Cyberpunk 2077
2020 · CD Projekt RED
Has it aged?Why ↓
Cyberpunk earns your attention when a job becomes somebody else's problem you can't quite walk away from. Night City supplies the spectacle; the relationships supply the reason to stay. Today's rebuilt progression systems make the action a worthy part of that experience, rather than something to tolerate between conversations.
Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world, action-adventure RPG set in the dark future of Night City — a dangerous megalopolis obsessed with power, glamor, and ceaseless body modification.
The publisher’s description, from its Steam store page.
What it looks like
the trailer, then the store's own shots
The verdict
Play it today for the characters, and give their optional stories room to breathe: some can affect the main story. The post-2.0 perk trees offer abilities such as air-dashing and sword-based bullet blocking, giving character builds more purpose than incremental stat chasing. Our verdict is an emphatic yes, not a guarantee of a bug-free playthrough. Phantom Liberty strengthens the recommendation with a spy story where choosing whom to help becomes the difficult part.
Play it if
People who want conversations to carry as much weight as combat, and enjoy turning a character build into a particular way of fighting. Especially those willing to interrupt the main plot because a supporting character has become more interesting than the next objective.
Skip it if
Anyone who skips dialogue to get back to shooting, or expects their chosen background to produce a different campaign. The life paths change the opening and some dialogue, not the central story.
Common questions
- Is Cyberpunk 2077 worth playing today?
- Yes. Judge the post-2.0 game, not its launch reputation: the progression overhaul gives its character-driven adventure a much stronger action foundation.
- Do I need Phantom Liberty?
- No: the base game received the 2.0 systems overhaul without it. But we strongly recommend the expansion for its tangled loyalties and conversations that make choosing sides uncomfortable; it takes place within V's story, not after it.
- Can I focus on hacking or stealth?
- Yes. Combat, stealth and hacking are supported approaches, and the rebuilt progression makes coherent builds easier to assemble. Choose the style that interests you rather than assuming this is only a shooting game.
- How much do the life paths change?
- They give you different beginnings and background-specific dialogue, then converge on the same central story. Pick a background you want to inhabit, not three separate campaigns you expect to replay.
What everyone else said
we link, we don't reprint- Rock Paper Shotgun
CD Projekt's ambitious new title is a baggy, buggy RPG with a compelling story and beautiful open world
Graham Smith
Has it aged?
How does it hold up today? Based on recent reviews, how opinions have changed since launch, player activity and updates.
% positive each month, last 4 years.
Reviews via Steam ↗Peak: 332k in Dec 2020.
Player counts via SteamCharts ↗Better liked than at launch.
No update in the last year.