormously.
Update 2.0 rebuilt the skill trees and made cyberware the core of character building.
How does the combat and build system work now?
This is the area 2.0 changed most.
Cyberware is now the heart of character building. Each implant costs capacity, so you make genuine trade-offs rather than stacking everything. Five attributes feed reworked perk trees, and specialising actually produces distinct playstyles:
- Netrunner — quickhacks that disable, blind or kill enemies remotely; you can clear a compound without being seen
- Solo — gunplay and armour, with weapon handling that now feels genuinely good
- Blades — mantis arms and katanas, with the Sandevistan slowing time to a crawl
- Engineer — tech weapons that shoot through cover
Enemies coordinate, flank and use cover properly now. Combat went from the weakest part of the game to one of its better systems.
Should you buy Phantom Liberty?
Yes, if you enjoy the base game. It is roughly 20 hours, set in the sealed-off Dogtown district, and follows V working for the NUSA after a presidential shuttle is shot down.
It is tonally different — a tense spy thriller rather than a street-level crime story — and it adds a new ending to the main campaign that many consider the best one. Idris Elba's Solomon Reed is a genuine highlight.
The Ultimate Edition bundles the base game and Phantom Liberty and is almost always the better purchase.
PC performance notes
Cyberpunk is still used as a benchmark, and it scales widely. Ray tracing is expensive; path tracing (the Overdrive mode) is extremely demanding and realistically needs a high-end RTX card with DLSS and frame generation.
For most systems: enable DLSS or FSR on Quality first, then set ray tracing to Medium or off. Crowd density and screen-space reflections are the next-heaviest settings. The game is also CPU-hungry in dense districts, so expect your lowest frame rates downtown rather than in combat.
Where can you buy Cyberpunk 2077?
- PC — Steam, GOG (DRM-free) and Epic Games Store
- PlayStation — PlayStation Store (PS5)
- Xbox — Microsoft Store (Series X|S)
Buying advice
Get the Ultimate Edition — base game plus Phantom Liberty. In sales it is usually cheaper than buying them separately, and Cyberpunk discounts heavily and often, particularly on GOG. Everything except Phantom Liberty has been free: updates 1.5, 2.0, 2.1 and 2.2 all cost nothing.
A note on cracked builds: beyond being illegal and a malware risk, pirated copies are frozen at whichever version was cracked — and for Cyberpunk that usually means a pre-2.0 build. You would be playing the version everyone complained about, without any of the work that fixed it. IGGG Guides does not link to pirated software.
Cyberpunk 2077 FAQ
Is Cyberpunk 2077 worth playing in 2026?
Yes. After Update 2.0 and Phantom Liberty it is a very different and much better game than at launch.
How long is Cyberpunk 2077?
About 25 hours for the main story, 60–100 hours including side content, and roughly 20 more for Phantom Liberty.
Do I need Phantom Liberty?
Not to finish the main story, but it is the best content in the game and unlocks an additional ending.
Does it run on PS4 or Xbox One?
Legacy versions exist but do not receive the 2.0 update or Phantom Liberty. Play it on PC, PS5 or Series X|S.
Is there a sequel?
CD Projekt Red has confirmed a sequel, codenamed Project Orion, is in development. No release date has been announced.
Is Cyberpunk 2077 an RPG or a shooter?
Both. Since 2.0 the build system is deep enough that netrunner, stealth and melee playthroughs feel genuinely distinct.
The verdict
Cyberpunk 2077 is the most complete redemption in modern gaming. The launch was indefensible, and CD Projekt Red spent three years rebuilding rather than abandoning it.
What exists now is an outstanding open-world RPG with the best city in games, excellent writing, and combat that finally matches its ambition. Buy the Ultimate Edition, play it on current hardware, and ignore reviews dated 2020.
Best for: fans of Deus Ex, The Witcher 3 and story-driven open worlds.
Skip if: you only have a PS4 or Xbox One.
More from IGGG Guides:
- Borderlands 4 review — 150+ hours of gameplay insights
- Everything you need to know about GTA 6
- GTA Online guide — tips for beginners and veterans
Last updated: 6 September 2026