The game's development began following the release ofThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood and Wine (2016). The game was developed by a team of around 500 people using theREDengine 4 game engine. CD Projekt launched a new division inWrocław,Poland, and partnered with Digital Scapes,Nvidia,Q-LOC, and Jali Research to aid the production, while Pondsmith served as a consultant. The original score was composed byMarcin Przybyłowicz, and featured the contributions of several licensed artists. After years of anticipation,Cyberpunk 2077 was released forPlayStation 4,Stadia,Windows, andXbox One in December 2020, followed by thePlayStation 5 andXbox Series X/S in February 2022, theNintendo Switch 2 in June 2025 as a launch title, andmacOS in July 2025. ADLC expansion,Phantom Liberty, was released for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S in September 2023.
Cyberpunk 2077 received praise from critics for its narrative, setting, and graphics. However, some of its gameplay elements received mixed responses while its themes and representation oftransgender characters received some criticism. It was alsowidely criticised forbugs andglitches, particularly on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions during its launch period. Sony removed it from thePlayStation Store from December 2020 to June 2021 while CD Projekt rectified some of the issues. CD Projekt became subject to investigations andclass-action lawsuits for their perceived attempts at downplaying the severity of the technical problems before release; these were ultimately cleared with a settlement of US$1.85 million. By November 2024, the game had sold over 30 million units, making it one of thebest-selling games of all time. Its total cost to develop and market (including updates and DLC) is reportedly between $436 million and around $440 million, making it one of themost expensive video games to develop. A sequel,Cyberpunk 2, was announced in October 2022 and is in development.
Cyberpunk 2077 is anaction role-playing game played from afirst-person perspective as V,[1][2] a mercenary whose voice,[3] face, hairstyle, body type andmodifications, background, and clothing are customisable. There are also five attributes (Body, Intelligence, Reflexes, Technical Ability, and Cool) that can be customised to suit the player's gameplay style, with a sixth attribute — Relic — being introduced in thePhantom Liberty expansion.
The gameplay is flexible: the two primary play styles are Netrunner (hacking) and Solo (combat). V has a number of maneuvers to reposition in combat, including sprinting, taking cover, double-jumping, and sliding;[4][5] many of these abilities can be unlocked or upgraded throughcyberware implants installed by a "ripperdoc".[6][7] Weapon use increases accuracy and reloading speed, which are reflected in character animations.[8][9] Equipment, such as weapons and armour, is governed by a coloured tier system,[10] and is split into melee and ranged options. Melee strikes can be dealt with close-combat weapons.[11][12] There are three types of ranged weapons, all of which can be customised and modified—Power (with ricocheting bullets), Tech (which penetrates walls and enemies), and Smart (with homing bullets, only usable with specific cyberware).[13][14] The game has four types of damage that can be inflicted and resisted—Physical,Thermal,Electric, andToxic.[15][16][17] The game can be completed without killing anyone (not including robots),[18] with non-lethal options for weapons and cyberware.[19]
Gameplay screenshot of the player-character completing a mission
Theopen world metropolis of Night City consists of seven regions: the corporate City Centre, immigrant-inhabited Watson, luxurious Westbrook, inner-city Heywood, gang-infested Pacifica, the industrial suburbs of Santo Domingo, and the breakaway Dogtown in thePhantom Liberty expansion. Its surrounding area, the Badlands, can also be explored.[20]Cyberpunk 2077 enables players to control their character from a first-person perspective. By default, athird-person perspective is only available while driving or during specific, rare moments in the story.[21][22] V owns an apartment and has access to a garage, and can purchase four additional apartments throughout the city.[11] There is a full day-night cycle and dynamic weather, which affects the waynon-player characters (NPCs) behave.[13][23] Depending on the location, law enforcement may be alerted if V commits a crime.[24] Pedestrians are vulnerable to vehicular collisions and gunfire.[14][25] Radio stations are available to listen to.[26][27] Night City features many non-English-speaking characters, whose languages can be translated with special implants.[28] V also periodically uses a "Braindance"; a technology that allows one to undergo other people's experiences.[29][30]
Branching dialogues enable interaction with NPCs and actions inquests,[31] and the player's in-game choices can lead to different endings.[32] Experience points are obtained from main quests and used to upgrade stats; side quests yield "street cred", unlocking skills, vendors, places, and additional quests.[10][13][14][33] Quests are assigned by characters known as Fixers, shady underworld middlemen who specialise in information brokering and smuggling.[34] Throughout the game, V is aided by various companions.[11] Consumables, such as food, drinks, and drugs, are used for healing and temporary enhancements, and objects can be inspected in V's inventory.[5] Minigames include hacking, boxing, auto racing,[35] martial arts, and shooting ranges.[36]
The primary protagonist ofCyberpunk 2077 is Vincent / Valerie, known as V (Gavin Drea orCherami Leigh),[48] a freelancemercenary whose background changes based on player choice.[49] V is accompanied by Johnny Silverhand (Keanu Reeves),[50] a legendary rock star andterrorist who now exists as a digitised engram; Johnny is also playable during some segments of the game. Throughout the main story, V and Johnny come into contact with several major allies and enemies, including Jackie Welles (Jason Hightower), V's best friend and fellow mercenary; T-Bug (Cynthia McWilliams), a netrunner who provides support to V and Jackie; Viktor "Vik" Vector (Michael Gregory), a ripperdoc who maintains a close friendship with V; Misty Olzewski (Erica Lindbeck), Jackie's girlfriend who runs anesoterica; Dexter "Dex" DeShawn (Michael-Leon Wooley), a localfixer in Night City; Evelyn Parker (Kari Wahlgren), aprostitute who partners with Dex and V's crew to organise a heist; Judy Álvarez (Carla Tassara), Evelyn's friend and a braindance editor who helps V in their investigations; Saburo Arasaka (Masane Tsukayama), the founder of the Arasaka Corporation; Yorinobu Arasaka (Hideo Kimura), Saburo's youngest son; Hanako Arasaka (Alpha Takahashi), Yorinobu's sister and Saburo's only daughter; Goro Takemura (Rome Kanda), Saburo's personal bodyguard; Rogue Amendiares (Jane Perry), the owner of the Afterlife nightclub and one of Johnny's former partners; Panam Palmer (Emily Woo Zeller), a nomad from the Aldecaldos clan; Saul Bright (Diarmaid Murtagh), the leader of the Aldecaldos; Alt Cunningham (Alix Wilton Regan), a netrunner and Johnny's ex-girlfriend who became an artificial intelligence construct; and Adam Smasher (Alec Newman), a ruthless cyborg who works as Arasaka's head of security.[51]
The game opens with one of three lifepaths for theplayer character V—Nomad, Streetkid, or Corpo—each leading to a partnership with street thug Jackie Welles and netrunner T-Bug as mercenaries in Night City.
In 2077, fixer Dex DeShawn hires V and Jackie to steal a biochip called "the Relic" from the Arasaka Corporation. The job collapses when they witness Yorinobu Arasaka murdering his father, Saburo, and framing it as poisoning. During their escape, T-Bug is killed, Jackie is mortally wounded, and the Relic's case is damaged, forcing V to slot the chip. Dex, angered by the fallout, shoots V and leaves them for dead.
V awakens in a landfill, haunted by the digital ghost of rocker-turned-terrorist Johnny Silverhand, who in 2023 carried out an attack on Arasaka Tower with Rogue Amendiares, a Fixer in the present day, and other mercenaries. Johnny perished in the attack with V seeing his memories of the event. V is then rescued by Saburo's loyal bodyguard, Goro Takemura, who suspects the truth and wishes to use V as proof that Yorinobu killed Saburo. Ripperdoc Viktor Vector reveals the biochip's resurrectionnanotech is overwriting V's mind with Johnny'sengram, leaving only weeks to find a cure. Johnny, initially antagonistic, resolves to help V while also utilizing the opportunity to try and take down Arasaka again.
Teaming with Takemura, V pursues two leads: capturing Arasaka scientist Anders Hellman with the help of nomad Panam Palmer and the Aldecaldos clan, and rescuing Evelyn Parker, who commissioned the heist. Hellman is caught but is unable to help V, and later given up to Takemura. With aid from Evelyn's friend Judy Álvarez, V learns Evelyn was hacked and sold to "Scavs", a group known for kidnapping and harvesting cybernetics from people. Evelyn was abused by her kidnappers and later dies by suicide. Using Evelyn's braindance memories, V discovers she learned of the Relic from the Voodoo Boys; a gang of very private netrunners, who wanted Johnny's engram to reach beyond the Blackwall; a firewall that protects the internet and world from rogue AIs.
Through them, V relives Johnny's past. In 2013, Johnny's girlfriend Alt Cunningham created Soulkiller, an AI that transfers minds into cyberspace but destroys the brain. Arasaka used Soulkiller on Alt, imprisoning her in their digital fortress, Mikoshi. Johnny's later nuclear attack freed her, allowing her to escape past into the Blackwall, to become an AI, but ended with his own capture and upload via Soulkiller. Arasaka's "Secure Your Soul" program and the Relic stem from this technology. V communicates with Alt's consciousness beyond the Blackwall and strikes a deal: if V grants her access to Arasaka's subnet and Mikoshi, she can separate V and Johnny.
Separately, Takemura has resolved to take his information to the Arasaka executives and to this end, V and him capture Hanako Arasaka, Yorinobu's sister, to prove his guilt, but V is forced to flee after Arasaka soldiers attack. Following the ambush, Hanako reaches out to V and offers to help them in exchange for their assistance in ousting Yorinobu, which Johnny greatly opposes.
In the final act, V must choose to either assault Arasaka Tower or accept Hanako's offer. The attack can be carried out solo, with Rogue (Johnny takes control of V's body in this scenario), or with the Aldecaldos. Alternatively, siding with Hanako successfully ousts Yorinobu and sees Arasaka remove and destroy the Relic. All paths involve V defeating Adam Smasher. Regardless, due to the engram's prolonged presence in V's body, the biochip's effects are irreversible. The results leave V with a shorter lifespan in their own body but could offer Johnny a full life, as the Relic has tailored the body for him. Depending on the player's choice, V either uploads their own engram to Mikoshi awaiting a new body, lives on in their current body with a shortened lifespan while seeking means to undo the damage, or permanently surrenders their body to Johnny and leaves beyond the Blackwall with Alt—Johnny, in this ending, leaves Night City to start anew.
Preliminary work onCyberpunk 2077 began following the release ofThe Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition (2012).CD Projekt Red—CD Projekt's internal development studio—approachedMike Pondsmith, the writer ofCyberpunk and founder ofR. Talsorian Games, in early 2012, sending him a copy ofThe Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (2011). Impressed with the studio's unparalleled knowledge of theCyberpunk universe at the time, Pondsmith and CD Projekt Red reached an agreement to licenseCyberpunk's story from the year 2077 onward to CD Projekt Red, while Pondsmith retained the rights for media in theCyberpunk universe set up until the year 2077. To ensureCyberpunk's story remained cohesive during development, Pondsmith served as a consultant onCyberpunk 2077. Pondsmith's experience atMicrosoft developing games such asCrimson Skies (2000) andBlood Wake (2001), and atMonolith Productions developingThe Matrix Online (2005), provided valuable wisdom to CD Projekt Red, in comparison to Polish writerAndrzej Sapkowski's indifference towards the studio during the development ofThe Witcher (2007) andThe Witcher 2.[52]
The concept ofCyberpunk 2077 was adapted from Pondsmith'sCyberpunk series. Antithetical to the stereotypicalcyberpunk genre, the concepts explored inCyberpunk evoke a sense of rebellion and whimsy while retaining the genre's grim tone. The protagonist ofCyberpunk—in comparison to the typical archetype of a hero attempting to save the world—attempts to save themself from a downtrodden and lowly perspective.[52] Lead gameplay designer Marcin Janiszewski sought to remind players of its connection to theCyberpunk universe, writing, "We want to assure fans of the pen-and-paper game that this is still the same Cyberpunk you know". In comparison to CD Projekt Red's development onThe Witcher series, the time difference between the events ofCyberpunk andCyberpunk 2077 allotted the studio more freedom towards adapting the series, although they attempted to stay true to Pondsmith's original works.[53]
Cyberpunk 2077, by extension, presents analternate history, in which the United States became mired in wars in Central America in the 1980s deeply undermining its power and economy, theSoviet Union failed todissolve and Japan became asuperpower, diffusing its culture as far as California. The events ofCyberpunk 2077 take place in the fictitious Night City, a megalopolis immersed in Japanese culture that lies betweenLos Angeles andSan Francisco. Stereotypical cyberpunk motifs, such as sadism, commercialisation, cruelty, and satisfaction, remain as mainstays in the political landscape of Night City.[49] A hedonistic wonderland, Night City is divided into two distinct classes: the downtrodden, who use psychedelic substances and physically augmented sex workers as a form of escapism, while the elite corporate class (known as "corpos") dominate society and are afforded great financial success.[54]
The script was first written in Polish and translated into English, a standard practice for CD Projekt Red's games, according to quest director Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz.[55]
CD Projekt Red used a first-person perspective to immerse the player further in the world and home in on the megacorporation motif.[13] To seamlessly blend cutscenes with gameplay, CD Projekt Red decided to frame cutscenes in first-person, including the sex scenes, with limited exceptions. Players can, however, drive in third-person, and the player's character is visible in areas such as mirrors and security cameras.[56] The decision by game director Adam Badowski to include nudity was tactfully planned, with Badowski stating, "Nudity is important for us because of one reason. This is cyberpunk, so people augment their body. So the body is no longer [sacred]; it's [profane]", expanding upontranshumanist beliefs.[57]
The quest team took several changes in comparison to the quest system inThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015). Game logic was implemented to allow for players to undertake quests in seemingly random orders while remaining coherent, while doubling down onThe Witcher 3' philosophy of a "quest twist".[58] To reuse the stories written during the game's development, unused parts from the main story were turned into side quests.[59]
Cyberpunk 2077 was developed usingREDengine 4, the fourth iteration of CD Projekt Red's internalgame engine.[60] REDengine 3, REDengine 4's predecessor, implemented improvements to terrain and vegetation rendering. To achieve this, regions are streamed from aclippedmipmap (through a method known asclipmapping) inmemory. Six clipmaps are created in total; the elevation, control map, and colour clipmaps are streamed, while the vertical error, normal, and terrain shadow clipmaps are generated at runtime. In addition, a technique known astessellation is used, where polygons are divided. In particular,polygon triangulation is used, where data is tessellated into triangles. The error maps aredownsampled prior to hardware tessellation. This avoids costly computation, as large areas with high levels of tessellation aren't rendered. Furthermore, REDengine3 employs a radical approach to texturing; textures are painted using two textures: a background texture and an overlay texture. For slopes, the slope angle is computed and compared against a threshold value. Creating a thick cover on slopes was made possible through boosting the overlay texture when the vertex normal looked up; however, this presented complications in ground features, such as cobblestones, where improper distribution was applied. To address this, damping was added, along with blend sharpening. These measures created an ultimately low memory footprint.[61] Other advancements made by REDengine 3 include refined animations, volumetric effects allowing for advanced rendering of particle effects, such as clouds, dynamic physics, and an advanced dialogue mimic system. These improvements allowedThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt to have a more immersive open-world.[62]
AlthoughCyberpunk 2077 was initially developed using REDengine 3 as far back as 2013,[63] CD Projekt Red developed REDengine 4 after facing difficulty developing the game, which used afirst-person perspective, a departure from thethird-person perspective CD Projekt had developed in for earlier iterations of REDengine. REDengine 4 was developed using a US$7 million grant from the Polish government.[62] Nearly every aspect of REDengine was changed as a result, including the particle effects editor.[64] In a report from CD Projekt Red, it was revealed that the company continued to work on REDengine throughoutCyberpunk 2077's development cycle, as late as 2017.[65]Cyberpunk 2077 is the final game to use REDengine, as future games from CD Projekt Red will instead be developed usingUnreal Engine 5.[60]
REDengine 4 implemented various lighting adjustments to create a more realistic world, includinghardware-acceleratedreal-time ray tracing throughDirectX,global illumination, diffuse illumination, andambient occlusion. These features are not present on the console versions of the game. Other features includephysically based rendering—an improvement over REDengine 3,screen space reflections, and pin sharp reflections, although the player's character is omitted from thebounding volume hierarchy structure generated ray-traced reflections. The player's character does appear, however, inrender to texture objects, such as mirrors. Improvements to shadows include cascaded shadow maps, screen space shadows, and ray-traced shadows with contact hardening, while improvements to character rendering includesubsurface scattering and realistic skin shading. These features introduced computational complexity, testing older consoles, such as thePlayStation 4 andXbox One.[66]Cyberpunk 2077 uses vertical asset streaming, orculling, a rendering technique that omits objects below and above the player'sfield of view. This technique saves memory.[67]
During the development ofCyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red partnered with several companies. These companies include Vancouver-based studio Digital Scapes to create additional tools,[68] multinational technology companyNvidia to implement real-time ray tracing,[69] and developer QLOC forquality assurance.[70] In addition, artificial intelligence company Jali Research helped CD Projekt Red implementlip syncing for all ten localisations throughprocedural generation.[71]
The work ofDieter Rams (left) andSyd Mead (right) served as inspiration for Night City.
When designing Night City, the art design team at CD Projekt Red took multiple sources of inspiration. German industrial designerDieter Rams and Americanneo-futurist concept artistSyd Mead inspired the team, who used Rams' elegance to juxtapose the low-class neighbourhoods in Night City and Mead's vibrant colours and materialism to create the demeanor of Night City, in what the team called "kitsch". Building these environments took the team eight years.[72] To create acyberpunk look for Night City, the team incorporated retro and futuristic elements. To accomplish this, the team looked at dilapidated or old-fashioned buildings—aspects of a familiar reality—with futurism. "For example, you could have a run down building with an old wooden door, but an LED light might be attached to that door, which could be a part of a high-tech security system," Hiroshi Sakakibara, Environment City Coordinator at CD Projekt Red, said during aCyberpunk 2077 livestream atTokyo Game Show 2020. A key source of inspiration for the team wasBlade Runner (1982), which Sakakibara referred to as the "Bible of all cyberpunk".[73] Other sources of inspiration for the team include themanga andanime seriesGhost in the Shell, and other video games such asSystem Shock (1994) and the first part ofDeus Ex (2000).[74] To design the buildings in Night City, the team consulted withurban planners and drew upon the themes ofBrutalist architecture.[75][73] The game's yellow-themed design is an attempt to distinguish Cyberpunk from existing icons in its genre.[76] The designs ofMarcello Gandini helped shape the appearance of many of the cars in the game.[77] A motorbike akin to the one in theAkira manga andanime film appears in the game, as well as a car inspired byMad Max: Fury Road (2015).[78][79]
To develop the world building in Night City, the team used four distinct visual styles—austere Entropism, colourful Kitsch, imposing Neomilitarism, and opulent Neokitsch—to explain what happened to the world prior to the events of the game. Bulky cars and unappealing buildings represent Entropism, an architectural style that came about through necessity. In Entropism, practicality is valued more than aesthetics. As the economy recovered, the vibrant style of Kitsch gained traction. The style of Kitsch was countered with Neomilitarism, an ascetic movement where the rise of corporations undid many of the stylistic decisions made in Entropism. Finally, Neokitsch incorporated the classist systems in Neomilitarism with the vibrance of Kitsch. In Neokitsch, the rich use scarce materials, such as wood and marble, to construct their buildings, and wear clothes from animals.[80] Night City features six districts, each with a unique gusto. Pacifica, for instance, was a prosperous vacation destination until an economic crisis hit, leaving the Haitian community to form a civilisation around the buildings.[43]
The team used the digital compositing softwareNuke to design Night City. A challenge for the team was creating a global illumination system that would cast a variety of light sources on narrow streets. Nuke was used to analytically reference the lighting in REDengine with Nuke. In contrast to most other video games, which use tone-mapping,Cyberpunk 2077 uses a classic filmLUT. In addition, Nuke was used to design the game'suser interface andsplash screen.[81]
Gavin Drea andCherami Leigh provide the voice of the male and female versions of V, respectively.[48] CD Projekt Red sought a suitable voice actor for the role of Johnny Silverhand, and approachedKeanu Reeves in July 2018 for the role. Reeves' performance was recorded usingmotion capture technology, a process he had previously used for his performance asNeo inThe Matrix (1999). Although a newcomer to the video game format, Reeves enjoyed the script.[82] Silverhand is featured prominently in the game, with CD Projekt co-founder Marcin Iwiński recalling in an interview that Silverhand's dialogue count is second only to V.[50] The localisation ofCyberpunk 2077 involved nearly half of the 5,381 people working on the game, including 1,966 actors dedicated solely to voicing the characters.[83]
Funko Pops were obtainable starting 16 April 2020.[94] CD Projekt Red held acosplay competition in June 2019.[95]McFarlane Toys signed a three-year agreement to manufacture action figures.[96] TheCyberpunk2077-themed Xbox One X, which includes a digital copy anddownloadable content,[97] became the final limited edition of that console.[98] Designed with the same aesthetic werevideo cards,[99]gaming chairs,[100]energy drinks,[101]sneakers,[102]smartphones exclusive to China,[103] andperipherals.[104][105] From May 2020, advertising company Agora Group had newspapers, online services, and radio channels doing promotion in Poland. Their subsidiaries carried out publicity outdoors and in cinemas, using established brands to disseminate information about the game.[106]
AtE3 2019, an initial release date of 16 April 2020 was announced.[110] This was delayed to 17 September,[113] then 19 November,[114] and finally 10 December.[115] The developers received death threats over the last delay.[116] The final delay was decided suddenly, with discussions commencing a day before the initial announcement. Due to Polish law, CD Projekt was not allowed to inform every member of the development team due to its large size; around ninety per cent were not informed until the last minute.[117] Rockfish Game'sEverspace 2'searly access release and anexpansion toGrinding Gear Games'sPath of Exile, scheduled to be released in December 2020, were delayed until the following month in order to avoid competing withCyberpunk 2077's release.[118][119]
WithE3 2020 cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, CD Projekt's online event Night City Wire showed additional trailers, more gameplay,[120][121][122] and making-of footage.[123] Next-generation ports forXbox Series X/S andPlayStation 5 were initially scheduled for release in 2021,[124] but were delayed in October 2021,[125] before eventually releasing on 15 February 2022.[126][127][128] Owners of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions were able to freely download the game on their respective next-generation models.[129][130] The delayed standalone multiplayer was announced to launch after 2021.[131][132] The base game, along with thePhantom Liberty expansion, was released formacOS on 17 July 2025.[133]
The versions ofCyberpunk 2077 released in Japan were subject to a reduction in the amount of nudity and gore portrayed in order to meet rating agency requirements and censorship laws.[138][139] The day after its release, the game was condemned by some Chinese netizens because the Cyberpunk Wiki, auser-generated online encyclopaedia about the game, described Taiwan as "not really a country and not actually part of China".[140] Adatamine of the game'ssource code by hackers in February 2021 revealed that content flagged forcensorship in China was tagged under "Winnie the Pooh",[141][142] a reference to aninternet meme in whichChinese Communist Party leaderXi Jinping wascompared to the character.[143][144]
CD Projekt publicly supported Ukraine following theRussian invasion of the country in February 2022 by suspending all sales ofCyberpunk 2077 in Russia and Belarus,[145][146] and donating a million Polish złoty to a humanitarian charity operating in Ukraine.[147]
A "Collector's Edition" consisting of a custom box, steelbook case, figurine depicting a male V, hardcover artbook, metal pin set and keychain,A Visitor's Guide to Night City, embroidered patches, world compendium, Night City postcards and map, and stickers was released along with the game. The standard edition also contains the compendium, postcards, map, and stickers.[148] Digital items that come with every copy are the soundtrack, art booklet,Cyberpunk 2020sourcebook, wallpapers, andCyberpunk2077: Your Voice comic.[149] Purchases through CD Projekt's subsidiaryGOG.com include the digital comicCyberpunk2077: Big City Dreams.[150]
A physical release of the game for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, which includesPhantom Liberty, was announced on 21 November 2023.[151] Players on PC could purchase this version digitally, and PlayStation 5 releases come with a digital code instead of a disc.[152] This release, titled the "Ultimate Edition", was released on 5 December 2023.[153] The Ultimate Edition was released for theNintendo Switch 2 as a launch title on 5 June 2025.[154] This version received notable media attention for being one of the only third-party games on the system at launch to not be released on aGame-Key Card, instead featuring the complete game on a 64GB cartridge.[155][156]
Prior to the announcement of the game's only planned expansion,Phantom Liberty, CD Projekt Red had released 18 differentDLCs for the game as of February 2021.[157] One of the DLCs released included content from theCyberpunk: Edgerunners anime.[158][159] The expansion, which starsIdris Elba, was released in September 2023.[160]
Update 2.0, released just days before thePhantom Liberty expansion, brought a series of major changes that overhauled the core elements of theRPG,[161] and was met with positive reviews.[162][163] Nearly three years after the game's release, many minor bugs have been fixed.[164] "Update 2.0 has givenCyberpunk 2077 a pulse that didn't exist before,"Polygon reported.[165] The patch also added a Ukrainian language option, but the translation contained anti-Russian statements specifically referring toRussia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.[166] CD Projekt apologised, stating that it was unaware these comments had been included.[167] The translations were provided by an external agency hired for localisation,[83] and the company said they would be replaced in the next update.[168] Following the 2.0 update,Cyberpunk 2077 became the first game to feature AI-powered ray tracing withNvidiaDLSS 3.5.[169][170]
Along with the release of the "Ultimate Edition" on 5 December 2023, CD Projekt released Update 2.1, which they characterised as "the last major update",[171] which introduces a functioning Metro system, additional scenes with V's romantic interest, and other quality improvements.[172] As of February 2024, only 17 developers remained working onCyberpunk 2077. Three months later, none were left.[173] However, at the end of 2024, CD Projekt unexpectedly released update 2.2, which included a feature where Johnny Silverhand would sit in the passenger seat while V was driving, occasionally commenting or reacting to the surrounding events.[174] Patch 2.21 adds support for NvidiaDLSS 4, along with other changes, makingCyberpunk 2077 the first game to utilise DLSS 4's new multi-frame generation technology.[175][176]
The game was highly anticipated before its release.[a] It won over one hundred awards atE3 2018,[b] including Best Game, Best Xbox One Game, Best PC Game, Best RPG, and People's Choice atIGN,[186] Best Role-Playing Game and Game of the Show atGame Informer,[187] Best of E3 atPC Gamer,[188] and Game of the Show atGamesRadar+.[189] The second trailer was considered one of the best at the expo,[190][191][192][193] although writerWilliam Gibson, credited with pioneering the cyberpunk subgenre, described it as "GTA skinned-over with a generic 80s retro-future".[194] Gibson later responded more positively to the first gameplay demo.[195] The first-person perspective, in contrast withThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's third-person, was subject to criticism.[196][197]Cyberpunk2077 was the most widely discussed game of E3 2019,[198][199] where it was presented awards for Best of E3 atGamesRadar+,PC Gamer,Rock Paper Shotgun, andArs Technica,[200][201][202][203] and Best Game, People's Choice, Best PS4 Game, Best Xbox One Game, Best PC Game, and Best RPG atIGN.[204] The third trailer was lauded with emphasis on Reeves' reveal.[205][206]
Liana Ruppert, a journalist forGame Informer who hasphotosensitive epilepsy, experienced agrand mal seizure while reviewing the game days before its release. The seizure was triggered by the game's "braindance" sequence, which contains red and white flashing lights that reportedly resemble the patterns produced by medical devices used to intentionally trigger seizures.[207][208] At this point,Cyberpunk 2077 included only a generic warning about "flashing lights and images" in itsEULA, with no specific warnings about the sequence or instructions on how to skip it.[209] In response, CD Projekt Red made a public statement and reached out to Ruppert.[210][211] The company then released a patch to add a warning, and issued a later patch on 11 December to reduce the risk of inducing epileptic symptoms.[212] In an email toThe Washington Post, Stephanie Bayer, the North American communications director for CD Projekt Red, stated that the developers had incorporated Ruppert's suggestions and "adjusted the entire sequence" so it would no longer be a seizure trigger.[213]
Prior to the release of the game, CD Projekt Red provided review copies ofCyberpunk to several major outlets. CD Projekt Red issued strictreview embargo terms on these review copies, requiring reviewers to signnon-disclosure agreements (NDA) and only allowing for footage provided by the company to be shown in reviews; according toWired (which did not receive a reviewer copy), violating the NDA could cost around $27,000 per violation.[214] Concern also arose over the fact review copies were issued for the PC version of the game, ensuring that all pre-release reviews related to the PC version of the game, excluding consoles. As a result, this eroded trust from some consumers.[215]
The PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series releases ofCyberpunk 2077 received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according toreview aggregator websiteMetacritic.[217][219][221] The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game received "mixed or average" reviews.[218][220] The Switch 2 version of theUltimate Edition received "generally favorable" reviews.[216] Additionally, 64% of critics recommended the game, according toOpenCritic.[222]
Critics praised the quality of the story as well as the depth and expansiveness of side quests,[227] immersive atmosphere of the world,[226] visual quality,[234] and freshness of the cyberpunk setting.[235] The game's systems such as crafting, driving mechanics, and combat received a mixed response.[225] Some critics, while acknowledging the game's many strengths, nonetheless criticised its shallow portrayal of thecyberpunk genre, and also described its portrayal of related themes such asanti-capitalism andanarchism as ironic.[236][237] Others took issue with what was seen asmisogynistic,[238][239]xenophobic,[224] andtransphobic portrayals, arguing thattransgender characters were fetishised by in-game material but were not given any meaningful role in the narrative.[225][240]
Within hours of its midnightGMT launch on 10 December, the game set a record with over one million concurrent single players onSteam,[241] and one million live viewers onTwitch,[242] doubling the previous record set byFallout 4 in 2015.[243] OnSteam, user reviews forCyberpunk 2077 became increasingly positive over time. The game was rated "mostly positive" shortly after its late 2020 release,[244] reached "very positive" after two and a half years,[245][246] and by January 2025 – more than four years after launch – it attained the "overwhelmingly positive" rating.[247][248] Following the release of theanime seriesCyberpunk: Edgerunners onNetflix in September 2022, along with several post-release patches, the game's player count on PC surged to levels not seen since its initial release.[249] The million-plus daily player count continued for at least four weeks following the release ofEdgerunners.[250]
The release ofCyberpunk 2077 was a high-profile event and was considered a disastrous launch,[c] as a result of the game suffering from numerousbugs and performance issues, particularly on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions;[d]Vox reports that there was even a bug causing characters' penises and breasts to protrude from their clothing.[261]The Guardian called the release "a shambles",[262] whileThe New York Times said it was among the most conspicuous disasters in the industry's history, with CD Projekt Red prominently failing to meet expectations for what was anticipated to be the biggest game release of the year.[251] Other gaming industry commentators have described the post-launch reception ofCyberpunk 2077 as a fall from grace for CD Projekt Red, who had previously enjoyed a fiercely pro-consumer reputation.[263][264]
Some of the initial reviews that had been based only on the PC version of the game were later updated to add a caveat about the notable difference in performance between this version and its console releases.[225][227] Because of the game's performance on consoles, CD Projekt issued an apology, particularly for their pre-release secrecy regarding these versions, concluding that unsatisfied consumers could opt for refunds.[265][266] This was initially followed by multiple reports of players unable to get said refund. CD Projekt Red later stated that they had no specific deals in place with either Microsoft or Sony to facilitate such an action; refunds are dealt with according to standard refund policies.[267] On 17 December 2020, Sony announced that it would offer refunds to customers who had purchasedCyberpunk 2077 through thePlayStation Store and removed it from the store "until further notice";[268] once returned to the store in June 2021, the PlayStation Store warned users that "Users continue to experience performance issues with this game. Purchase for use on PS4 systems is not recommended".[269] The Xbox One version of the game remained available for purchase from the online Microsoft store, albeit with a warning about the game's performance issues. Players who bought the game through the Microsoft store were also offered refunds.[270][271] In the US,GameStop accepted returns of boxed versions of the game even if the box was opened, an exception to the store's usual refund policy.[272] During a conference call with investors, top executives at CD Projekt Red acknowledged having taken the "wrong approach" to developing the Xbox One and PS4 versions.[273]
Although the game's reviews were largely positive, its aggregate score was thought to be disappointing by analysts. CD Projekt SA stock fell by up to 9.4% after the publication of Metacritic's reviews.[274] The review aggregatorOpenCritic criticised CD Projekt Red for deliberately attempting to misrepresent the game, and not delivering review copies for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, knowing it would receive negative reviews.[275] Aclass-action lawsuit representing those making investments in CD Projekt during 2020 was filed on 24 December 2020 in California, asserting that the company made fraudulent claims to the state ofCyberpunk 2077 as to mislead those investors;[276] a second similar class-action suit had also been filed by January 2021.[277] By May 2021, four separate lawsuits against CD Projekt had been filed overCyberpunk 2077, and had been subsequently merged into one common action.[278] CD Projekt proposed a settlement with the investors in December 2021, providingUS$1.85 million to the group as part of the terms,[279] which was approved by a judge in January 2023.[280] Poland's Office of Competition and Consumer Protection began an investigation of the game in January 2021, asking CD Projekt for an "explanation regarding problems with the game and actions taken by them".[281] Having previously asked its employees to work 6-day weeks for several final months of the development of the game, the company ditched plans to tie developers' bonuses to review scores, choosing instead to pay out the full bonus regardless.[282]
Jason Schreier ofBloomberg News said that, based on discussions with CD Projekt developers, a major reason for the poor performance ofCyberpunk 2077 on release was underestimating the effort that would be needed. While more than twice as many developers were brought on board to help with the game compared toThe Witcher 3, CD Projekt had only expected the same amount of time to complete the game, so that the bulk of development towards the game only began in late 2016. The expanded scope ofCyberpunk 2077 including the game's new engine had created difficulties, and while there were more developers, there was less organisation of their various functions that further hampered the development, according to Schreier's report. Many developers urged management to hold off on the game's release.[283] Co-CEO Marcin Iwiński issued an open message to players on 13 January 2021, apologising for the state of the game and the company's plans to correct it. Iwiński stated that the company "underestimated the risk" in bringing a game optimised to run on personal computers over to consoles, particularly the older Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles.[284] He specifically faulted thein-game streaming engine that was used to load in assets from storage on the fly as the player moved through the game, which was scaled back to work on the older consoles.[285] While they had tested these versions as they approached release, they had not seen the same issues that players had reported in the released version. He affirmed that the developers were not responsible for the release state of the game, but instead this was a choice made by himself and the other management of the company.[284] Besides working to issue refunds and bring the game to a state to return it to the PlayStation Store, Iwiński outlined a year-long path that will involve multiple patches to bring the older consoles' versions to better performance and then looking to optimising the game for newer consoles, prior to any further additional content development.[284]
Despite the rampant technical issues that were prevalent during its initial release that affected the game's sales,Cyberpunk 2077 saw an increase in the number of units sold in 2022 of up to 18%, with 94% of the sales being digital.[286][287] This increase was partially attributed to the release of theNetflixanime seriesCyberpunk: Edgerunners, which garnered positive reviews from both critics and audience,[288][289] and the concurrent release of a game update which added tie-in material from the series. CD Projekt Red recognised the success ofEdgerunners having driven sales ofCyberpunk 2077 by stating that "a significant increase in the amount of the Group's Sales in the third quarter of 2022 in relation to the reference period was mainly due to a good reception of theCyberpunk Edgerunner update 1.6 which preceded the release on Netflix of theCyberpunk: Edgerunners anime series".[290] The series would again be referenced in the2.0 update that came alongside thePhantom Liberty expansion.[291]
Cyberpunk 2077 received eight million pre-orders on all platforms, of which 74% were digital,[292] and it received more pre-orders thanThe Witcher3: Wild Hunt;[293] one third of PC sales were through GOG.com.[294] In June 2019, the game's pre-orders quickly climbed to the top ofSteam's best-seller list in China.[295] A year later, the game had more pre-orders in China than any other country,[296] despite it not being approved for sale in China at the time.[297][298] CD Projekt Red has stated that digital preorders for the title alone recouped the game's production cost as well as the game's 2020 marketing cost.[299] According to a CD Projekt investors call, sales saw a drastic decline four days after release owing to the technical issues present.[300] After the launch, analyst estimations for sales over 12 months fell from 30 million to 25.6 million.[301][302]
In Japan, the PlayStation 4 version ofCyberpunk 2077 sold an estimated 104,687 physical units during its debut week, making it the second best-selling retail game of the week in the country.[303][304] The game passed 13 million units sold in December 2020.[305][306] It had the biggest digital game launch of all time, selling10.2 million digital units,[307] and grossed$609 million in digital sales by 31 December 2020.[308] By September 2022, the game had sold over 20 million units.[309][310] As of October 2023, it has sold over 25 million units.[311][252][312] CD Projekt announced the game had sold 30 million copies by November 2024,[313][314] making it one of thebest-selling games of all time.
In October 2023, CD Projekt Red revealed that they have spent $125 million onCyberpunk 2077 since launch, accounting for updates and bug fixes.[315][316] The base game cost $174 million to develop and $142 million to market, the development and marketing ofPhantom Liberty cost roughly $85 million alone.[317][318] The game's total production cost is said to have been between $436 million,[319] and around $440 million,[320][321][322] making it one of themost expensive video games to develop.
In 2013,Cyberpunk 2077's teaser received aGolden Trailer Awards nomination in the Best Video Game Trailer category and earned a second nomination in the same category in 2021. In the years leading up to its release,Cyberpunk 2077 was among the most highly anticipated games,[a] evidenced by winning two consecutiveGolden Joystick Awards for Most Wanted Game in 2018 and 2019. At the2018 Electronic Entertainment Expo, the game garnered over 100 awards,[b] including accolades for Best Game, Best Xbox One Game, Best PC Game, Best RPG, and the People's Choice award. A month after E3,Cyberpunk 2077 received twoGame Critics Awards: Special Commendation for Graphics and Innovation. In early 2020, the character Dexter DeShawn won theVisual Effects Society Awards for Outstanding Animated Character in a Commercial. Mid-year, the game earned twoWebby Awards for Best Use of Animation or Motion Graphics and People's Voice. Continuing its streak, in August 2020 atGamescom, the game won all five of its nominations, including Best PC Game and Best of Gamescom.
After an extended period of updates, bug fixes, and the release of thePhantom Liberty expansion, CD Projekt successfully revitalised theCyberpunk 2077 franchise,[252][323][324] earning the game its firstThe Game Awards win in the Best Ongoing Game category, three years after its release.[325] In 2024,Cyberpunk 2077 continued its success by receiving its firstBritish Academy Games Awards in theEvolving Game category. Additionally, the game also won twoSteam Awards in the Outstanding Story-Rich Game and Labor of Love categories in 2022 and 2023.
Acard game created alongside publisherCMON Limited,Cyberpunk2077– Afterlife: The Card Game, was slated for 2020 but has yet to be released; no updating announcements have been made and the card game's future remains uncertain.[361]
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, aspin-offanime series co-produced by CD Projekt Red andTrigger, premiered on 13 September 2022 onNetflix.[362] A second series adaptation was announced during Netflix'sGeeked Week event.[363] In early 2025, an hour-long fan film titledBlack Dog was released, a project that later received congratulations from Paweł Sasko, the original game director.[364]
A sequel toCyberpunk 2077 was announced in October 2022.[365] The sequel, currently titledCyberpunk 2, is being developed withUnreal Engine 5 by CD Projekt's North American studios.[366]
^Schilling, Chris (September 2020). "Inside Cyberpunk 2077, and the most elaborately detailed future city we've ever seen in a videogame".Edge. No. 348. p. 65.ISSN1350-1593.
^Taylor-Kent, Oscar (October 2020). "Cyberpunk 2077's art team talk to Oscar Taylor-Kent about creating the hot looks, fast rides, big guns, and slick cyberware that defines Night City".PlayStation Official Magazine – UK. No. 179. pp. 50–58.ISSN1752-2102.
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