Of course, the month before Cyberpunk 2077 makes its way onto Game Pass, I end up buying it for my dad. He had just finished Hogwarts Legacy and wanted another game to dive into, and I thought Cyberpunk was a good start.

Now, for everyone who held out. Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red’s infamous sci-fi RPG, is now available on the cheaper Game Pass tier, Game Pass Premium.

I still remember the original launch of Cyberpunk 2077. I was watching a friend play when his character got into a helicopter, only to suddenly fall straight through it into an unloaded world before the game crashed.

Those days are long gone. CD Projekt Red has put in serious work since the troubled 2020 release, and the game is now a complete and fantastic experience from start to finish.

Today, Cyberpunk 2077 is widely regarded as one of the best sci-fi RPGs available and is available now on Game Pass Premium.

Cyberpunk 2077 is the game CD Projekt Red promised at launch

I won’t dive into the nitty-gritty details of how disastrous Cyberpunk 2077 was at launch. That story has been told a million times already. What I will say is that if you have not played it yet, now is the perfect time to jump in and experience Night City.

The game was originally released in 2020, and six years later, it has finally arrived on Xbox Game Pass. Announced at the start of March, Cyberpunk 2077 is now available on Game Pass Premium and Ultimate, as well as through Xbox Cloud Gaming. It is not available through PC Game Pass, and it is not an Xbox Play Anywhere title.

If Cyberpunk 2077 is not your thing, there are other additions this month as well. Construction Simulator is also available today on cloud, console, and PC for Game Pass Premium, Ultimate, and PC Game Pass subscribers.

🗨️ Are you going to try CyberPunk 2077 now it's on Game Pass?

The redemption arc on this sci‑fi RPG has been wild. What launched as a punchline is now genuinely worth your time, and its arrival on Game Pass Premium makes it easier than ever to finally see what the fuss was about.

Jump into the comments and tell us: are you giving it a second chance, or is the ship long sailed for you?

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

The first half of March 2026 is shaping up nicely, with Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 now available and with Cyberpunk 2077 leading the charge into the first half of the month (via Xbox Wire).

It's arriving for Cloud and Console only, which may disappoint those hoping to see it supported via Xbox Play Anywhere. Still, fans can dive in from March 10, 2026, and that is far from the only highlight this month.

Here’s a full rundown of everything coming to Xbox Game Pass and when:

🗨️ What's your favorite addition to this months Game Pass announcements?

With Final Fantasy III and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II available today for Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Premium, subscribers are already off to a strong start this month. One of last year’s biggest hits, Hollow Knight: Silksong, is also making its way to the Premium tier, which is always nice to see.

I also want to highlight Planet of Lana II, an ambitious sequel that is perfect for fans of puzzle adventure games. It arrives on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on March 5, so there is not long to wait.

To a T is another standout for me, arriving in the Premium tier. From the creator of Katamari Damacy, it looks like a fun, albeit awkward, adventure between a teen and his dog.

Was Cyberpunk 2077 expected thanks to Xbox’s teaser, or are there any other games here that surprised you and made you want to jump in and give them a try?

Let me know in the comments, and make sure to take part in our poll below:

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Since its introduction back in 2017, Microsoft's gaming subscription service Xbox Game Pass has become a global phenomenon for players on Xbox and PC, and remains extremely popular with gamers despite controversial changes like last year's big price hike.

One of the major reasons why is because Xbox routinely adds new games to the program's library several times each month, supplying its subscribers with fresh options to enjoy. On occasion, the brand hints at its upcoming additions on social media channels — and a new tease has many thinking that the service is about to get one of the most popular RPGs in recent memory.

That RPG is CD PROJEKT RED's fan-favorite 2020 hit Cyberpunk 2077, which got off to an extremely rocky start due to overwhelming technical issues at launch and numerous features that were cut from the game, but eventually made a huge recovery through major and consistent updates (along with the transformative Phantom Liberty DLC).

Indeed, Cyberpunk 2077 now stands as favorite open-world action-adventure RPG for many. But why do people think it's coming to Game Pass? Well, in that aforementioned tease — a comedic and fake "leaked" internal email from "Melissa McGamepass — it's mentioned that "This latest upcoming addition is gonna be v good one too."

That "v" is key, as the playable protagonist of Cyberpunk 2077 is named V, and since it's bolded in the email, Xbox marketing is clearly drawing attention to that letter. Also, the post's caption notes that "Something v cool is coming soon..." which suggests the announcement for this new Game Pass release is imminent.

Now, you may think this is a bit of a stretch, but this isn't the first time Microsoft and Xbox have teased what's coming to Game Pass with these Melissa McGamepass emails. Just last month, its marketing team did the exact same thing with Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, hinting at its Game Pass arrival with a reference to dialogue from its protagonist Henry and the game's title.

"Oh, and speaking of upcoming releases...well, I shouldn't say too much, but if you're getting quite hungry for a fun adventure, all I can say is that something big is about to be deliverance'd to Xbox Game Pass," the post read.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's upcoming presence on Game Pass was then announced officially a single day later, so it's entirely possible that we'll see Cyberpunk 2077's arrival on the service get confirmed on Tuesday tomorrow as well.

It's worth noting there is a chance the "v" here is referring to something else, though I can't really think of a game that letter could be more of a tease for. Evidently, the rest of the gaming community can't either, because pretty much everyone is assuming this post is teasing Cyberpunk on Game Pass.

Assuming that is indeed the truth, it's a huge pickup for Microsoft and Game Pass. Cyberpunk is a massive game; in late 2025, it hit 35 million copies sold, and the IP is getting a sequel after CD PROJEKT RED finish The Witcher 4, too.

Ultimately, if you've been curious to see what the hype is all about but haven't checked it out yet, but do have a Game Pass subscription, it's looking like you'll have a chance to do so without a full purchase very soon.

Will you play Cyberpunk 2077 on Game Pass?

If Cyberpunk 2077 does indeed come to Xbox Game Pass soon, will you play it through the service? Would you be willing to subscribe to it just so you can play CD PROJEKT RED's sci-fi RPG? Let me know in the comments, I'm curious!

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

CD PROJEKT RED has begun striking down the popular Cyberpunk 2077 VR mod created by well-known modder Luke Ross. While it may appear to be a straightforward takedown at first glance, the situation is slightly more nuanced.

There is little debate around the quality of the mod itself, which was widely praised by those who used it. However, it was distributed behind a Patreon paywall, meaning access required payment. That placed it in direct conflict with CD PROJEKT RED’s fan content guidelines, which prohibit monetizing its IP without prior permission.

Like many of Luke Ross’ other projects, the Cyberpunk 2077 VR mod was distributed behind a Patreon paywall, meaning access required payment. That put it in conflict with CD PROJEKT RED’s fan content guidelines, which prohibit monetizing its IP without prior permission.

Under those guidelines, paid access counts as commercial use, even when framed as early access. CD PROJEKT RED subsequently issued a DMCA notice and has since stated it would be open to the mod returning if it were made freely available to the public.

CD Projekt Red's VP, Business Development, Jan Rosner, also commented on the mods removal:

Following the mod’s removal, Ross addressed the situation on Patreon, where he expressed frustration over the lack of permitted financial support for modders, particularly in cases where no official VR version of a game exists.

Ross is best known for his work on the R.E.A.L. VR framework, which enables VR support across a wide range of traditionally non-VR PC games, including titles such as Far Cry and Atomic Heart. With Cyberpunk 2077 support now removed, he has shifted focus toward other games, including Baldur’s Gate 3 VR, which could prove especially ambitious if executed well.

It highlights a difficult line to draw. Modders often invest significant time and expertise into projects that help keep games active long after launch. Communities around titles like Halo: The Master Chief Collection on PC, or even Skyrim, as well as platforms built on user-generated content, such as Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft, demonstrate just how valuable that work can be.

Do you think publishers should allow modders to financially support themselves, or should all mods remain free? Share your thoughts in the comments or vote in the poll below:

There's a cute trend emerging among PC gamers — presumably above a certain age — that has a few nostalgic types yearning for the memories of blurred edges and an unmistakable phosphorous screen glow. VHS filters aren't necessarily a new trend, mind you, and CRT screen recreations have been around for a while in the game emulation scene.

Nevertheless, a particularly convincing effort from u/Tulired on the /LowSodiumCyberpunk subreddit stems from their fascination with the outdated tech and comes with a focus on realism, rather than the usual clichés of over-the-top tape degradation that you might see on trending smartphone camera filters.

As tempting as it might be to immediately download the effect and jump into your own copy of Cyberpunk 2077 on PC to try it for yourself, Tulired hasn't actually released the filter just yet — aiming to wrap that up "after (the) holidays." Well, what if you're as impatient as I am and want to play around with it now? Luckily, you have another option, and it's totally free.

Spend few days learning about VHS and decided to make an Reshade Preset. Thoughts? from r/LowSodiumCyberpunk

I don't use the same ReShade post-processing suite as Tulired, which helps to change how a game looks without affecting any code of the original, underlying game. Not that there's anything particularly wrong with it, but I just have a more convenient solution for these kinds of fleeting curiosities.

Rather, I use ShaderGlass, a far more straightforward drag-and-stretch app that allows you to position a basic window over the top of any game (or any video, for that matter) and apply a wealth of CRT and VHS shaders. Even the default settings are good enough to satiate the nostalgia-loving retro fans, but there's more under the hood for tinkerers.

Head to the latest releases page of ShaderGlass on GitHub to download the app (I'm using v1.2.3), then open it up and drag the window atop any particular image or game to your liking. One of the best features of ShaderGlass is that you can click through it and control the menu of a PC game behind it — the window doesn't block your mouse input.

Personally, my favorite filter combinations for ShaderGlass are the pal-r57shell filter, found in Shader - Choose from Library... - Community Favorites dropdown menu, along with the x2 Pixel Size setting for better text readability and 1 /2 framerate slice for some real chroma-smudged ghosting trails. Naturally, playing a game on anything at 60 FPS or above to begin with keeps the result mostly playable — and the vhs filter gets closer to Tulired's work.

The newpixie-crt or crt-guest-advanced-ntsc filter is probably more to the tastes of our widest audience in the US, but I'm a tea-drinking geek on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean who grew up with inferior PAL formatting. Again, your results may vary depending on your PC game of choice, and some tweaks will be necessary if you're playing anything with a lot of text.

Nevertheless, I've used ShaderGlass on some retro favorites from the SEGA Genesis (Mega Drive) era to recreate the childhood rainy days of staring into a fat-backed CRT television and giving myself sore eyes. The filters on offer are impressive, but Tulired's work-in-progress VHS filter for Cyberpunk 2077 is arguably the best yet — I'll certainly be giving it a go whenever it might release.

This all works on Windows-based handheld gaming PCs, by the way, if you don't mind some small-screen interactions with the menus that were never designed for a controller. I can't say I reach for a ROG Ally or Lenovo Legion Go with the intention of making it look ancient, but it'll work there if you want it to — there's no native Linux build for Steam Deck, though.

Do you crave the old-school CRT TVs of days gone by, or is this just another nostalgia-laden gimmick for gamers? Let me know in the comments if you'd use anything like this, and which games you'd use it with!

CD Projekt RED's first-person role-playing game Cyberpunk 2077 has now crossed 35 million copies, the company shared on Wednesday.

As part of the publisher's Q3 2025 presentation, CD Projekt RED revealed the latest sales milestone for Cyberpunk 2077, sharing that the game has sold an additional five million copies since November 2024.

CD Projekt RED did not share an update on the game's Phantom Liberty expansion, which was confirmed to have sold 10 million copies as of May earlier this year.

Cyberpunk 2077 is actually the second game from CD Projekt RED to pass this milestone, with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt passing 30 million copies sold back in April 2021.

The third entry in the saga has since passed many more milestones, reaching 60 million copies sold earlier in 2025, just in time for The Witcher 3's 10th anniversary.

CD Projekt RED's teams are growing

As part of the presentation, CD Projekt RED also shared that the team working on a sequel to Cyberpunk 2077 has grown to 135 developers, up from the 96 team members working on the project back in May, when it officially entered pre-production.

CD Projekt RED intends for this team to continue staffing up significantly, with plans to have just over 300 developers on the Cyberpunk sequel by 2027. This team will be spread across the publisher's Boston, Vancouver, and Warsaw studios.

By far the bulk of CD Projekt RED's workforce continues to be on The Witcher 4, with 447 developers currently contributing to the upcoming title. This game is meant to be the start of a new trilogy, with Ciri stepping into the role of main protagonist as a new Witcher.

56 developers are also working on Project Sirius, a multiplayer Witcher spinoff game. Finally, a small team is also working on Hadar, a completely new IP that's still extremely far off.

It'll be a while before we learn more about The Witcher 4 and the next Cyberpunk game, but one last update is on the way for The Witcher 3, with mod support coming to the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 console versions of the game at some point next year.

A new season of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is also coming, with CD Projekt RED once again teaming up with Studio Trigger and Netflix.

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With Witcher 4 on the horizon, players will need a lengthy, content-rich RPG to keep busy until its eventual release date gets announced.

Fortunately, Loaded has the answer in the form of the critically-acclaimed cyberpunk epic, Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, which is now on sale at a 49% discount, taking its towering $85.69 MSRP down to $43.49.

What makes Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition worth checking out?

From a disastrous console launch in 2020 (which CD Projekt Red's director had to apologize for) to ultimately redeeming itself years later by selling over 18 million copies, Cyberpunk 2077 has had a wild life to say the least.

After all that, Cyberpunk 2077 is now in the best state it's ever been and a worthy purchase for lovers of first-person RPGs with dystopian sci-fi backdrops.

The game features richly detailed visuals, tons of character customization options for player expression, and a combat system that's vastly entertaining as it offers plenty of brutal methods to dispatch your enemies, from deadly cybernetics to futuristic weaponry.

Cyberpunk 2077 also has an engaging story filled with well-written characters, and shocking betrayals and plot twists that will make you do a spit-take as they rock you to the core.

To top it off, the game offers hundreds of side-quests that reward you with lucrative loot and intriguing lore that will help you immerse in the dangerous world of Night City, and that's just the base game alone.

Cyberpunk 2077's Phantom Liberty expansion adds twice as much content to the game along with a new region to explore and a complex filled with entertaining missions with a corporate espionage theme to them.

If you're a fan of open-world RPGs or games with cyberpunk aesthetics who's been holding out for a discount to get a hold of Cyberpunk 2077 in its entirety, then today's your lucky day.

Loaded is offering Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition (which bundles together with the Phantom Liberty expansion) for the limited-time price tag of $43.49. That's $42.20 cheaper than Loaded's normal price ($85.69) and $16.50 cheaper than its $59.99 MSRP found at most other retailers like Amazon.

The unending deluge of cuts across the gaming industry doesn't appear to be slowing down, with video game development company Virtuos the latest to undergo layoffs.

After first being shared by reporter Gauthier Andres on Bluesky, Virtuos confirmed the layoffs to Eurogamer, affirming that around 270 workers were being cut from the company's teams, which amounts to about 7% of the company's global workforce.

According to Virtuos, about 200 jobs in Asia have been affected, with another 70 from various European teams, with fewer than 10 cut in France.

With headquarters in Singapore, Virtuos employs around 4,000 workers in studios around the globe. The company is known for providing support work on numerous titles, aiding the development of games like Hogwarts Legacy and Mortal Kombat 1.

More recently, Virtuos partnered with Bethesda Game Studios to lead development of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, which (as of May) is the second best-selling game of the year in the U.S.

Virtuos is also co-developing patches for Cyberpunk 2077, aiding CD Projekt RED in working on the recent 2.3 update that saw new features brought to the game, such as AutoDriving.

Additionally, the company is co-developing the upcoming Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater with a team at Konami, with the remake slated to launch in August.

According to Andres, this also comes as sources tell him Virtuos is increasingly exploring using generative AI, with mandatory training for employees.

Andres also alleges that Virtuos had a "royalty-free" contract for its work on The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, meaning the company isn't receiving bonuses based off of how well the game is selling or how fast it reaches any particular milestones.

This also comes as layoffs continue to roll across the gaming industry at regular intervals with seemingly no end in sight. Publisher Electronic Arts recently laid off hundreds, shuttering Cliffhanger Games and canceling a Black Panther game that was in development, while also impacting the teams at Respawn Entertainment.

Sony Interactive Entertainment laid off about one-third of the employees at Days Gone developer Bend Studio weeks ago, with the cuts coming after a new live service game from the team was canceled in January.

Microsoft cut an unknown number of gaming workers in mass layoffs earlier in July, shuttering Perfect Dark reboot developer The Initiative, and canceling multiple titles, including a new MMORPG from ZeniMax Online Studios.

Almost five years since its original infamous launch, Cyberpunk 2077 is still getting better, with new features being added through updates.

Developer and publisher CD Projekt RED shared details on what is coming next on Wednesday, showing off how the team is working with external developers at Virtuos, a studio that provides support work, such as leading development on The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered in partnership with Bethesda Game Studios.

Update 2.3 is adding new customization options, with "hacked" CrystalCoat vehicle looks that allow you to tweak the paint job on a wider number of cars. Because it's an in-universe unauthorized version of the software, these new looks sometimes come with mild visual glitches or inconsistencies.

AutoDriving is also being added. Players can now select a location on the map, then sit back and relax as the car automatically drives there in real-time. Note that this requires you to be on a road, so it won't work if you're going out into the desert beyond the city limits.

Photo Mode is also being greatly expanded, with new ways to change NPC outfits, adjust lighting, and more. T

PC players can look forward to a host of new technologies, including AMD FSR4 support, AMD FSR 3.1 Frame Generation, and Intel XeSS 2.0. It's worth noting that AMD FSR4 support won't be available until a driver from AMD rolls out in the coming days.

Meanwhile, console players on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 are getting proper VRR support, meaning frame drops in performance mode will be smoothed out if you also have a 4K TV that supports the technology.

Update 2.3 is launching tomorrow for players on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC, but is a bit further out for Nintendo Switch 2 users. You can find the full patch notes for Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.3 below:

New Vehicles

• Yaiba ARV-Q340 Semimaru
  • Reward from a new side job (to unlock, complete The Hunt and The Beast In Me).
  • An additional side job unlocks the CrystalCoat™ feature for it.
• Rayfield Caliburn "Mordred"
  • Reward from a new side job (to unlock, complete The Beast in Me: Badlands, The Beast in Me: Santo Domingo, Transmission, and Search and Destroy).
• Yaiba ASM-R250 Muramasa
  • Reward from a new side job (to unlock, purchase 1 Yaiba vehicle, purchase at least 3 vehicles through AUTOFIXER, and complete Reported Crime: You Play with Fire...). If you fail the side job, the vehicle can later be purchased through AUTOFIXER.
• Chevillon Legatus 450 Aquila
  • Available for purchase on AUTOFIXER.

Vehicle Features

• Introducing AutoDrive! This cutting-edge, autonomous driving feature will take you to your chosen destination (i.e. job objective or placed pin on the map). If you have no set destination, it will take you on a leisurely ride through the streets of Night City. Simply hop in any of your vehicles, make sure you're on a road, and hold H (PC) / Left Stick (consoles) to activate. This feature is disabled when you enter combat or when your vehicle is heavily damaged.
• Implemented Cinematic Camera for AutoDrive. Hold Q (PC) / D-Pad Right (consoles) to activate. Sit back and enjoy cinematic views of Night City as you cruise toward your destination.
• Self-driving Delamain cabs are now available on demand! Simply open the menu to call vehicles, then select "Delamain Cab" from the list to request a ride. This feature unlocks after completing the job Don't Lose Your Mind (regardless of outcome) and receiving a message from Delamain.
• Rayfield's CrystalCoat™ is now available for vehicles from partner brands, including motorcycles. Additionally, the infamous hacker known as Cosmetic_Troll exploited a vulnerability and created a cracked version of Rayfield's CrystalCoat™ technology for lower-end vehicles. Please note, however, that some models do not support the technology, such as heavily modded nomad vehicles and job-related vehicles.
• Fixed an issue where unique color schemes did not work properly on the Mizutani Shion MZ1 and MZ2.
• Fixed an issue where unique color scheme could not be applied properly to the Villefort Deleon "Vindicator".

Photo Mode

• Added 27 new NPCs that can be spawned in Photo Mode, including Rita Wheeler, the Cassel twins, fixers, Dum Dum, the iguana, Brendan, and more.
• You can now switch between alternative outfits for NPCs spawned in Photo Mode.
• You can now switch between V's saved Wardrobe outfits in Photo Mode.
• Added a confirmation pop-up when exiting Photo Mode to prevent accidental exits after setting up the perfect shot.
• Added more customization options to the Look-At Camera feature, including an option for only the character's eyes to turn toward the camera instead of their entire body.
• Added multiple new stickers and frames, including iconic quotes and stylish overlays that let you turn your screenshots into Night City postcards – perfect for sharing memories from the City of Dreams.
• Improved Depth of Field and moved it to the Camera tab.
• Added a new Color Balance tab, allowing you to create your own custom filters.
• Added new Time and Weather tab

Quality of Life and Accessibility

• The game will now detect if the player is using inverted mouse button settings and automatically adjusts in-game button prompts accordingly.
• Added an option to toggle aiming down sights in Settings → Controls.

Jobs and Open World

• Cyberpsycho Sighting: Bloody Ritual - the "Crack the ritualist's shard" objective now properly disappears from the Journal after completing the objective.
• Sex on Wheels - now properly appears in the Journal after receiving the message from Jake Estevez.
• Shot by Both Sides - fixed an issue where selecting a specific dialogue option in the conversation with Bree created a nameless, iconless item in the player's Inventory.
• Shot by Both Sides - fixed an issue where the button to go to the lower level didn't appear on the elevator panel.

Gameplay

• Fixed an issue where, when using a controller in Trauma Drama, the controllable character would default to shooting upwards instead of forward.
• Players can now drop more Cyberware Capacity Shards if some within the intended drop limit were previously missed.
• Fixed an issue causing automatic weapons to fire slower than intended.
• Fixed an issue where the Official BARGHEST Tac Vest didn't drop from the scripted Airdrop as intended.
• The level 60 Engineer perk no longer activates the EMP blast outside of combat or after entering a vehicle.
• Added an option to replay the gameplay tutorial at any time via Settings → Controls.

Miscellaneous

• Added an option to tell Johnny to go away after you look at him for a short while when he appears in the passenger seat. He takes the hint and disappears as a passenger for a couple days.
• Fixed an issue where the sound of V's Radioport could be randomly interrupted by the Radioports of nearby NPCs.
• Fixed an issue where History by Gazelle Twin and Trash Generation played too loudly compared to other songs on the radio.
• Improved the HDR Setting screen: fixed the HDR calibration preview so it correctly reflects the chosen settings, and clarified the description of the "Tone-Mapping Midpoint" setting.
• Updated the End User Licence Agreement. You will be asked to accept it again when you load the game after updating.
• Fixed several visual issues with missing, clipping, or floating textures.
• Fixed several localization issues in various languages.

PC-specific

• Added support for AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 4 for compatible AMD GPUs. IMPORTANT: The FSR 4 option will not be available in the in-game settings until the supporting AMD driver is installed. Please note that the driver will be released at a later date.
• Added support for AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution Frame Generation 3.1 for compatible hardware. It can now be used in combination with any upscaler.
• Added support for ​Intel XeSS 2.0, with XeSS Frame Generation available on compatible hardware.
• Added support for HDR10+ GAMING certified Intel GPUs. To enable this feature, your display must support the technology (Find My Display) and have "Game Mode" enabled. The HDR10+ GAMING toggle can be found in Settings in the Video tab.
• Fixed an issue where the DLSS Super Resolution Preset would invisibly revert from the CNN model to the Transformer model after restarting the game, even though the UI still displayed the CNN model as active.
• Added more detailed information to the DLSS Super Resolution Preset tooltip in Settings to help players choose the best option for their setup.
• Added the ability to move the mouse cursor to a different display while in Windowed Borderless mode.
• Increased the maximum save size from 12 MB to 15 MB.
• It will now be possible to rebind the key used to jump out of vehicles with the Stuntjock perk.

Console-specific

• Added VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) support for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
• Fixed an issue where foliage was not properly affected by weather conditions on PlayStation 5.

A massive game is getting even better

I truly admire CD Projekt RED's commitment to Cyberpunk 2077, as the team has continued to add new features and improvements long after it would've been understandable to just move on.

That work is paying off with new players, with the game passing 30 million copies sold last year, while the Phantom Liberty expansion recently crossed 10 million copies sold. That also comes as the next Cyberpunk game has entered pre-production, with a team of nearly 100 developers working out details on the project.

Cyberpunk fans can also look forward to Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2, which is in production and coming to Netflix at a later date.

More immediate for CD Projekt RED (but still a way out) is The Witcher 4, which is set to star Ciri as the protagonist. The team shared an impressive Unreal Engine 5 tech demo earlier this year, showing off technologies that are being explored for the ambitious sequel.

One of the best gaming adaptations is returning, as Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 is now officially on the way. Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt RED shared the news on Friday, confirming that a second season of the acclaimed animated series was in production with Studio Trigger.

“David’s story might be over, but there’s plenty more to discover in Night City. And to again have the legendary animation studio TRIGGER along for the ride makes us at CD PROJEKT RED so excited to introduce a raw, real chronicle of redemption and revenge, something unlike what we’ve done before,” says Bartosz Sztybor, showrunner, story writer, and producer on Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2.

CD Projekt RED shared new key art for the series from artist Kanno Ichigo on Bluesky. Ichigo is also working on the series as lead character designer, while Kai Ikarashi is taking the reins of director on the project. Meanwhile, Masahiko Otsuka is handling the screenplay adaptation.

Like the first season, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 will consist of 10 episodes. There's no release window at this time, but whenever the season arrives, it'll be available exclusively on Netflix at launch.

I absolutely can't wait

The first season of Edgerunners is an astoundingly good series, delivering gorgeous animation and a heartbreaking story that adds depth and warmth to the setting envisioned by Cyberpunk 2020 creator Mike Pondsmith and crafted into a game by CD Projekt RED.

Seriously, if you haven't watched it yet, make the time. Just get ready for the tears.

The teams should naturally take their time on this new season in order to deliver something equally emotionally evocative, but no matter what, I'll be eagerly awaiting whatever new story they come up with. I'm also curious if it might serve as a glimpse into any of the characters we could see in the sequel to Cyberpunk 2077.

Said sequel recently entered pre-production, and is primarily being worked on by a team at CD Projekt RED's Boston studio in the U.S. That team includes several veterans that worked on the first game's critically-acclaimed Phantom Liberty expansion, which has sold 10 million copies since it launched in 2023.

It won't be the next big game from CD Projekt RED that players get to play; that role falls to The Witcher 4, which is in full production and stars Ciri as the main protagonist. That game is also still a ways off, and is not expected to launch before Fall 2027 at the absolute earliest.

In the meantime, I'll also be looking forward to the second season of the Fallout TV series, which is set to premiere in December. That series has also already been renewed for a third season.

Video game design has come a long, long way since the industry started to take off in the 1970s, but few genres have grown as much as RPGs have. The simplistic, rudimentary design philosophies of yesteryear eventually gave way to far more depth and complexity, resulting in roleplaying experiences with larger, denser worlds, richer stories, and a wider variety of encounter solutions to support player creativity and freedom.

Despite this, a few irksome and tired trends still remain — one of which is the prevalence of fetch quests. These simple missions task the player with retrieving one or more items and then delivering them to the quest giver or another NPC, and in most cases, they're incredibly dull busywork jobs with little-to-no story or roleplaying relevance.

It's relieving to hear, then, that developer CD PROJEKT RED is adhering to a no fetch quest policy with its highly anticipated RPG sequel The Witcher 4.

Narrative director Philipp Weber said as much in an interview with GamesRadar+. "A quest has to be something interesting. I have to feel, as a player, that if I played that quest, my time was well spent and not just spent," he explained. "I was busy doing stuff, and didn't think about work or taxes. I experienced a story, or something else that was worth it. That basic rule is still there 100%."

That "rule" has actually been a core part of CD PROJEKT RED's RPG quest design for a long time now, with the studio following the policy with 2015's award-winning The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and applying it to 2020's Cyberpunk 2077 as well. I have my issues with both games — I found The Witcher 3's combat to be quite shallow, and Cyberpunk's open world was far less engaging to explore than what the developer's marketed it as — but the studio's approach to quests has always been a big bright spot.

Indeed, both The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 were praised near-unanimously for their lack of fetch quests, and in the rare event you ran into one, they were always attached to an interesting side character or an intriguing scenario. Beyond those, quests were even more thoroughly engaging and creative, with deceptively simple premises that often gave way to genuinely surprising twists, complex situations, and thought-provoking choices.

Quests like these are the ones your brain tends to chew on long after you complete them, and their abundance in CD PROJEKT RED's games is what drives fans to replay them long after their release. Writing them undoubtedly takes an immense amount of effort — Weber said designers wrote "10 times as many ideas as those that landed in the game" while brainstorming — but in the end, it pays off, and they help the developer's titles rise above much of the competition.

I do think "radiant" fetch-style quests have their place at times; they're a good mindless activity to do when you just want to exist in a game's world and kill some time without doing anything too complex. RPGs should never be reliant on them, though, and I'm glad CD PROJEKT RED (along with other studios like Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 dev Warhorse Studios) is either implementing them in extremely limited quantities or simply not at all.

The Witcher 4 doesn't have a set release date or launch window, though we know it's a long way off and isn't coming out before the end of 2026. Notably, a recent Unreal Engine 5 tech presentation of the game confirmed it will feature the Northern Kingdom of Kovir. The highly anticipated RPG is coming to Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5.

Sadly, we're in for a long wait before we can step into Ciri's boots, but you can always play The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 to make it less painful. The Complete Edition of the former is just $13.19 at CDKeys, while the Ultimate Edition of the latter is $35.69 at CDKeys; those are both fantastic discounts, with each getting you the full game and all DLC.

The sequel to Cyberpunk 2077 is now in pre-production at CD Projekt RED.

That news comes via CD Projekt's latest investor update on Wednesday, confirming that the project has entered a new stage of development. According to the official breakdown, the team working on Cyberpunk 2077's sequel now numbers 96 team members, up significantly from the 56 employees working on the title in 2024.

Codenamed "Orion," development of the sequel to Cyberpunk 2077 is being led by a team at CD Projekt RED's Boston studio. This team also includes many of the leads that previously worked on the critically-acclaimed Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty expansion.

In the same investor update, CD Projekt confirmed that Phantom Liberty has crossed 10 million copies sold, up an additional 2 million from the previous milestone shared in November 2024. This number includes individual copies sold as well as copies bundled in Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition.

Across the gaming industry, "pre-production" is usually used to refer to an extensive stage of game development that has to take place before full production. While things may vary from studio to studio, pre-production involves figuring out the game's exact scope and laying the groundwork with a smaller team before additional staff are brought in.

Looking ahead, the main bulk of CD Projekt RED's developers are currently working on The Witcher 4, which entered full production back in November 2024. CD Projekt also confirmed that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has crossed 60 million copies sold.

Elsewhere, another team at CD Projekt RED's Boston office (formerly known as The Molasses Flood) is working on a Witcher spinoff codenamed Sirius. CD Projekt RED is also working with an external studio called Fool's Theory to develop a remake of the first Witcher game using Unreal Engine 5.

Cyberpunk 2077 and Phantom Liberty are currently available on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5. A Nintendo Switch 2 version is slated to arrive on June 5, 2025, while the game is also being ported to Mac.

Since my RTX 5080 review, where I tested NVIDIA's new high-end GeForce graphics card, one of its flagship features, DLSS 4, came to the popular open-world RPG Cyberpunk 2077. Besides an overhaul to its image upscaling technology with a new "Transformer" model, gamers lucky enough to buy one of the latest RTX 50 Series GPUs or even its high-scoring but expensive RTX 5090 sibling, can boost their frames-per-second (FPS) count by 2x, 3x, or 4x with Multi-Frame Generation (MFG.)

Usually, adding in-between "fake frames" leads to input delay, something I saw with iterations of AMD's answer in Fluid Motion Frames (AFMF.) However, using NVIDIA Reflex (or Radeon Anti-Lag, on AMD's side) should counteract any lag or latency while controlling the game, and the results I've seen with DLSS 4 MFG are beyond impressive. Here's what you can expect if you spring for a high-end RTX 50 Series GPU and jump into Night City on PC.

Cyberpunk 2077 with RTX 5080 + DLSS 4 MFG

Sure enough, activating Multi-Frame Generation at 4x in Cyberpunk 2077 with the latest update delivers around a 244% performance bump with negligible temperature differences. It borders on black magic and science fiction, but the efficacy is undeniable. Of course, MFG isn't without its limitations, and they start to appear when pushing the in-game graphics settings to their limits. In all my testing, I run the 'Ray Tracing: Overdrive' preset with path tracing enabled, bumping the real-time visuals to their absolute maximum at your preferred screen resolution.

I stick with 1440p (2560 x 1440,) and that's where the game hits its upper limits, never hitting 60 FPS for an extended period. More realistically, Cyberpunk at max settings on an RTX 5080 stays around a Steam Deck-esque 40 FPS. NVIDIA's DLSS 4 upscaling tech can take you the rest of the way to 4K (3840 x 2160) with better-than-ever visual clarity that reduces smears and tearing on distant objects, but this is what you can expect from performance at the game's native resolution.

Notably, I still see an average of 135+ FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 with DLSS 4 MFG set to 4x, but there are occasional, albeit subtle, visual hitches when moving around in the game world. Dropping a few visual luxuries to attain a smooth 60 FPS baseline seems to eradicate the issue entirely, which has long been a recommendation for "fake frames" technology since its inception. Realistically, many 'Epic' or 'Ultra' graphics settings exhibit barely noticeable changes or even placebo effects where nothing really improves, but it's fun to attain a smooth experience with everything cranked.

RTX 5090 hits 60 FPS at 1440p without MFG

So, what about the $1,999 RTX 5090? For that amount of money, you would hope that practically any game can run at maximum settings without breaking a sweat at 60 FPS. Well, yes, it does, at 1440p. It's the same story if you want real-time 4K with this level of outrageous visual fidelity: relying on DLSS 4 upscaling to bump Cyberpunk 2077's resolution to fit your UHD display. Some scenes dip just below the 60 FPS baseline, but for the most part, it's totally smooth sailing that merely requires the most expensive, ludicrous graphics cards in the world.

Yeah, no thanks. I'll stick with DLSS 4 and Multi-Frame Gen to achieve a playable framerate and save myself a few thousand dollars. Even though I'm closer to the target audience with my RTX 3060 12GB GPU, and the leap would be astronomically noticeable, I still feel that most of these über-expensive visual feats have their novelty wearing off pretty fast. If you're rocking an RTX 2080 / Ti / SUPER, then this is what you can expect from a current-gen offering if you're ever lucky enough to find an RTX 5080 in stock.

• A new update for Cyberpunk 2077 called Patch 2.21 has been released.
• The patch includes NVIDIA's new DLSS 4 that offers improved performance.
• Additionally, it also features lots of bugfixes for all of the game's platforms.

Early on Thursday morning, Cyberpunk 2077 — CD PROJEKT RED's popular 2020 sci-fi open-world RPG — got a brand new Patch 2.21 update that introduces a new feature on PC and fixes a ton of different bugs. The patch is available to download now on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5, and has a file size of roughly 20GB.

The most significant addition of the update is support for NVIDIA's new DLSS 4 software on PC, which is the latest iteration of its performance-enhancing Super Resolution tech. DLSS uses a combination of AI-driven resolution upscaling and frame generation (only available with DLSS 3+ and NVIDIA's previous RTX 4000 GPUs) to significantly boost framerates while minimizing the loss of visual quality as much as possible, and DLSS 4 does this more effectively and efficiently than previous versions. DLSS 4 also sports an upgraded from of frame generation exclusive to the new RTX 5000 "Blackwell" graphics cards called Multi-Frame Generation that empowers NVIDIA's AI to generate multiple "fake" frames between natively rendered ones instead of just one.

Notably, this patch comes just a week before NVIDIA's flagship RTX 5090 and 5080 GPUs are scheduled to drop on January 30, and on the same day that RTX 5090 reviews dropped (our review is live, too). Be sure to check out our guide on where to buy RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 to improve your chances.

Even if you're using an older RTX card, though, the benefits of DLSS 4 seem to be pretty significant; early testing shows noticeably better image quality, and NVIDIA says you can look forward to better stability, performance, and lower memory usage thanks to its new Transformer model, too. Note that by the time the new GPUs release, DLSS 4 should be supported in 75+ games, including many recent releases like STALKER 2 and Alan Wake 2.

Aside from DLSS 4, Patch 2.21 also includes a plethora of noteworthy fixes for various different bugs and glitches that still remained after Cyberpunk 2077's previous update. Most of these were for issues with the Photo Mode, but Vehicle Color Customization, Character Creation, and many other miscellaneous problems were resolved as well.

Xbox Series X|S users will also be happy to hear that CD PROJEKT RED has taken care of bugs with SmartFrames — the feature that allows you to display taken screenshots as photographs in V's apartment — that were exclusively affecting Microsoft's consoles. The worst one was an issue that caused screenshots taken with HDR on to appear blank, though there was also a glitch that stopped deleted images from being removed from the in-game Gallery menu. For the full patch notes, check the section below.

All in all, it's great to see DLSS 4 start rolling out, and based on what I've seen of its performance in initial tests and RTX 5000 reviews, it's clear that it brings some very substantial improvements to NVIDIA's already impressive Super Resolution tech. I'm also always happy to see Cyberpunk 2077 get new bugfixes; it's amazing to see how far CD PROJEKT RED has taken the game after its disastrous 2020 launch, both with patches like these and with the sizable Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty DLC. There's never been a better time to jump in if you haven't already, especially with huge discounts knocking the Ultimate Edition (the one that includes the base game and Phantom Liberty) down to just $37.19 at CDKeys (PC) and $44.59 at CDKeys (Xbox).

Cyberpunk 2077 Patch 2.1: Patch notes

Here are the full patch notes for Cyberpunk 2077's new Patch 2.1 update, taken directly from CD PROJEKT RED's own website.

Photo Mode

• Nibbles and Adam Smasher can now be spawned while V is in the air or in water.
• Fixed the Facial Expression option for Adam Smasher.
• Fixed an issue where Adam Smasher's glowing chest cyberware was missing.
• Fixed an issue where, if Johnny's Alternate Appearance was enabled, both options to spawn him (default and alternate) resulted in the alternate look.
• Characters spawned while V is in the air or in water will no longer snap to the ground.
• Characters will now be properly saved in presets.
• Spawned characters will now be visible after adding a background.
• V's rotation and position will now be properly saved in presets.
• Fixed an issue where adjusting the Up/Down slider for V wouldn't change their position between certain values.
• NPCs that turn invisible after disabling the Surrounding NPCs option will no longer have collision.
• Fixed an issue where loading a preset could cause additional light sources to appear even when disabled, or spawn them in incorrect positions.
• Fixed an issue where the camera could get stuck on walls after setting Full Collision to ON.
• Fixed an issue where camera settings would only apply after loading a saved preset twice.
• Enabling a background will no longer change camera position.
• Rotating the camera will now work properly with a background enabled.
• Fixed an issue where the prompts for Move Camera and Rotate Camera would appear when the camera cannot be moved (e.g. when using the First-Person Perspective camera).
• Fixed an issue where it wasn't possible to move the camera after spawning a character while highlighting the Edit Character option.
• Disabling Chromatic Aberration in the Graphics settings will no longer affect the ability to adjust it.
• Fixed an issue where some items in scenes disappeared after setting the Surrounding NPCs option to OFF.
• Fixed an issue where enabling PhysX Cloth would unfreeze NCPD vehicles.
• The rule of thirds grid will now properly adapt to the selected aspect ratio.
• Fixed an issue where the image in a SmartFrame wouldn't be visible if accessed while V was not facing it.
• Fixed an issue where opening Photo Mode simultaneously with Wardrobe or Stash caused the game to become unresponsive.
• Fixed an issue where it was possible to access Photo Mode before a save file fully loaded, causing it to open without UI and block any further action.
• Fixed other minor Photo Mode issues related to spawned characters, camera movement, controls, and more.
• Fixed various UI issues in Photo Mode, SmartFrames and Gallery menus, including slider inconsistencies, localization errors, missing sound effects, incorrect behavior when interacting with certain features, and more.

Vehicle Color Customization

• Fixed several texture and color inconsistencies for vehicles that have CrystalCoat applied.
• Fixed an issue where the explanation of the spray paint icon was missing in the Autofixer tutorial pop-up after a vehicle contract was completed.
• Fixed several minor UI issues in the CrystalCoat and TwinTone menus.

Character Customization

• Randomizer settings in Character Creation will now be preserved after advancing to the Customize Attributes step.
• Fixed an issue where the Piercing Color option would not be available in Character Creation after enabling piercings if V initially had none.
• Fixed other minor issues in Character Creation, including appearance options not applying correctly, visual clipping, inconsistent UI behavior, functionality issues after using the randomizer, and more.

Miscellaneous

• Run This Town - Fixed an issue where, under certain circumstances, it wasn't possible to deactivate the Aguilar imprint after meeting with Bennett.
• Fixed several instances where Johnny could appear duplicated in the passenger seat during some quests when he was already present in the scene.
• Fixed an issue where Johnny did not appear as a passenger often enough.
• Introduced several fixes to NPC and vehicle behavior for various small events throughout Night City.
• Fixed an issue where some vendors were not interactable as intended.
• Fixed an issue where voiceovers on TV news channels could be missing or too quiet.
• Fixed an issue where the Quadra Turbo-R V-Tech used a description of Quadra Turbo-R 740 instead of its own unique one.
• Fixed the missing 2.2 "check what's new" pop-up in the main menu.

Console-specific

• Fixed an issue where screenshots appeared as blank in the Gallery on Xbox if they were taken with HDR10 enabled.
• Added a pop-up in the Gallery to notify players when access to screenshots is blocked by the console's privacy settings on Xbox.
• Screenshots deleted on Xbox outside the Gallery UI will now be correctly marked in the Gallery and will disappear from occupied slots after reopening the Gallery.
• Fixed an issue where the Graphics Mode on Xbox Series S could be set to Quality instead of Performance by default.

PC-specific

• Added support for DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation for GeForce RTX 50 Series graphics cards, which boosts FPS by using AI to generate up to three times per traditionally rendered frame – enabled with GeForce RTX 50 Series on January 30th. DLSS 4 also introduces faster single Frame Generation with reduced memory usage for RTX 50 and 40 Series. Additionally, you can now choose between the CNN model or the new Transformer model for DLSS Ray Reconstruction, DLSS Super Resolution, and DLAA on all GeForce RTX graphics cards today. The new Transformer model enhances stability, lighting, and detail in motion.
• Fixed artifacts and smudging on in-game screens when using DLSS Ray Reconstruction.
• The Frame Generation field in Graphics settings will now properly reset after switching Resolution Scaling to OFF.

• Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.2 is available now.
• This update adds the ability to customize the colors of any cars.
• Players can also customize V with new options.

The world of Night City just got a bit more colorful.

Update 2.2 for Cyberpunk 2077 is available now, introducing a new suite of customization options that allow players to better embody their version of V. Players can now change the colors of any cars they use in-game, tweaking it until they exactly the color scheme they'd like. This even has a gameplay benefit, as changing the color on a car after being chased by the police will make it harder (but not impossible) to get caught.

Players can also change up V in new ways, with plenty of new eye, cheek, makeup, and tattoo options that can be combined to create an all-new mercenary in Night City. You can find the full patch notes for Update 2.2 below:

Cars

• New car customization options and features:
  • Rayfield's CrystalCoat™ technology, initially designed for Rayfield vehicles only, has now been adopted by other car manufacturers. You can now change the paint jobs on Herrera, Mizutani, Quadra and Villefort vehicles. Pro tip: Use CrystalCoat™ to fool the cops and lower your NCPD wanted level!
  • Kiroshi presents TWINTONE™! As CrystalCoat™ continues to in gain popularity, TWINTONE™ takes your paint jobs to the next level. Simply scan a car with your Kiroshi optics, switch to the TWINTONE™ tab, then save the vehicle's color scheme for a small fee. You'll then be able to select the scheme in the TWINTONE™ database under the CrystalCoat™ menu. There, you'll also find generic color schemes for all CrystalCoat™-compatible vehicles as well as unique color schemes exclusive to the vehicle model from which they were copied. Please note that color scheme cloning is not authorized on vehicles that are linked to quests, belong to the NCPD or that are incompatible with CrystalCoat™ tech.
  • Following Act 1, Johnny will now sometimes appear in the passenger seat while V is driving to comment on and react to what's happening.
• New cars for purchase
  • Mizutani Shion MZ1
  • Mizutani Shion Targa MZT
  • Thorton Galena GA32t
  • Thorton Colby CST40
  • Archer Quartz EC-L r275
  • Quadra Type-66 640 TS
  • Quadra Type-66 680 TS
  • Mizutani Hozuki MH2
  • Villefort Deleon V410-S Coupe (Phantom Liberty only)
  • Mahir Supron FS3-T (Phantom Liberty only)

Photo mode

• Drone Camera is now a free camera instead of an orbital camera centered around V.
• Increased camera range.
• Full Collision (ON/OFF) - determines whether the camera respects in-game object collisions.
• Lock Camera (ON/OFF) - locks the camera to avoid misclicking and ruining the frame.
• Precise Camera (ON/OFF) - slows the camera down for easier aiming.
• Aspect Ratio (PC-only. Custom-resolution screenshots are not available on consoles. Console systems can only export images in the standard 16:9 format.)
• Characters tab: Spawn up to 3 NPCs for your photo, with a list of over 20 characters to choose from. You can adjust their expression, pose and position.
• Lighting tab: Spawn and adjust light sources.
• Fixed the Depth of Field ghosting issue.
• Added an Effect Intensity slider.
• SmartFrames™ by Kiroshi allows you to display your Photo Mode shots in-game by interacting with the picture frames in V's apartments. Browse your photo collection in the new Gallery menu tab located alongside Journal, Shards and Tarot. The Gallery pulls .png images from the screenshots folder on your PC or from your console gallery. For more details on SmartFrames™ and the Gallery, see this Support article.

Character customization

• 32 eye colors
• 18 lip makeup types
• 17 nail colors
• 10 cheek makeup types
• 16 eye makeup types
• 4 face scars
• 5 eyebrow shapes
• 4 face tattoos
• 2 body tattoos
• 8 cosmetic face cyberware options
• Upgraded the Character Creator randomizer to feature a new Plain-to-Punk slider. Whether you're aiming for an understated, casual look or a bold, edgy style for your V, you can now use the slider to strike the perfect balance.
• Added more secrets to discover in Night City.

Quests and Open World

• Rephrased objectives for quests that tell you to wait a specific amount of time to progress. The game is designed in a way that doesn't always allow players to simply skip in-game time to advance the objective, instead requiring them continue playing to trigger the next event.
• Cyberpsycho Sighting: Where the Bodies Hit the Floor - Fixed an issue where no shard could be found on the cyberpsycho's body, blocking progress.
• Dream On - The Trauma Team AV on the roof will now be properly hidden in stealth mode.
• Heroes - Fixed an issue where the quest, despite being completed, could remain marked as incomplete in the Journal with the optional objectives "Talk to Padre" and "Talk to the Valentinos."

Phantom Liberty

• Balls to the Wall - Fixed an issue where it was impossible to exit the elevator and talk to Yuri because of an invisible wall.
• Firestarter - Fixed an issue where fast travel could be blocked if the player saved the game soon after exiting Reed's car.
• Gig: Waiting for Dodger - After being freed, Bill and Charles will now be more mindful of their driving and avoid running over Dodger’s goons, preventing any unnecessary combat.
• Hi Ho Silver Lining - The VIP section in the Heavy Hearts club will now be accessible to players who couldn't meet with Mr. Hands due to a keycard being required to use the elevator.
• I've Seen That Face Before - The garage door preventing players from reaching the meeting point will now be open.
• Run This Town - The elevator in the Heavy Hearts club is now back in service, so V can finally meet with Mr. Hands.
• Somewhat Damaged - Fixed an issue where the prompt to unplug the cables from the Neural Network system was missing.
• The Killing Moon - Fixed the issue of a wall blocking the path when carrying Songbird to the shuttle.

Gameplay

• Fixed one of the katana finisher animations so that it properly decapitates enemies.
• Iconic Synapse Burnout and Iconic System Collapse quickhacks will now be properly affected by the RAM cost reduction buff.
• The icons for Tier 5+ and 5++ Behavioral Imprint-synced Faceplate will now be visible on the HUD while driving.
• Fixed an issue causing the Synaptic Accelerator to stay active indefinitely if the player is detected while not in combat.
• The car horn will no longer honk when the player reloads a weapon during vehicle combat while playing with a controller.
• Fixed an issue where the NCPD could stop functioning properly after V engages in a shootout in Pacifica between the Voodoo Boys and Trauma Team.

Miscellaneous

• Fixed an issue where TV program sound was muted or too quiet.
• Fixed an issue where CrystalCoat™did not apply properly after entering a vehicle.
• Due to popular demand, we've lowered the Trauma Drama high scores.
• Adjusted V’s mouth movement in various scenes, including the endings.
• Fixed the issue of voiceover cutoff during the Ebunike station announcement on NCART.
• Fixed ray-traced shadows for V in Photo Mode.

Windows PC only

• You will now be able to properly rebind W and S to different actions other than their default settings in the Vehicle category.
• Optimized threading system to improve performance by up to 33% on Intel Arrow Lake based CPUs.
• Added more Razer Chroma effects for some sections in Phantom Liberty and romance scenes.

Cyberpunk 2077 isn't done growing yet

Four years after the initial rough launch, Cyberpunk 2077 is still getting new updates and features to keep things fresh.

This level of dedication is commendable, and the effort is clearly paying off, as CD Projekt recently reported that Cyberpunk 2077 has crossed 30 million copies sold, with the Phantom Liberty expansion over 8 million copies sold.

With CD Projekt RED primarily focused on the next Witcher game, it's going to be a minute before we see another installment in the Cyberpunk universe, but I'll be eagerly awaiting it whenever it happens.

Cyberpunk 2077 and Phantom Liberty are currently available on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5, while a Mac version is in development.

What you need to know

• Cyberpunk 2077 has crossed 30 million copies sold.
• The game first launched in December 2020 to divisive opinions over a number of bugs, glitches, and other issues, with CD Projekt RED updating the game over the following months and years.
• Cyberpunk 2077's expansion, Phantom Liberty, launched in September 2023 and has sold over 8 million copies so far.
• CD Projekt RED is now in full production on the next Witcher game.

We've got some big updates on two massive gaming franchises.

Polish publisher CD Projekt shared on Tuesday that Cyberpunk 2077 has crossed 30 million copies sold, while its expansion Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty has crossed eight million copies sold. This is up an additional five million copies for the base game from the last milestone given back in October 2023, while Phantom Liberty has nearly sold an additional four million copies since November 2023.

Alongside this sales update, CD Projekt confirmed that the development team on Polaris (the codename for the next Witcher game) have moved into full development.

"I’m proud to confirm that several weeks ago the Polaris team wrapped up preproduction and moved on to full-scale production – the most intensive phase of development. We are very pleased with our progress on this project, and I wish to thank the team for its dedication," says Michał Nowakowski, joint CEO of CD Projekt.

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Analysis: With an impressive turnaround complete, CD Projekt is prepped for the future

Cyberpunk 2077 has had a long road to its current success. The game's development was troubled, with a launch pushed before the title was ready, especially on last-generation consoles.

Years of patches and updates later — as well as reinvigorated popularity thanks to Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, an animated series and one of the best video game adaptations ever — it's considered one of the best games available. That only became more true with the launch of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, an expansion that tells a spy thriller story as V gets drawn into a dark web of mystery.

With Cyberpunk's turnaround solidified, it'll be interesting to see how things go with the next Witcher game. Little is currently known, although we know this game is meant to kick off a new trilogy. Additionally, it seems abundantly clear it won't be starring Geralt of Rivia, the White Wolf and main protagonist of the first three games.

Further out, CD Projekt RED is working on a number of other projects, both in-house and with partner studios. A team in the company's Boston office is working on a sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, led by members of the team that helmed Phantom Liberty. Meanwhile, Fool's Theory (a studio that was amusingly founded by former CD Projekt RED developers) is working with CD Projekt RED on a remake of the original Witcher.

What you need to know

• Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is an critially acclaimed animated Netflix series set in the same universe as the Cyberpunk 2077 game. 
• Recently Netflix and CD Projekt Red have teased a new expansion to the Cyberpunk animated universe.
• Today they dropped a Special Announcement trailer confirming it's existence with the caption "Return to Night City."

Wake up Chooms — it's time for some Cyberpunk news! If you are one of the millions that enjoyed Cyberpunk: Edgerunners when it launched on Netflix in 2022, you'll be grateful to know we can expect more from the animated Cyberpunk Universe, as CD Projekt Red and Netflix just dropped a new trailer. It tells us absolutely nothing other than we will be returning to Night City, but here's the trailer anyway, so you can be tortured too. 

Netflix x CDPR x Cyberpunk will not be an Edgerunners sequel

As you can see, the trailer doesn't give much away about this new Cyberpunk animation, but it's unlikely we will be getting a direct sequel to Edgerunners, as creators Studio Trigger have already confirmed they have no plans to produce this. This new trailer comes during Netflix's Geeked Week event and just confirms that whatever we are getting is going to take place in Night City.

Right now, we expect the new animation to feature an entirely new story and characters in the Cyberpunk 2077 universe, and it's unconfirmed which animation studio will be leading the project. 

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Could this be another resurgence for Cyberpunk 2077? 

The release of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners on Netflix in September 2022 coincided with the launch of the Patch 1.6 Edgerunners update, which brought a host of new features, improvements, and content inspired by the anime. The simultaneous release of the anime and this update had a significant positive impact on Cyberpunk 2077, which previously had gone through a rocky launch to say the least. Following the overwhelmingly positive reception to both the anime and the game update Cyberpunk 2077 rose to new heights with a resurgence in players hitting over 1 million a day. Cyberpunk 2077 even hit a milestone of 20 million copies sold, and all of this came over 2 years after its launch woes.

Cyberpunk 2077 has undoubtedly been on an impressive upward trajectory since this moment, hitting 25 million copies sold following the launch of its first expansion Phantom Liberty. Given the significant change in the direction for Cyberpunk 2077 following the Edgerunners anime and update launches, it's reasonable to speculate that the upcoming new anime project set in Night City could have a similar impact. If the new series captures the same level of storytelling, animation quality, and connection to the game's universe, it could reignite interest in Cyberpunk 2077 once again. Especially if it's cleverly timed with another update or drop of cosmetic items.

We hope to find out more info on the project soon. 

What you need to know

• CD Projekt RED and its partner Go On Board have been teasing Cyberpunk 2077 — The Board Game for months, and now you can finally reserve your own copy.
• This massive, detailed board game lets you and your friends embark on custom adventures through Night City, with hours of content and replayability.
• The board game's crowdfunding campaign started today, and in just 10 minutes hit 100% of its funding goals.
• Less than six hours later and the campaign is at well over 1,000% funding, with every single stretch goal reached.

One of the most epic redemption stories in video games in years is Cyberpunk 2077, which is now absolutely among the very best open-world, sci-fi RPGs you can play. CP2077 creators CD Projekt RED have been teasing a new way to adventure through the universe of Cyberpunk 2077 alongside its partner, Go On Board, and now fans have the opportunity to help make it real. Cyberpunk 2077 — The Board Game just kicked off its crowdfunding campaign, available to back from $79 at GameFound.

It didn't take long to succeed either. The official CP2077 board game reached 100% of its $100,000 funding goal in just 10 minutes in four seconds. In four hours it reached 1,000% of its funding goal and achieved all 20 of its aspirational community stretch goals. With over two weeks still on the clock, the board game shows no signs of slowing down, nearing $1.3 million in funding at time of writing. That's a crazy accomplishment, and it means you're guaranteed to get your board game if you join the campaign.

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Embarking on your own adventure through Night City

Cyberpunk 2077 — The Board Game is the latest project from Go On Board, which also created board game adaptations in the Witcher universe. This is an incredibly complex and deep board game that comes with a whole lot of pieces, cards, and rules, but that complexity offers an absurd level of replayability with over 30 hours of content in the base game.

You and up to three friends can roleplay as V, Judy, Panam, or Jackie and embark on 13 different quests in Night City. You'll have to overcome a wide variety of challenges to succeed, spending your time between missions wisely to upgrade your character and equipment. Go On Board states that you can play the game in 60-90 minute sessions, letting you return time and time again with your friends.

Even once you've gone through the extensive amount of curated content, there are ways to keep the fun going by customizing your own missions and campaigns. It's honestly hard for me to wrap my mind around how big this game is, as I don't have a lot of experience with roleplaying board games like this.

Quality is the name of the game here, with Go On Board designing a board game that should stand the test of time while also perfectly capturing the aesthetic and vibe of the CP2077 universe. The board game honestly looks awesome, and it'll be available in multiple different language translations, as well. You can see just how big this game is in the image above, which showcases the absurd number of board pieces, miniatures, cards, and information in the box.

Go On Board and CD Projekt RED intend to begin shipping Cyberpunk 2077 — The Board Game in Dec. 2025 in English, with other language translations following three months later. Go On Board is an independently financed company that has some experience designing, manufacturing, and shipping board games at this point, so the crowdfunding campaign comes with a lot of guarantees on shipping protections, board game quality, and more.

Speaking of that campaign...

A critical success for the campaign, and more to come

Go On Board crowdfunds all its projects on the site GameFound, and Cyberpunk 2077 — The Board Game had its initial funding goal set to $100,000, with 20 potential stretch goals. Like most crowdfunding campaigns, it came with a guarantee — you'd only be charged if the campaign reached its funding goal before the end date. Well, that was never a concern with this board game, it seems.

Cyberpunk 2077's official board game reached 100% of its funding goal in a blisteringly quick 10 minutes and 4 seconds. By the time I learned the campaign had started it was already soaring well past that goal. Four hours later, the campaign had amassed over $1,000,000 in funding and hit all 20 of the community stretch goals. It's still going, too; there are 17 days left in the campaign, so who knows just how high it'll reach.

Because of that, the board game we're getting will actually be better and bigger than the original plan. Some of those upgrades apply to the game as a whole, others are exclusive to crowdfunding backers, and the rest will be made available as optional add-ons when the game goes to retail (but will obviously be included at no additional cost for backers).

This includes higher-quality construction. Now, the CP2077 board game will have thicker cards with a linen finish, there will be an organizer included for components, the box has gotten an upgrade, and the Deluxe Edition will get a bonus protective sleeve for the box. We're also getting Takemura as a new playable character, two new missions, a ton of extra upgrades and weapons, another enemy type, and more.

This is in addition to the V with Mantis Blade figure and Johnny Silverhand Relic miniature that are included as a crowdfunding backer exclusive. The Standard Edition is available to back for $79 at GameFound, while the Deluxe Edition with higher-quality pieces and miniatures can be backed for $139. Go On Board has also hinted that new stretch goals may be in the works given how quickly the campaign reached all the original ones.

Not the only fascinating video game board game you can back

There's actually another really fascinating video game-related board game in the works right now, and time is running out to get in on the ground floor. Console Wars: The Card Game pokes fun at the console tribalism by pitting players against each other in a race to collect valuable video games franchises and build loyal communities. Early impressions of the game have been very positive, and everything I've seen of the game looks awesome.

In fact, my colleague Jennifer Young had an opportunity to play the Console Wars game at Gamescom 2024 and she loved it. This project doesn't have the same brand power as Cyberpunk 2077, but it still reached 100% of its crowdfunding goal and is officially happening. Time is running out to back this project though, and there are still stretch goals to reach! I'd love to see this game see even a fraction of the success the Cyberpunk 2077 board game is, so if you're interested in checking it out you can back Console Wars: The Card Game from $27 at Kickstarter.

What you need to know

• Cyberpunk 2077 launched back in 2020 due to poor reception due to bugs, glitches, and performance problems. 
• After years of patches, updates, and an awesome DLC/Expansion in Liberty City, Cyberpunk is one of the best games and experiences you can have in gaming. 
• The free trial is for Xbox Series X|S and PS5 players. It starts on March 28th at 8 a.m. PDT and ends on March 31st at 11:59 p.m. PDT.
• You can play anytime during the trial period but can only play 5 hours total for the trial period.
  

Cyberpunk 2077. A masterpiece of a game that was hindered by so many issues at launch that the beauty of Night City, the horror of the macabre future it depicts, and the awesome storyline were all lost to the noise of outrage. If you were swayed back in 2020 to not purchase or try out Cyberpunk 2077, now is a great time to rectify that by trying out a free trial that is heading to current-generation consoles this upcoming weekend. 

If you want to know more about our thoughts on Cyberpunk 2077, check out our review of the original game, as well as our review of the outstanding Phantom Liberty expansion. 

How can I play Cyberpunk 2077 for free?

As you can see from the image above, there isn't a ton of information needed to know about the free trial. It is available for Xbox Series X|S and PS5 players. You don't need a subscription to play it (likely referring to a PS+ or Xbox Game Pass Core subscription) and it runs from 8 a.m. PDT on March 28th to 11:59 p.m. on March 31st. Finally, it's worth noting that you can only play for a total of 5 hours. 

While the information about the trial is easily digestible and doesn't require much extra explanation, I do want to attempt to persuade everybody I can to try out and play this game. I beat Cyberpunk 2077 a couple of years ago and still remember it being one of my favorite games. I haven't had time to go back and play Phantom Liberty yet, but I know it will be well worth my time when I do. 

It's possible that some people have played the game on PC but haven't been able to try it out on a console yet. I was surprised how well the game runs on my Xbox Series X and that is where I played my entire play through, so it might be worth trying out the free trial just to see how the game performs for yourself. 

Is Cyberpunk 2077 worth playing in 2024?

With the recent Phantom Liberty expansion that came out at the end of 2023, the CP2077 2.0 update was released for the base Cyberpunk 2077 game and made it a completely different experience than when it launched. The patch revamped perks and skill trees, enhanced combat (including on vehicles), overhauled police and combat AI, and made the entire game more of a sandbox action game. 

I recommend giving the game another try if you bounced off it back in 2020 or 2021. It is a unique experience with memorable characters and great acting that immerse you in the game. The entire game is dripping in ambiance and, similar to the fantastic Cyberpunk Edgerunner's anime, allows the beauty of hope and friendship to shine through a dreadful, forsaken, and fallen future that poignantly magnifies the worst parts of the human condition. 

Cyberpunk 2077 is not an expensive game at this point, you can grab a copy from the links below, but I would personally recommend playing the trial, and if you like it grab the Base game and Phantom Liberty DLC bundle\Ultimate Edition to play the game and get the best experience possible. You can get the Xbox version of the Ultimate edition at Best Buy, or the Steam version of the game at GoG.com.

If you go into Cyberpunk 2077 with an open mind and the right attitude, I can almost guarantee you will have an amazing experience, and hey, you can't beat the low, low price of free during this trial weekend. I'll see you in Night City. 

What you need to know

• A new update is on the way for Cyberpunk 2077. 
• Update 2.1 is bringing even more features to the game, including the ability to use the metro system for transit. 
• Other additions include reworked boss fights, hangouts with romance options, and the ability to take the radio on the go.
• Update 2.1 is slated to arrive for Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5 on Dec. 5, 2023. 

Cyberpunk 2077 just keeps on growing. 

CD Projekt RED shared some details on what players can expect for Cyberpunk 2077 in a Twitch stream (that's also been recapped on the official forums) on Friday. Update 2.1, the next major update for the game, is adding the metro system, allowing players to ride the trams as a form of fast travel. There's accompanying scenes, but these can be skipped if players choose. 

Other big additions in this patch come in the form of boss fight reworks. Of particular note is Adam Smasher, who is getting some major buffs to make him a far more threatening foe, including allowing him to use the Sandevistan. Motorcycles are getting a fairly major boost as well, with the ability to use throwing weapons while on these vehicles. 

You'll also be able to listen to the radio on the go, meaning the music doesn't stop when you get off of your bike or our of your car. The music will turn off automatically in important cutscenes, in order to make sure key dialogue isn't drowned out.

While the team at CD Projekt RED didn't show it off in action, players will also be getting the much-requested ability to hangout with their chosen romance options. The team teased that are a couple of surprises in the update as well, but there's no details as to what these could be. 

When does Cyberpunk 2077 update 2.1 arrive?

Update 2.1 is slated to launch for Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5 on Dec. 5, 2023, coinciding with the launch of the game's physical ultimate edition. This naturally bundles in the Phantom Liberty expansion, which has sold 4.3 million copies so far. This physical copy includes everything so far on disc if you buy the Xbox Series X version, making it similar to the upcoming deluxe edition of Baldur's Gate 3 as a collector's item.

Analysis: The comeback that can't stop

I have to admit that after the expansion arrived, I thought most of the major additions to Cyberpunk 2077 were behind us. I'm happy to be wrong, and all of these changes seem great. I'm looking forward to walking around listening to "I Want To Stay At Your House" for the billionth time before I go hang out with Judy. 

If you haven't played it yet, be sure to check out my review of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, where I wrote that "If, like me, you were let down in various ways by the original game, then Phantom Liberty will be much more to your liking. It's not perfect, but it made me appreciate my time in Night City and may be enough to elevate Cyberpunk 2077 to our list of the best Xbox games. I'm more interested than ever in where this studio goes with this dystopian vision of the future. "

What you need to know

• Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is an expansion that launched back in September 2023. 
• As part of the company's Q3 2023 results, CD Projekt shared that Phantom Liberty reached 4.3 million copies sold. 
• Developer CD Projekt RED is now allocating the majority of its developers to work on the next Witcher game, which is meant to kick off a trilogy. 
• Across internal development teams and external partners, CD Projekt RED is also working on a remake of the first Witcher game and a stylized Witcher spinoff.

The resurgence of Cyberpunk 2077 continues. 

CD Projekt shared its Q3 2023 financial results on Tuesday, revealing that Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty has sold 4.3 million copies so far, which helped contribute to the best Q3 period in the company's history. This is up from 3 million copies sold, which was the milestone the expansion reached just days after launch.

The publisher says this is a 20% attach rate, math that seems to check out when accounting for the fact that the expansion isn't available on the Xbox One or PlayStation 4 versions of Cyberpunk 2077. Additionally, CD Projekt RED reported profitability of 51.1% for the quarter.

In my review of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, I wrote "The storyline is gripping from the beginning, and integrates naturally into the main path of the base game. Protagonist V is drawn into cloak-and-dagger wetwork with a compelling cast of characters, all of which have their own agendas. This synergizes with the free 2.0 update, which brings a heavy rework to the perks, improved police chases, a new system for Cyberware, and more."

What's next for CD Projekt RED?

With Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty available now on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5, CD Projekt RED is working on shipping an ultimate physical edition of the game. Outside of that, the largest team at the company is now working on the next Witcher game, codenamed Polaris. Not much is known about the title, but it's being developed with Unreal Engine 5 and is meant to be the first game in a new trilogy. 

At internal studio The Molasses Flood, work is continuing on another spinoff in the Witcher franchise, though the team restarted development after being hit with layoffs earlier in the year. CD Projekt RED has also partnered with an external developer, Fool's Theory, to create a remake of the first Witcher game using Unreal Engine 5.

Analysis: Going dark for a bit

Outside of continued sales milestones for already-released games, I expect it'll be a little while before we hear anything from CD Projekt RED about the next Witcher game, though I do expect it'll be the next project we hear about, considering how work on the remake seems to be extremely early and the spinoff from The Molasses Flood was recently rebooted. 

For Cyberpunk 2077, its comeback now seems drawn in iron, and sales from Phantom Liberty and the Ultimate Edition of the game should help keep the company steady over the next year or so. 

What you need to know

• Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition is a new version of the game that includes all updates, patches and DLCs released so far, including the critically acclaimed Phantom Liberty.
• The Ultimate Edition will launch physically and digitally on December 5, 2023 for Xbox consoles, PlayStation consoles and Windows PC. The physical edition for PlayStation appears to only have a download code for the expansion rather than a physical disc.
• The price of the Ultimate Edition is $59.99 / £49.99 / €59.99 and you can pre-order right now from Target in the US.

Cyberpunk 2077's launch was a wild ride, no doubt about it, but ever since the Edgerunners DLC rolled in with a bag full of fixes, the trajectory has been nothing but upward. The latest addition to the Night City saga, Phantom Liberty, is soaking up acclaim and scoring nods in multiple Game of The Year categories.

Riding high on the renaissance, fans have eagerly been awaiting the announcement of the Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition, a culmination of all of the vast improvements made to the game in content drops, enhancements, and the Phantom Liberty expansion available in one package, and today CD Projekt Red announced that it's dropping on December 5, 2023. This will mark the first physical released of Cyberpunk 2077 for next-gen consoles.

While the majority are hyped up, ready to dive into the neon-soaked sprawl for the advertised price of $59.99, some PlayStation players are making their discontent heard. The bone of contention? The Phantom Liberty DLC in the physical edition of the Ultimate package is merely a download code, a stark contrast to the Xbox version, which gets everything on a silver disc.

Why does the PlayStation physical version of Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate edition require a digital download?

There's been a lot of chatter over on socials about the reasons for Xbox getting everything on a disc and PlayStation not receiving the same treatment, however, the developers have come out and confirmed it's purely due to technical differences between the platforms.

John Linneman, writer over at Digital Foundry and Eurogamer has also provided more context as to why there is a difference in how the DLC has been handled between each platform. Simply put Sony does not allow DLC on a disc such as this without building a new SKU for the product which causes extra time and work for the developers in resubmitting the game for approval. It appears at this stage that to get both editions out at the same time, CD Projekt Red has decided to offer the DLC as a download code instead specifically the physical version of the Ultimate Edition.

This has happened with other Ultimate Editions in the past such as The Witcher 3, and while not ideal for collectors of physical games it's understandable given the context and limited margins CD Projekt Red is no doubt working with when selling physical games.

Gear up for the Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition launching on December 6, priced at $59.99 / £49.99 / €59.99. It's bound to hit all the major gaming outlets, but right now is available to preorder at Target.

What you need to know

• Exactly one month after the release of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, a new CP2077 patch update is here.
• Cyberpunk 2077 2.02 fixes a ton of issues inside and outside the Phantom Liberty expansion, including with quests.
• There are performance improvements, and save files are more stable and less likely to become corrupted.
• Several weapons are also being rebalanced, while localization audio quality is improving for multiple languages.

The massive Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 update release a month ago, now, but that doesn't mean CD Projekt RED is done updating its open-world sci-fi RPG. The redemption arc continues with the release of the 2.02 patch update, which is now rolling out to all Cyberpunk 2077 players across current-gen consoles and Windows PC.

If you're rocking Cyberpunk 2077 on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, or a capable gaming PC, prepare for a slew of changes, fixes, and improvements.

You can check out the full changelog at the link above, but I'll summarize the most important parts of the new patch update. A lot of quest-related issues within the Phantom Liberty expansion are being fixes, and skipping the main game to go straight to the expansion is now more stable. Several quests and gigs in the main game are also enjoying some fixes to avoid progression blocks and issues, so it's not all about Phantom Liberty here.

Elsewhere, several weapons have been rebalanced in accordance with community feedback, and several aspects of crafting, quick hacking, progression, and NPC behavior have been tweaked, improved, or updated to remove exploits. The PC version of CP2077 is now better at detecting mismatched or corrupted scripts (and informing you), while the console versions now wait until a save is completed and validated before deleting the old one — massively reducing the risk of save file corruption.

There are tons of minor fixes and optimizations, including for overall performance, stability, animations, and effects, but players who speak certain languages should be excited about this last change. Localization audio has been remastered for Chinese (Simplified), German, and Japanese to improve the quality. You love to see it.

Cyberpunk 2077 recently reached 25 million copies solid, while the Phantom Liberty expansion hit over 3 million, so the game is enjoying a massive resurgence thanks to the tireless work at CD Projekt RED to improve the game and tie-ins like the popular Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime on Netflix. If you've been waiting for a chance to play, the game has never been in a better shape. Now, it's one of the best games on Xbox and best games on PC. You can read our Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty review for more info on how great the expansion is, too.

What you need to know

• According to CD Projekt, Cyberpunk 2077 is at 25 million copies sold. 
• Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, an expansion that launched on Sep. 26, 2023, has already sold 3 million copies. 
• CD Projekt RED is currently working on a sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, as well as multiple games in The Witcher universe.

More and more players are jumping into developer CD Projekt RED's world of a dark, corporate-dominated future. 

Parent company CD Projekt shared on Thursday that Cyberpunk 2077 has reached over 25 million copies sold, up from 18 million copies sold back in April 2022. Additionally, the company shared that the Phantom Liberty expansion has already hit 3 million copies sold. 

That latter figure is significant, considering that Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty launched recently on Sep. 26, 2023. The expansion (and the free accompanying 2.0 update) are current-generation exclusive, meaning they aren't available for the Xbox One and PS4 versions of the game. 

When Cyberpunk 2077 first launched all the way back in December 2020, it saw critical praise for the world and characters, but with criticism around some parts of the writing and the massive technical issues players encountered, especially on last-generation consoles. 

In my review of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, I wrote that "Overall, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is worth your time, and aside from a small handful of blemishes, I've had a lot of fun falling in love with this dark new tale of Night City."

Analysis: The game is where it should've been

The success is deserved, and there's no denying that CD Projekt RED has poured in a ton of work to get this game to its current state, with numerous bug fixes and major updates. Anyone jumping in now is going to have a vastly superior experience to anyone that played the game at launch. It's not too often that games get to have this kind of comeback, and the developers who worked hard on this deserve all the praise possible. 

That said, I hope CD Projekt does not again make the mistake of pushing out a game that isn't ready. The team is working on multiple Witcher games and a sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, and all of them need to be given as much time and care as is needed.

I didn't love Cyberpunk 2077.

While I had fun at parts, playing when Cyberpunk 2077 first dropped in Dec. 2020 was a mixed bag, with numerous glitches and performance problems — I lost hours of progress reloading saves when T-posing NPCs would block doors or quests failed to unlock. There was also weaker writing at times than I was used to with CD Projekt RED's past games, alongside other issues. 

That background is necessary for the next part of this review to sink in fully: Phantom Liberty is a great time. The storyline is gripping from the beginning, and integrates naturally into the main path of the base game. Protagonist V is drawn into cloak-and-dagger wetwork with a compelling cast of characters, all of which have their own agendas. This synergizes with the free 2.0 update, which brings a heavy rework to the perks, improved police chases, a new system for Cyberware, and more.

Overall, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is worth your time, and aside from a small handful of blemishes, I've had a lot of fun falling in love with this dark new tale of Night City. 

While I won't spoil anything from the expansion in this review, it's impossible to talk about how well-integrated it is without mentioning some inciting events that are early in the base game.

Disclaimer: This review was made possible by a review code provided by CD Projekt RED. The company did not see the contents of this review before publishing.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty — What I liked

This is a true expansion that significantly extends Cyberpunk 2077. The way in which this game doles out quests — often requiring you to wait a day or complete some side activities before you get a call to move on — means that it's difficult to gauge the exact length of Phantom Liberty, but I'd say the expansion's main path will take around 15 hours, with another 10 or so for the various gigs and side quests that are available.

Phantom Liberty kicks off a dozen or so hours into Cyberpunk 2077, when V, struggling to stay alive due to the malfunctioning Relic in their head, receives a lifeline in the form of an offer that seems too good to be true: Aid the president of the New United States of America, and you'll get fixed up. V enters Dogtown, a previously locked-off portion of Night City under the direct control of a warlord. From there, things quickly spiral out of control. 

V makes contact with a number of characters, including the mysterious Netrunner Songbird, wetwork agent Solomon Reed, and Dogtown's chief Kurt Hansen. Everyone has their own agenda, and during the course of the story you'll have to figure out who you're going to help as well as who can best help you.

Phantom Liberty tells you not to trust anyone, then asks that you choose who you're going to trust. It's a brutal juxtaposition that perfectly encapsulates your predicament and the weight of every decision that's led this coterie on a collision course. Some of the choices here made me pause the game and walk around my living room to think, something that doesn't happen often when I'm playing through RPGs.

The personal tone of this mission and the decisions you're required to make means that Phantom Liberty ended up resonating with me a lot more than sections of the main story. You've been thrust into the howling dark, forced to act on instinct and hope in a world that provides little of the former and none of the latter. 

Even the side gigs in this expansion were interesting, with some fun scenarios that accounted for my behavior in ways the main game often didn't. At one point, I thought I'd escorted some clients to safety after talking my way through a problem, only to get caught by surprise when the guy I was trying to fool recognized I'd killed one of his enforcers. 

Phantom Liberty also gives V a new skill tree. Unlike the reworked existing trees (more on those shortly) this "Relic" tree is based around boosting combat effectiveness, and requires careful exploration to recover special data. With that data, you'll earn Relic Perk Points that can be used to enhance the deadliness of leaping with Mantis Blades and more. 

That's reflected in the new soundtrack, composed by P.T. Adamczyk & Jacek Paciorkowski. The tracks transform back and forth from moody spy tracks to snarling, angry tunes that perfectly capture the headspace that V and others are in. 

In a similar vein, the new district of Dogtown is darkly gorgeous, with much of the district consisting of the run-off from Pacifica, as trash piles high while the people cower in Blade Runner-esque slums.

While it's technically free and doesn't require Phantom Liberty, I do have to touch on the improvements brought through the Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 update. Perks have been completely rebalanced so that you unlock new "tiers" of new perks as you invest in a particular attribute. It adds additional weight to how you choose to increase your attributes, with some extremely powerful combos if you're careful with what you pick.

The ability to use some ranged weapons in vehicles is another welcome addition, one that feels incredibly natural to the game and is used to great effect throughout some side quests. 

Cyberware has also received some changes, as you now get armor directly from some pieces, while all Cyberware contributes to the overall total strain you're putting on your body's cyber-capacity. It makes a lot more sense given the narrative themes of pushing human limitations and how overloading can induce cyberpsychosis. 

Fans of police chases will be happy with the new system. As opposed to having cops spawn in rapidly (often hilariously on top of nearby buildings) you'll instead have to evade them in a manner reminiscent of Grand Theft Auto. Taking out pursuers causes things to escalate, with more and more powerful teams trying to stop you.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty — What I disliked

One thing the 2.0 update didn't fix is enemy AI in combat. Most enemies still don't take cover effectively or have tactics in general, and a couple even ran around instead of actually attacking me. It feels great to mow through enemy soldiers with heavy weapons and slash them apart with blades, but I quickly found that most encounters played out fairly similar to one another.

It's not game-breaking, but it does mean that as long as you're upgrading V and using better weapons whenever you find new gear, it's pretty hard to die if you're not facing off with a boss of some kind. 

I also ran into a couple of glitches during my playtime, with enemies suddenly, randomly growing suspicious of me during an undercover mission where I was supposed to blend it. I thought maybe I'd accidentally done something to tip them off, but it turned out to just be a bug, as reloading the save caused the mission to proceed with no issues. 

Another time, I had some weird, sustained slowdown for a few seconds when running around in Dogtown, with no other sections of the game showing any kind of performance problems. Finally, there was a Ripperdoc that I got stuck in conversation with, and the dialogue options wouldn't disappear, forcing me to reload a recent autosave.

Let me be very clear, these issues weren't even remotely in the realm of what I saw at Cyberpunk 2077's launch, but considering I had to reload a couple of saves, they warrant mentioning all the same. 

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty — Should you buy?

Phantom Liberty is the culmination of the work that CD Projekt RED has put in since Cyberpunk 2077 first arrived, coming after numerous updates and fixes. New characters and a new story flesh out the existing game in a way that punches above its weight. 

Combat can still feel overly straightforward, which is a shame because the new perk system and Cyberware balancing introduced through the 2.0 update really do make character progression more engaging. I also encountered a few glitches that caused some irritation, but the polish level is still night and day compared to playing Cyberpunk 2077 years ago on the same machine.

If, like me, you were let down in various ways by the original game, then Phantom Liberty will be much more to your liking. It's not perfect, but it made me appreciate my time in Night City and may be enough to elevate Cyberpunk 2077 to our list of the best Xbox games. I'm more interested than ever in where this studio goes with this dystopian vision of the future. 

What you need to know

• Cyberpunk 2077 is getting a massive, free 2.0 update that overhauls swathes of the game on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5.
• On Thursday, CD Projekt RED finally revealed that Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 is releasing to players on Sept. 21, 2023.
• Players can expect revamped perks and skill trees, enhanced combat (including on vehicles), overhauled police and combat AI, and a whole lot more.
• This is five days before the release of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, a major DLC expansion with hours of new content and gameplay.
• UPDATE Sept. 21, 2023: Ahead of the official launch of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, players can now download the massive CP2077 2.0 update for free.
• UPDATE Sept. 26, 2023: Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is now available to players for $29.99, adding hours of new content to the game.

UPDATE (Sept. 26, 2023): Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is officially available to players across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5. The new expansion adds hours of fresh content to Cyberpunk 2077, working in tandem with the previously release Update 2.0 to deliver an all-new RPG experience to CP2077 players. If you haven't already, be sure to read our Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty review for more information on why this expansion is so good. You can purchase the Phantom Liberty DLC for $29.99 at GOG (PC).

You can find our original article and previous updates below.

UPDATE (Sept. 21, 2023): Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 is finally, officially here! Well, it's currently in the process of rolling out to players across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5. That means it may take a while for it to propagate and appear on your respective device, but you should see it today. This massive content update is totally free and almost entirely overhauls the base game, transforming CP2077 closer to the RPG players wanted it to be when it launched in 2020.

If you want to see the full, very impressive list of changes and fixes, you can find the complete Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.0 changelog here. The update rolls out ahead of the highly-anticipated release of the sizeable Phantom Liberty DLC expansion, which adds a new area and hours of fresh content to the game. If you want to see what that's all about, be sure to read our Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty review.

For PC players, NVIDIA has rolled out a new GeForce driver (537.42) with DLSS 3.5 support for Cyberpunk 2077 2.0.

Cyberpunk 2077 is a very different game than when it released in a tumultuous, controversial state in late 2020. Nearly three years later, the game has enjoyed a ton of post-launch updates and steady support, improving the experience on all platforms. The next era of CP2077 drops the aging Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles, though, taking full advantage of current-gen hardware to implement some truly massive changes.

The major 2.0 update for Cyberpunk 2077 is a completely free patch coming to all players across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5. The update is packed with a wide variety of new features, widespread improvements, and even total overhauls to several game mechanics and systems. Now, we finally know when it's being released: Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 arrives on Sept. 21, 2023, just one week from now.

CDPR has been steadily trickling information on Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 since its showing at Gamescom 2023, and it's difficult to summarize everything that's changing here. A quick summary of what we know:

• Overhauled police system. A long-requested feature, Cyberpunk 2077 overhauls the police system to be more intense and dynamic. The police actively chase down the player, including in vehicles, and MaxTac can become involved if the player causes enough carnage. Police are also a constant presence in Night City.
• Enhanced vehicular combat. Players will now have far more options for how to engage with opponents from their vehicles, including using melee weapons, submachine guns, and health items while driving. Vehicle tires can be shot or slashed, and different vehicles will have varying levels of durability. There will also be new mounted weaponry players can find on certain vehicles, which can give them a major advantage in vehicular combat. New vehicle-related perks can also be unlocked.
• Combat AI overhaul. Combat in general is getting a huge facelift in Cyberpunk 2077 2.0, with more dynamic and intelligent enemies making combat more interesting overhaul. This will be supported by all the new weapons, gear, Cyberware, and abilities coming in Phantom Liberty.
• Overhauled Cyberware and perks. Essentially all of Cyberpunk 2077's RPG systems and upgrades are getting touched up or even completely redesigned in Cyberpunk 2077 2.0, giving players far more options for how to build their ultimate V. An increased level cap in Phantom Liberty will also make it easier to achieve higher levels of power with these more nuanced, focused build possibilities. A new Relic skill tree is also coming in Phantom Liberty.
  • Netrunning has been enhanced and expanded to make gameplay more interesting
  • Cyberware now more closely aligns with the in-game lore, and is also how players raise their armor stat
  • There are now fewer perks, but the perks that do exist enact far more meaningful changes to gameplay, with new Shards for smaller progression boosts
  • You can actually experiment with a lot of these new perks and skills with the Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty Build Planner now live on the CP2077 website
• A ridiculous number of quality-of-life improvements and fixes. Yeah, a lot is being tweaked in this update. It almost feels like an entirely different game.

Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 looks like an incredibly exciting update for the game, and it's great to see such major changes release to all players for free. Of course, this patch is also just laying the foundation for the Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty DLC expansion, which will add an all-new district to Night City alongside dozens of new missions and quests, and hundreds of new weapons, gear, and fashion items. In Windows Central's Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty preview, our Jez Corden advised players not to play CP2077 until the 2.0 update and Phantom Liberty had released, because it truly makes Cyberpunk 2077 feel like a completely new (and better) game.

Speaking of Phantom Liberty, a new cinematic trailer teasing the high emotional stakes of its story also released today, featuring Idris Elba in his starring role. You can check that out below.

Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 releases for free on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5 on Sept. 21, 2023. Five days later, the paid Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty expansion will release for the same platforms on Sept. 26. You can already preorder Phantom Liberty to get some unique bonuses, and a bundle is available that includes both the base game and Phantom Liberty. Unfortunately, neither the 2.0 update or Phantom Liberty are coming to older Xbox One or PS4 consoles, which historically were afflicted with the majority of Cyberpunk 2077's awful launch woes.

Cyberpunk 2077 has since redeemed itself and become one of the best Xbox games and best PC games you can play, especially for sci-fi RPG fans. That's less true for players still on last-gen consoles, but the game is still massively improved even there. The 2.0 update and Phantom Liberty expansion look like perfect ways to build on what Cyberpunk 2077 is now, and the changes we've seen look very good indeed. We'll have to wait until release to properly evaluate if CP2077 is now the RPG it was always meant to be, though.

What you need to know

• Cyberpunk 2077 is the latest RPG from CD Project Red, makers of the Witcher game series. Phantom Liberty, is their new expansion for Cyberpunk 2077.
• During the trailer, new weapons were revealed to players.
• Cyberpunks cyberware and existing perks have been redesigned.
• Relic skill tree is being added to the game.
• The police system has been overhauled, alongside new vehicular combat.

Cyberpunk 2077 is the latest RPG from the legendary creators of the Witcher game series, CD Projekt RED. The game focuses on the character 'V,' who battles their way across Liberty City in a play to survive a device called The Relic that's now taking over their consciousness. 

Cyberpunk 2077, and the new expansion, Phantom Liberty, feature rich RPG systems and a wide array of avenues for players to take in every mission. Topple empires through the use of force, stealth, or cybernetic hardware. 

New weapons

During the trailer, some fancy new weapons are shown off to players. These include:

• The Order: Shotgun
• Grit: Handgun
• Warden: SMG
• Osprey: Sniper Rifle
• Hercules: Special
• Rasetsu: Sniper Rifle

Redesigned Cyberware

There wasn't much listed on this, but from the trailer, it appeared much of the game's current cyberware was given new traits alongside new cosmetic designs.

New and Redesigned perks

The Cyberpunk perk system is being overhauled as well. Old perks are being revisited, and new perks are getting added. From the looks of these things, they're welcome additions to the game!

• Finisher: Blade Runner: Fiery blade finisher that leaves the enemy corpse torched and headless.
• Bullet Deflect: Deflect bullets using a melee weapon, sword.
• Opportunist: Finish enemies early.
• Airdash: Slow motion during air combat.
• Finisher: Savage Sling: Throw the bodies of your dead enemies at living foes.
• Pull: Throw and shoot your grenades mid-air to blow early near enemies.
• Deadeye: A perk that gives the player what seems to be the ability to land automatic headshots.

Relic Skill tree

The new skill tree, titled Relic, was teased as well. Giving players a glimpse at two skills that displayed the player shrouded in a digitized form.

• Launch Capacity Override: The player was shooting a small grenade launcher held directly inside the player's wrist.
• Spatial Mapping: Melee players can use this skill to close distance quickly; jump meters in fractions of a second.

Vehicle Combat

Vehicular combat showed a mix of both tech-based abilities alongside good ole' fashioned ballistic weapons. Players could hack other vehicles and cause at least three attacks:

• Self Destruct: Blow up the vehicle being hacked.
• Floor It: While this one wasn't shown, I imagine it sends the foe's vehicle hilariously speeding off.
• Emergency Brake: This skill wasn't demonstrated either, but it seems rather clear this is meant to stop enemy vehicles in pursuit from pursuing further.

During a cutscene where the player is battling the revamped police force, the character was spinning their vehicle in place, letting off hundreds of rounds from an imbedded machine gun in the car they were driving. Laying waste to everyone around them.

You can learn more by checking out our article on CyberPunk 2077's revamped police system.

2.0 Update brings more excitement to Night City

It was announced that many of the changes that are coming with Phantom Liberty will be included for free in their 2.0 update. It's safe to assume that many of the gameplay changes that were highlighted in the trailer are the components all players will get their hands on, while story content and new locations will be locked within the expansion.

Windows Central's take

After completing Cyberpunk 2077 this past spring, I felt as though the game came up short of the dreams it had set for itself. Systems never felt fully realized in an otherwise captivating take on cyberpunk noir. Phantom Liberty, and the 2.0 update, are the perfect jumping-in point for both new and returning players. I look forward to returning once more and having that experience tailored to better suit their original vision for the game.

What you need to know

• Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt RED is raising the game's system requirements on PC in three months.
• This is being done because the studio is upgrading multiple parts of the game shortly before and with the launch of its Phantom Liberty DLC releasing on September 26, 2023.
• Notably, the game won't officially support HDD storage anymore, meaning you'll need to upgrade to an SSD or else you may experience issues.
• Though the game will still technically work on the old required specs, CD Projekt RED will no longer test future game updates with them or support them.

One of the biggest upcoming releases teased during the Not-E3 weekend was Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, the one and only story DLC coming to CD Projekt RED's 2020 action RPG. Though positioned as an expansion, previews indicate that it's more accurate to treat Phantom Liberty as a massive overhaul to the complete Cyberpunk 2077 experience, with a great deal of fundamental changes, additions, and quality of life improvements included in the package.

With that context in mind, it doesn't surprise me that the developers are raising Cyberpunk 2077's system requirements on PC, with the changes slated to go live in 90 days — about two weeks from Phantom Liberty's September 26 release date. Something that I didn't see coming, though, was an end to the game's support for hard disk drives (HDDs). Once Cyberpunk 2077 is updated with the new requirements, faster solid-state drives (SSDs) will be listed as required instead of recommended.

"One of the changes is the choice to stop supporting HDDs for the minimum requirements," wrote CD Projekt RED in an official blog post. "SSDs offer faster loading times, improved streaming, and better overall performance when compared to HDDs."

While Cyberpunk 2077 is the second game to list an SSD as a requirement — Starfield, Bethesda's massive upcoming sci-fi RPG, also needs one according to its Steam Store page — it's the first to sunset HDD support completely.

Notably, the developers went on to say that the game will technically still be playable with the original minimum required specs. However, active support for those requirements will be cancelled once the new ones are live, and CD Projekt RED will cease testing further updates with those components.

As for why the game's requirements are changing, the studio says that the updated ones are more current, take newer components into account, and target resolutions of either 1080p or 4K. The new minimum requirements are specifically intended to "better represent the minimum PC configuration required to run the game at 1080p," with the developers explaining that refreshing them "is an important part of the game improvement process."

The good news is that getting your hands on a speedy SSD with lots of storage is more affordable than its ever been, especially with how often models from a year or two ago go on sale. At the time of writing, for example, you can pick up the excellent 1TB Samsung 980 Pro SSD for just $60 thanks to a 25% discount. Why not treat yourself to significantly improved loading speeds?

In the section below, we've listed all of Cyberpunk 2077's official new minimum, recommended, and ultra specs, both for ray traced and non-ray traced gameplay.

Cyberpunk 2077: New PC system requirements

Here's the complete list of Cyberpunk 2077's new system requirements. If you're an existing player, we recommend comparing them with the game's original requirements and seeing if you need some upgrades.

No ray tracing

Minimum (1080p, 30 FPS, Low preset)

• OS: 64-bit Windows 10 
• Processor: Core i7-6700 or Ryzen 5 1600
• Graphics card: Geforce GTX 1060 6GB or Radeon RX 580 8GB or Arc A380
• VRAM: 6GB
• RAM: 12GB
• Storage: 70GB SSD

Recommended (1080p, 60 FPS, High preset)

• OS: 64-bit Windows 10
• Processor: Core i7-12700 or Ryzen 7 7800X
• Graphics card: Geforce RTX 2060 Super or Radeon RX 5700 XT or Arc A770
• VRAM 8GB
• RAM: 16GB
• Storage: 70GB SSD

Ultra (2160p, 60 FPS, Ultra preset)

• OS: 64-bit Windows 10
• Processor: Core i9-12900 or Ryzen 9 7900X
• Graphics card: Geforce RTX 3080 or Radeon RX 7900 XTX
• VRAM: 12GB
• RAM: 20GB
• Storage: 70GB NVMe

Ray tracing enabled

Minimum (1080p, 30 FPS, Low ray tracing preset)

• OS: 64-bit Windows 10
• Processor: Core i9-12900 or Ryzen 9 7900X
• Graphics card: Geforce RTX 3080 or Radeon RX 7900 XTX
• VRAM: 12GB
• RAM: 20GB
• Storage: 70GB NVMe

Recommended (1080p, 60 FPS, Ultra ray tracing preset)

• OS: 64-bit Windows 10
• Processor: Core i9-12900 or Ryzen 9 7900X
• Graphics card: Geforce RTX 3080Ti or Radeon RX 7900 XTX
• VRAM: 12GB
• RAM: 20GB
• Storage: 70GB NVMe

Ultra (2160p, 60 FPS, Overdrive ray tracing preset)

• OS: 64-bit Windows 10
• Processor: Core i9-12900 or Ryzen 9 7900X
• Graphics card: Geforce RTX 3080Ti or Radeon RX 7900 XTX
• VRAM: 12GB
• RAM: 20GB
• Storage: 70GB NVMe

CD Projekt RED's Cyberpunk 2077 had quite a rough start when it launched in 2020, but since then, the game's been patched and updated frequently. The Phantom Liberty DLC is set to further transform the experience with new content and features when it releases on September 26, and may cement it as one of the best PC games for action RPG fans.

Recently, I found myself in Warsaw, Poland, on a trip to CD Projekt RED's shiny new headquarters. My mission was to join the first press hands-on for Cyberpunk 2077's massive expansion, Phantom Liberty, which will also be the game's only expansion. 

Cyberpunk 2077 was a controversial game at launch. While I personally adored the Cyberpunk 2077's review build on PC playing as a stealthy cyborg-hacking netrunner, the game was a mess on consoles, particularly the previous-gen PlayStation and Xbox. The game also sported a lot of issues with regard to playstyle balance and itemization, with some feeling as though elements of the game's marketing campaign mislead player expectations. Fast forward a couple of years, however, and the game has started to enjoy something of a renaissance. 

Buoyed by a truly excellent outing on Netflix with the anime Cyberpunk 2077: Edgerunners, the game is due for something of a comeback. I know many people who have held off playing the game awaiting fixes and updates, and after playing Phantom Liberty, I'd say their prayers have been answered.

Phantom Liberty is a massive expansion for the Cyberpunk 2077 experience. Not only does Phantom Liberty add a sizeable new quest hub and espionage-laden main story, but it also completely revamps the base game, adding new combat features, rebuilt skill trees, new combat states, and much more.

As someone who pretty much avoided all Cyberpunk 2077 marketing prior to the review build, I feel as though Phantom Liberty is an attempt to bring the game closer to what players originally expected. And from what I played, it certainly seems as though CD Projekt RED may have nailed it.

The incredible danger of Dogtown

Phantom Liberty is essentially a new chapter for Cyberpunk 2077, while also sporting world-changing upgrades for the base game. It adds new endings and can be experienced concurrently with other open world quests within the base game, after completing its explosive intro sequence. 

I experienced Phantom Liberty on Xbox Series X, and while there's still likely some optimization work ongoing, it played extremely well and looked incredibly gorgeous. I found myself double checking that CD Projekt RED hadn't snuck the build into a higher-end PC rig or something for my playthrough, because it felt as though the visuals were more dynamic and more crisp than what I remembered from my time with the base game. It could also be that my TV at home just sucks, but I suspect there will be little complaints about how the game looks on the higher-end consoles hereon. 

Phantom Liberty kicks off with a distress signal from a mysterious character known as Songbird. Hacking into your character's cybernetics (you're known as V in Cyberpunk 2077), Songbird elaborates that she works for the New United States President, who is under attack aboard Space Force One. Their shuttle is set to crash land in or near Dogtown, a new section of Pacifica in Night City that is controlled by a breakaway paramilitary group led by a man named Hansen. Songbird offers V an out for their predicaments from the base game (no spoilers here), in exchange for help should they crash land in Dogtown. Unfortunately for the NUSA President, it looks as though even V might have trouble helping with their current situation. 

As Space Force One approaches the ground, it's hit by a SAM launcher, presumably from Hansen's military group. Hansen immediately calls a press conference to deny the attack, calling on listeners to look into "who really benefits" from killing the NUSA president. It sets the tone immediately for Phantom Liberty, which revolves around Cyberpunk 2077's complex political landscape. In Cyberpunk's world, America's power as utterly waned, following the dissolution of NATO and the rise of powerful, militarily enhanced mega-corporations. The NUSA is beset by in-fighting factions, essentially creating a tangled web over who would truly seek to kill the NUSA president, with Hansen and his paramilitary group seeming like obvious scapegoats — but it's not as if they couldn't somehow benefit from it either. 

As usual, V is caught up in the crossfire and resolves to fight (or sneak) their way past the wreckage and hunt for survivors. It turns out that, as the teaser trailers suggested already, the NUSA president does survive the attack. Much to Johnny's chagrin, V opts to help the prez, but how you choose to deal with the situation is wholly on the player. Enlisting the help of local NUSA agent Solomon, played by Hollywood heartthrob Idris Elba, Phantom Liberty promises insights into Cyberpunk's wider geopolitical landscape and the tangled web of cut-throat espionage and power struggles between the universe's major power players — from nation-states to those all-powerful tech corporations. 

I didn't get enough time to truly explore what Phantom Liberty had to offer from a story perspective, but I was immediately hooked and intrigued. The battle to the crashed NUSA Space Force One was a decidedly epic one, elevated by new combat systems CD Projekt RED has implemented. 

Phantom Liberty brings a completely revamped base game

While I loved Cyberpunk 2077's story delivery, its world, and Netrunner gameplay, subsequent playthroughs have emphasized the game's shortcomings. I always felt like the Netrunner playstyle was more fleshed out than some of the game's other combat styles, with melee play feeling a tad archaic, and gunplay struggling to differentiate itself in some ways. Itemization has been improved already since the base game, now that CD Projekt RED has implemented a transmog system similar to other loot-based games that offers deeper visual customization. However, Phantom Liberty takes things several steps forward, adding a variety of new combat abilities atop other revamped systems. 

The first thing I did after sitting down was fire up the menus, and lo and behold, Phantom Liberty completely revamps the game's skill trees. I always felt like the skill trees were underbaked, and a little "dull" with nodes offering boring +2% incremental upgrades that were just completely unnoticeable. A lot of these nodes have been either removed or consolidated, and now extend out of a gameplay-altering central node that feels far more compelling to unlock and hunt down. 

In addition to these far superior skill trees, combat itself has undergone something of a revamp. Crouch is now on a stick click by default, putting quick dodge moves onto the B button instead on your controller. This alone feels far more intuitive, although you will be able to swap it back if you prefer. Beyond this, many of the game's existing weapons have gotten new moves. With melee weapons, you can now sprint while blocking to unleash a ramming attack, which also reduces incoming damage while moving. This is great as a melee character, as it helps you get around the battlefield more quickly without getting mowed down in a hail of bullets for dropping cover. 

I felt as though the range on melee attacks could be boosted a little, however, either that or my depth perception is just not so great (I do need new glasses to be fair), but executed properly, smashing enemies with cybernetically enhanced Gorilla Arms or tech hammers just felt incredibly satisfying. What elevated this further was the inclusion of a new overkill mechanic, which rewarded you with dismemberment or gore for critical hits that go beyond an enemy's maximum HP. CD Projekt RED was eager to remind me I could stealth through the game's intro battle, but I instead opted to rip a turret out of its heavy support vehicle and mow enemies down in a hail of 50mm lead. When Space Force One comes down, Hansen's group goes to task salvaging the wreckage, only to be met by a force of government battle robots. You can, of course, sneak past and let them duke it out, or get deep into the fray with your cybernetic tools of destruction, of which Cyberpunk has many. 

Dogtown is a sizeable new area on the map, and comes with its own open-world gameplay, including side quests in addition to the main espionage story with Idris Elba's Solomon and the NUSA president. Keanu Reeves reprises his role as Johnny Silverhand with plenty of new dialogue as well, and Johnny certainly has a lot to say about the government. CD Projekt RED has also enhanced the police reaction system with this update. They were criticized quite heavily by fans who'd hoped Cyberpunk 2077 was a little more sandbox than RPG at launch, owing to the fact Cyberpunk 2077's law system was pretty much ancillary and nothing at all like Grand Theft Auto's. Now, if you do feel like going on a rampage, the threats will ramp up all the way to getting the military on your cybernetically-enhanced ass. Much like GTA, there are no real rewards for causing this kind of chaos, but you will get an achievement for surviving the game's highest threat levels.  

If you have been playing Cyberpunk 2077 recently, I would argue that now is a good time to park it. Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty is going to massively revamp the base game experience, all for the better. 

A rebirth for Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 must have been a bit of a nightmare for CD Projekt RED, who were among the industry's most beloved studios at the time. They remain one of the last AAA publishers focused on single-player games, eschewing battle passes and expensive in-game stores for traditional releases, which come with expansions, free DLC, atop incredible stories. Despite the negativity at launch, I still regard Cyberpunk 2077 as one of the best Xbox games and best PC games of all time. 

Cyberpunk 2077 disappointed a lot of people, of that there is no denying. Whether it was marketing messages that didn't land, promised features that were cut, or poorly optimized versions, it seems to grate many different types of players, eliminating years of goodwill in an instant. It seems clear to me that Phantom Liberty is an attempt to win some of that goodwill back. I never felt the police reaction system was necessary for an RPG like this, but the fact CD Projekt RED invested in improving a feature many fans wanted to see improved is an endearing sign. There was an air of excitement as CD Projekt RED while I was there, with one developer remarking "this is the version of the game I wish we'd shipped." Would fans have forgiven CD Projekt RED for delaying the game a further two years to get here? Probably not, but it's clear that AAA development has become more complex, and more costly than ever. I can only admire CD Projekt RED for being one of the few AAA developers left who are eager to stay in the single-player lane, rather than chase battle passes and Fortnite-like engagement tactics. Phantom Liberty is going to provide dozens of additional hours of content for Cyberpunk 2077, for the price of a couple of skins in certain other games that shall remain nameless. Cyberpunk 2077 is a pure video game, which by some metrics, is emblematic of an endangered species. 

I hope and pray that CD Projekt RED finds its redemption arc with Phantom Liberty, because in my eyes, the team utterly deserves it.   

What you need to know

• Cyberpunk 2077 has come a long way since its launch, with a plethora of updates and improvements.
• At Xbox Games Showcase 2023, CD Projekt RED took the stage to reveal new details on what comes next for the sci-fi RPG.
• Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is arriving on Sept. 26, 2023 on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5, and is now available to preorder.
• The DLC expansion was also playable at the in-person Summer Game Fest Play Days event, so expect some hands-on impressions soon.

Update, June 13, 2023, at 12:30 p.m. CT / 1:30 p.m. ET — During the Xbox Games Showcase 2023 Extended, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty showed off a few minutes of slick gameplay running on Xbox Series X in Performance Mode. You can check out the trailer below!

Following the gameplay trailer, Keanu Reeves was interviewed by Xbox's Tina Amini to discuss the gameplay trailer, the Phantom Liberty expansion for Cyberpunk 2077, Keanu's returning role as Johnny Silverhand, and more. It's a great interview, and well worth watching if you're a fan of Keanu or are excited for Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty.

You can read more about everything happening during the Xbox Games Showcase 2023 Extended in Windows Central's live report, being updated constantly with minute-to-minute announcements.

Cyberpunk 2077 continues to improve over time, and is now much closer to the original vision that was unfortunately missed at launch. The next step for the massive, open-world sci-fi RPG is the massive Phantom Liberty DLC expansion, which will add a ton of new content to the game. Now, we finally have some more details on it.

During Xbox Games Showcase 2023, CD Projekt RED dominated the stage with a brand-new trailer for Cyberpunk 2077's first proper expansion, Phantom Liberty, which will see the return of V, Keanu Reeves as Johnny Silverhand, and even Idris Elba as a new character. You can view the new action-packed trailer below, which hints at some of the major changes and huge amounts of content coming to the game with the expansion.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty will add countless new features to the slowly expanding game, including a new district in Night City, an extensive storyline seeing V serve the New United States of America, and plenty of new weapons, vehicles, jobs, and much more. Now, we know have all-new gameplay footage featuring Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba, and a desperate V trying to escape death.

Players will be able to dive into Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty on Sept. 26, 2023 for Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5 (the expansion will not support older platforms like Xbox One or PS4). Even better, you can preorder the expansion starting now.

CD Projekt RED also brought Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty to Summer Game Fest's in-person Play Days event, which will let a limited number of invited players and media go hands-on with the expansion ahead of release. There are bound to be first impressions following the event, so interested players can look out for that. In fact, don't look out for it — Windows Central previewed Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, and it's a literal gamechanger. If you want a refresh on the base game, you can read our Cyberpunk 2077 review.

If Phantom Liberty delivers on the hype (and launches in a polished state), it could elevate Cyberpunk 2077 to the top of the best Xbox games for the summer, especially for those who have been looking for a reason to play CDPR's epic sci-fi RPG.

Cyberpunk 2077 is far from the only game at the Xbox Games Showcase, of course. Stay up to date with all the latest video games announcements and reveals with Windows Central's Xbox Games Showcase 2023 live report, which we're updating minute-to-minute as the show (and adjacent events) progress.

What you need to know

• Cyberpunk 2077 has led a complicated life since the sci-fi RPG's 2020 release date.
• However, the game has vastly improved over time, and it's now coming to a new platform.
• On Tuesday, CD PROJEKT RED announced that Cyberpunk 2077 is now Steam Deck Verified.
• That means the game is guaranteed to be compatible with Valve's popular Steam Deck handheld gaming PC.

Cyberpunk 2077 has understandably suffered under the weight of controversy since its release, but the ambitious sci-fi RPG from The Witcher studio CD PROJEKT RED has evolved by leaps and bounds in the last few years. On Tuesday, the CP2077 team announced that the game is now Steam Deck Verified, meaning it's now fully compatible with a new, handheld platform.

The Steam Deck is theoretically capable of running countless PC games across various storefronts, but only Steam itself offers a tested library of compatible titles for this surprisingly powerful handheld. Two years ago, Cyberpunk 2077 running well on this level of hardware would've been impossible, but the game is now Steam Deck Verified. The timing is perfect, as the Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty expansion is arriving later this year.

With massive performance and graphics improvements, endless quality-of-life enhancements, and brand-new content all being featured additions of past Cyberpunk 2077 updates, the open-world RPG can now stand among the best Steam Deck games available on the handheld. Another notable, recent addition to the Steam Deck Verified library is Hi-Fi RUSH, the intense rhythm brawler from Tango Gameworks and Xbox Game Studios.

The Steam Deck continues to be an excellent device for PC gamers that like to keep moving, and its library of tested games continues to expand at an exciting pace. If you're considering a Steam Deck or already have one in hand, it's easy to further improve the experience with any of the best Steam Deck accessories, ranging from all-inclusive docks to best-in-class peripherals.

What you need to know

• Cyberpunk 2077 patch 1.61 is set to roll out across all platforms soon.
• Support for AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 2.1 has been added for PC and next-generation consoles.
• A host of gameplay and platform-specific fixes are included alongside FSR 2.1 upscaling.

Developer CD Projekt RED has updated the futuristic RPG Cyberpunk 2077 to version 1.61 with the latest patch, set to be available on all supported platforms 'soon.' Among the extensive list of changes is confirmation of added support for AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution 2.1, an upscaling alternative to NVIDIA's DLSS that should allow the game to push a higher level of graphical fidelity while rendering at a lower internal resolution.

This exciting upgrade pairs with 48 other bug fixes and tweaks to improve gameplay performance on PC and next-gen consoles, following up from the addition of 60 FPS support on Xbox Series S. Check out the full breakdown of changes included with this patch:

• Quests & open world
  • Fixed an issue where spamming the Interact button to loot containers could cause various NCPD Scanner Hustles to not be completed properly.
  • Reported Crime: Another Circle of Hell, Lost and Found, Blood in the Air, Disloyal Employee, Don't Foget the Parking Brake!, Comrade Red - fixed an issue where quest wasn't completed after looting the goods.
  • Fixed an issue where some Assault in Progress missions in Northside, Rancho Coronado, Coastview and Badlands weren't completed despite fulfilling the objective.
  • Fixed an issue where some Suspected Organized Crime Activities weren't completed despite fulfilling the objective.
  • Fixed an issue that could disable all Drop Points, blocking progress in various gigs.
  • Fixed an issue where it wasn't possible to complete an Assault in Progress in Charter Hill because the evidence didn't spawn.
  • Cyberpsycho Sighting: House on a Hill - fixed an issue where it wasn't possible to reach the Cyberpsycho because the garage door didn't open.
  • Cyberpsycho Sighting: Where the Bodies Hit the Floor - fixed an issue where the quest was stuck on the "Find the Cyberpsycho" objective after defeating the Cyberpsycho and sending information to Regina.
  • Gig: Error 404 - fixed an issue where the gig didn't trigger after approaching the area.
  • Gig: Freedom of the Press - fixed an issue where it wasn't possible to proceed inside the TV station building because the doors were closed.
  • Gig: Greed Never Pays - fixed an issue where it was impossible to complete the "Search the hidden room" objective because the computer was unpowered.
  • Gig: Last Login - fixed an issue where the gig didn't trigger after approaching the area.
  • Gig: No Fixers - fixed an issue where the gig didn't trigger after approaching the area.
  • Gig: Old Friends - fixed an issue where the gig didn't trigger after approaching the area.
  • Gig: Playing for Keeps - fixed an issue where it wasn't possible to speak to the bartender if combat started inside the bar, blocking progress.
  • Gig: We Have Your Wife - fixed an issue where Lauren wasn't reacting after coming to rescue her, blocking progress.
  • Automatic Love - fixed an issue that could block progress to further main quests after leaving Clouds.
  • Fortunate Son - fixed an issue where it wasn't possible to progress past the "Return to the Aldecaldos camp" objective.
  • I Fought the Law - fixed an issue where after meeting up with River, he teleported to an unreachable area underground, blocking progress.
  • Small Man, Big Mouth - fixed an issue where the truck in the garage could be despawned, blocking progress.
• Visual
  • Night City NPCs will now carry umbrellas in various colors and shapes.
  • Fixed multiple instances of missing collisions that could result with player falling off the map.
  • Corrected various floating or displaced objects on the map.
  • Fixed the issue where V's breasts clipped through clothes after changing their size at a Ripperdoc.
  • Fixed an issue where after changing nail length from long to short using the mirror, the change wasn't reflected in-game until reloading a save.
  • Fixed an issue where cars could glitch after bumping into them.
• Gameplay
  • Fixed an issue where Headhunter and Blue Fang Iconic knives would not appear in vendor's inventory if player visited the vendor before the 1.6 Patch.
  • Crit Damage and Quickhack Cooldown Reduction bonuses in clothing should now work properly.
  • It should be now possible to craft the Legendary variant of the Amnesty Iconic revolver.
  • Fixed an issue where it was possible to use consumables during fist fights.
  • Fixed an issue where weapons with explosive damage were dealing less damage than intended.
  • Fixed an issue where slotted mods disappeared from an item after selling it to a vendor, leaving and then coming back to the same vendor.
  • Fixed an issue where putting a corpse into a container or a trunk, walking away and then coming back could give a player an infinite amount of money.
  • The Heat-resistant aramid-weave fixer shirt will now be also available for non-Street Kid players.
  • Fixed an issue where firing some weapons when falling could cancel fall damage.
• UI
  • The Beast in Me - fixed an issue where player's position could be shown as 1/6 despite coming second.
  • Fixed an issue where reverting key bindings back to default was not reflected in the game until restart/reload.
  • Fixed an issue where the inventory menu could rapidly scroll up and down after disassembling or dropping an item.
• PC-specific
  • Fixed the issue with temporary FPS drops when exiting menus.
  • Addressed the issue where achievements in Epic Games Store were not granted despite meeting the requirements. Note that in cases where the conditions were met before in a given save, it might be required to try on a new playthrough or from an earlier save where the conditions were not met yet.
  • Load Menu should no longer get stuck when playing the game on GOG without internet connection.
  • Fixed an issue where upgrading an item into a higher tier rarity crashed the game.
• Console-specific
  • Fixed an issue where Cross Progression saves from the Xbox One family weren't transferred to PC or PlayStation.
  • Fixed an issue where after logging in to GOG on PlayStation, My Rewards section displayed an error.
• Stadia-specific
  • Fixed an issue where the game didn't pause when gameplay was suspended.
• Miscellaneous
  • Added support for AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 2.1 (PC and next-gen consoles only).
  • Fixed an issue where in specific circumstances Judy could disappear from the game while in her apartment.
  • Fixed an issue where the Wardrobe interaction in the Nomad Camp was duplicated after skipping time there.
  • It will no longer be possible to play on arcade machines that are placed horizontally.
    

Details of performance improvements haven't been shared by CD Projekt and will need to be tested when the patch is live across all platforms. If you've been waiting for a reason to pick up this futuristic RPG, this could be the update to push you into trying it out. Check out our Cyberpunk 2077 review to see why we loved it, even during its infamous launch period.

What you need to know

• As part of an investor strategy update, CD Projekt shared what the company has planned with internal development at CD Projekt RED and external partnerships in the years ahead. 
• CD Projekt RED is working on a sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, codenamed Orion. 
• The next Witcher game is currently codenamed Polaris, and is meant to be the start of a new trilogy of Witcher role-playing games. 
• Another Witcher game, separate to the aforementioned trilogy is being referred to as Canis Majora and is being developed by an external studio, while recently-acquired team The Molasses Flood is working on Sirius, a multiplayer Witcher title.
• CD Projekt RED is also very early in development on a new IP codenamed Hadar.

At an investor meeting, CD Projekt opened the floodgates on what the publisher is working on across internal development at CD Projekt RED and, for the first time, external partnerships.

CD Projekt confirmed that it is working on a sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, codenamed Orion. This comes after the recent announcement that the original game is getting an expansion called Phantom Liberty.

Outside of the realm of Cyberpunk, numerous Witcher games are on the way. The next Witcher game is currently codenamed Polaris, and will be the start of a trilogy of new Witcher role-playing games. CD Projekt RED intends for all three games to be developed using Unreal Engine 5, with an extremely ambitious launch plan of all three games six years after the arrival of Polaris.

The Molasses Flood, a Boston-based studio acquired by CD Projekt RED, is also working on a new Witcher game codenamed Sirius, which will introduce multiplayer into the franchise. CD Projekt RED is expanding its internal development teams by opening a new studio in Vancouver, marking the second North American studio under the publisher. 

Outside of the internal development teams, another Witcher game codenamed Canis Majora is being developed in partnership with an external team, though the team was not named. 

Finally, CD Projekt RED is beginning early work on a new IP codenamed Hadar, though there are no other details at this time.

Hello everyone, and welcome to another Xbox and PC recap. For the month of September, we had a fair bit of news across the world of gaming, with Ubisoft announcing multiple Assassin's Creed titles to establish a roadmap for the future. Microsoft is continuing to work on acquiring Activision Blizzard, and huge chunks of extremely early work on the next Grand Theft Auto game leaked.

There's a lot to dive into here, so if you missed any big chunks of news across the last month, don't worry, we've got you covered. 

Assassin's Creed series blowout for the future

At a special Ubisoft Forward event, the publisher shared its plans for the future of the Assassin's Creed franchise, stretching well beyond the next game. In addition to a mobile game being developed with Netflix and a AAA mobile game called Assassin's Creed Codename Jade, there are three mainline Assassin's Creed titles console and PC players can look forward to. 

Assassin's Creed Mirage, which is slated to launch in 2023, is a smaller game that eschews RPG elements for traditional stealth. After that, there's Assassin's Creed Codename Red, the next mainline RPG in the franchise which is being developed by Ubisoft Quebec. Finally, Ubisoft Montreal is working on Assassin's Creed Codename Hexe, a game which tackles the witch trials of the 16th century Holy Roman Empire. Both of these games are a part of Assassin's Creed Infinity, which Ubisoft is building as a platform for the future.

I am very, very tentatively excited for what this means. Mirage seems like a throwback in all the right ways  — an Assassin's Creed I can finish in under 40 hours sounds perfect  — while Codename Red will appeal to everyone that has been begging for a game set in Japan since forever. Personally though, the one that has most of my attention is the one that's several years out, Codename Hexe. The idea of setting a game during the witch trials while also making it something new for the franchise is extremely appealing.

Microsoft and Sony continue to clash over Activision Blizzard

Microsoft is working to acquire Activision Blizzard, and as part of that, the company has offered Sony a deal for three more years of Call of Duty beyond the existing agreements. That's according to Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan, who deemed the offer "inadequate," adding that PlayStation gamers deserve the "highest quality" experience with the franchise. All of this comes as the deal is undergoing regulatory scrutiny, including with the European Commission. 

I completely understand that Jim Ryan, like Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, has to play the cards he's dealt. Part of that is saying whatever he can in order to get the best terms possible. Still, it's certainly odd that PlayStation is choosing this as the route to attack the deal. I'm not a lawyer, but I don't see hammering home "they could take it away" as the best position for a company to take when its entire brand image is built around exclusivity. I do appreciate corporate drama though, it's my weakness.

Early gameplay footage of Grand Theft Auto 6 leaks

This month also saw one of the worst leaks in gaming history. Rockstar Games was hacked, resulting in 90 videos showing pre-alpha animations and gameplay from GTA 6 being leaked onto the internet. The leaked footage, despite the early state, showed detailed animations and confirmed the presence of a Latina protagonist, which had previously been reported.

Rockstar Games eventually responded, noting that the leak would not affect the development of the game, while noting that the team was disappointed to have early details leaked in such a way. 

I'm personally against leaking games without good reason, and that goes triple for details like this. It's been nice to see developers and others coming to the support of Rockstar Games for this, but I can't imagine what it's like to have years of hard work shared in such an early, non-final state like that against your will. 

Microsoft introduces a "Core" Elite controller, Design Lab support coming this holiday

If you've found yourself wanting a new Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2, but simply don't want to pay quite that much, then you've got some new options to consider. Microsoft has introduced the new Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 - Core in White model, which is themed after an Xbox Series S and available at $130. 

It doesn't come with any of the extra thumbsticks or accessories, which are also now available for purchase separately. On top of this, Microsoft also shared that Xbox Elite controllers will be getting Xbox Design Lab support sometime this holiday, allowing players to customize the colors to make something unique.

While I'm already set on controllers personally, this are great options that make sense for catering to everyone's needs, especially with how popular the Series 2 controllers are.

Cyberpunk 2077 sees a resurgence

Cyberpunk 2077 is marking something of a comeback over the last few weeks. The launch of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, an anime by Studio Trigger that's available on Netflix, has seen interest rise in the game, which received Xbox Series X|S and PS5 support earlier in the year. Cyberpunk 2077 has recently reached 20 million copies sold, with over 1 million players per day on PC.

To coincide with this, CD Projekt RED shared the news that an expansion called Phantom Liberty is currently in development, and is slated to launch exclusively on current-generation hardware at some point in 2023.

While I'm very happy to see the developers' hard work in improving the game rewarded, my happiness is somewhat tinted by caution. I think we need to be very careful about forgetting the actual state of the game at launch and how bad it was. I'm looking forward to Phantom Liberty as well as the next Witcher game, but CD Projekt RED can't pretend these issues were minor, or were never here at all.

Two new Marvel games are on the way

Not one but two new Marvel games were revealed this month. First up, we learned that Amy Hennig and Skydance New Media's new Marvel game is set during World War 2, and stars Captain America and Black Panther. 

The second game to be revealed is a new Iron Man game being developed by Motive Studio, the same team under Electronic Arts that's also handling the Dead Space remake. While we don't know much right now, the team is building a single-player title, and is being led by one of the members of the team that worked on Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. 

Obviously, it's going to be a while until we learn more, but this is potentially great news. I'm more interested in the Iron Man game right now, especially if the team at Motive can somehow leverage the flying tech that BioWare worked on for Anthem (rest in peace).

Deathloop makes its way to Xbox and Xbox Game Pass

During the last month, Deathloop was announced for and released on Xbox consoles, while also being added to Xbox Game Pass. This immersive sim with roguelike elements from Arkane Lyon was critically acclaimed when it first launched as a timed PS5 console exclusive back in September 2021, and is now available across Xbox consoles with a suite of updates, including the new "Goldenloop" update that adds a new laser weapon, an expanded ending, a new enemy, and more. 

I absolutely loved this game when it first launched, and I even reviewed the PS5 version of Deathloop, saying at the time that it was a "...well-crafted, intelligent murder puzzle worth solving, regardless of your experience with immersive sims or roguelikes."

That's only more true now with the updated version available on Xbox, so I hope to see more people jump in and try it out. 

Stadia is shutting down entirely

A year and a half after Google first shut down its first-party wing of game development, Stadia Games and Entertainment, Google shared the news that Stadia services are entirely ceasing, with a planned shutdown date of Jan. 18, 2023. Google is taking the step of refunding all game purchases, as well as any hardware purchased through the Google store.

While it can be disappointing to see this happen, the reality is that it's just not surprising. The moment Google killed its internal game development, it was doomed to fail. That's not to say it absolutely would've found success even with exclusive games, but you have to actually ship some first-party titles in order for people to consider your platform! Instead, in typical Google faction, the company killed it off after realizing the kinds of resources it would take to actually invest in an ecosystem.

World of Warcraft: Dragonflight gets a release date

If you're looking forward to World of Warcraft: Dragonflight, the next big expansion for Blizzard Entertainment's long-running MMORPG, you're in luck! World of Warcraft: Dragonflight now has a release date of Nov. 28, 2022, meaning it'll launch just before the holidays. 

While I'm not a massive World of Warcraft fan (that honor has to go to our editor Jez Corden) I'm very curious about how well this launch will be received and if it'll address some of the criticisms the community has had over the last couple of years.

October bears down on us

With September in the rearview, the drought in high-profile releases is officially over. Several big games are launching in October, and I'm struggling to find how I'm going to play them all. In particular, I'm looking forward to A Plague Tale: Requiem, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and over on my Nintendo Switch, Bayonetta 3. If you missed out on last month's roundup, be sure to check out the Xbox and PC recap for August 2022. 

Outside of games, I'm really enjoying both House of the Dragon and Rings of Power right now. By all accounts, it seems like I need to somehow fit Cyberpunk: Edgerunners in as well. Until next time,

— Samuel Tolbert

What you need to know

• CD Projekt RED issued thanks to fans for a surge of 1 million players every day this week.
• The uptick in players is owed mostly to the well-received Netflix Edgerunners series that launched September 13. 
• Success is also in part to the Edgerunners 1.6 update that launched September 6 which brought new content and fixes to Cyberpunk 2077.

Update (Sept. 26, 2022)

In the days since this article went live, Cyberpunk 2077 has reached even higher heights of popularity on Steam, overtaking The Witcher 3 in all-time concurrent players, and beating Modern Warfare 2 on the Steam sales charts. The Witcher 3 at its peak raked in 103,329 concurrent players on Steam, two years later Cyberpunk 2077 has surpassed it with 136,724 concurrent players on Sunday 25 September. A truly incredible comeback for CD Projekt RED's ill-fated release. 

Original article (Sept. 23, 2022)

Cyberpunk 2077 was arguably the most hyped release in gaming in recent times, launching in 2020 to much spectacle on Xbox and Windows PC. 

The fanfare was short lived. The game was plagued with issues at launch, alongside widespread accusations of misleading marketing. It was temporarily removed from sale on some platforms, as the firm worked aggressively to deliver the game fans expected. With piles of updates behind it and a certain Netflix show infront of it, CD Projekt RED's landmark futuristic sci-fi game now seems to be experiencing something of a renaissance. 

Every day the past week, Cyberpunk 2077 has seen 1 million new and returning players prowling the streets of Night City. The numbers stated are combined across all platforms but Steam alone has reported average concurrent players doubling over the past month.

With the Edgerunners 1.6 release earlier in September, the game is in the best state it ever has been, but that alone hasn't caused the mass return of players to the game. The Edgerunners anime dropped on September 13 to critical praise and has been an incredible success for both Netflix and now the Cyberpunk 2077 game. At the time of writing, the show is sitting at a tasty 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, beating out many competing seasonal shows from the likes of Star Wars: Andor, Rings of Power and House of the Dragon with its critic's ratings.

Players coming into the game at this stage will be met with a rather different experience than that of the launch, with many improvements being made to the game over the past two years. Performance issues on older consoles have mostly been eradicated, and 60 FPS mode is now available on Xbox Series S. Most excitingly, CD Projekt RED has this month announced an expansion coming to Cyberpunk 2077 at some point in 2023 "Phantom Liberty" which will be as big as DLC launched for Witcher 3. Edgerunners 1.6 will be the final update delivered for both console generations signaling Cyberpunk 2077's move to new generation development only. 

For more information on what you can expect from the Edgerunners 1.6 update, see our coverage here if you're considering jumping into the game for the first time, or perhaps returning from the launch fiasco. Both the developer's hard work with regular updates and the new publicity from Netflix has breathed new life into Cyberpunk 2077, could they perhaps convert this success into a No Man's Sky redemption arc? Let's wait and see. 

What you need to know

• Cyberpunk 2077 1.6 is being released to players today, and includes a ton of new DLC, features, and bug fixes.
• New features include additional Gigs, weapons, cross-platform progression, an Xbox Series S Performance Mode, and much more.
• The game also ties into the upcoming Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime with in-game secrets, Photo Mode features, and new equipment.
• The patch arrives as Cyberpunk 2077's first full expansion, Phantom Liberty, is teased for a 2023 launch on current-gen platforms.

Cyberpunk 2077 is an ambitious sci-fi RPG that dominated gaming conversations up to its release, but was met with lukewarm reception due to its buggy, unfinished state. Nearly two years after its debut, Cyberpunk 2077 has evolved in innumerable ways following various post-launch patches and updates. That journey continues with the 1.6 patch update, releasing Tuesday to players with dozens of new features, quality-of-life-improvements, and bug fixes.

Cyberpunk 2077 players can look forward to a diverse array of enhancements in this update, which is headlined by its tie-ins to the upcoming Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime, releasing on Netflix on Sept. 13, 2022. This crossover includes new secrets for players to discover across Night City, equipment and cosmetics, and Photo Mode features.

Elsewhere, dozens of fixes and improvements are coming to various game systems on top of new features such as a 60 FPS Performance Mode for Xbox Series S, full cloud-backed cross-progression across platforms, 11 new ranged and melee weapons, three new Gigs, additional (current-gen exclusive) Night City secrets, and so much more. Nibbles, the stray cat that players can adopt in Cyberpunk 2077, can also be photographed via new Photo Mode poses. Finally, the Wardrobe is Cyberpunk 2077's answer to transmog, allowing players to customize and save up to six different outfits that can be worn without affecting your armor and clothing stats.

This update may be leading with its Cyberpunk: Edgerunners crossover, but it's also a sizeable content update that further improves the game over its lackluster launch state. Many of these fixes are coming to all platforms, but some features and improvements are exclusive to Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC. This mirrors the recently teased Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty DLC expansion, the game's first proper story expansion that's slated to release as a current-gen exclusive at some point in 2023.

Cyberpunk 2077 1.6 is available now, and players can now dive into the full changelog at CD Projekt RED. With this release, Cyberpunk 2077 is even closer to definitively earning its place among the best Xbox games, and may be worth another look for players that haven't experienced the game or have been away for a long while.

What you need to know

• CD Projekt RED announced Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, an expansion for the game that's focused on the New United States of America. 
• Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is slated to launch at some point in 2023.
• Keanu Reeves is returning as Johnny Silverhand. 
• Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is not coming to last-generation consoles and will instead be released only on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PS5. 

Cyberpunk 2077 has come a long way since it first launched, but the road isn't done yet. 

CD Projekt RED revealed Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty on Tuesday, an expansion for the game that was previously delayed into 2023. Phantom Liberty is an expansion that's focused on player character V joining the New United States of America. You can take a look at the reveal teaser trailer for the expansion below:

Little else is known, though CD Projekt RED did share that Keanu Reeves, who performed Johnny Silverhand in the base game, will also be returning for this expansion. 

As part of the announcement, CD Projekt RED also confirmed that Cyberpunk 2077 patch 1.6 will be the last patch for the game on last-generation console hardware. As a result, this expansion will not be released on Xbox One or PS4, and is coming exclusively to Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PS5.

When Cyberpunk 2077 first launched, many elements of the game were praised such as the visuals and character writing, while others were heavily criticized, as players found it to be an unpolished experience with severe crashes and bugs, especially on last-generation consoles, as well as criticism direction at perceived stereotypes in the presentation. 

Cyberpunk 2077 has gone on to sell over 18 million copies since launch, with numerous patches and a dedicated upgrade for Xbox Series X|S and PS5. Outside of the world of Cyberpunk, CD Projekt RED is also working on other projects, such as the next Witcher game, which is currently in very early development using Unreal Engine 5.

What you need to know

• CD Projekt RED shared an update on the sales of its biggest games.
• Cyberpunk 2077 is now over 18 million copies sold.
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has sold over 40 million copies since launch.
• CD Projekt RED is currently working on an expansion to Cyberpunk 2077, as well as a new Witcher game.

Update, April 14 (2:00 pm ET): CD Projekt also shared that the expansion for Cyberpunk 2077 will launch sometime in 2023.

CD Projekt RED's biggest games are continuing to sell, per the company's recent financial update.

CD Projekt shared on Thursday that Cyberpunk 2077 is now at 18 million copies sold, up from 13.7 million at the game's launch in December 2020. Meanwhile, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is now over 40 million copies sold. The Witcher franchise as a whole has crossed 65 million copies sold, meaning sales of the first two games total over 25 million copies sold.

Previously, CD Projekt shared that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt had reached 30 million copies sold as of April 2021, meaning the game has gone on to sell another 10 million copies in the last year.

CD Projekt RED is currently working on an expansion to Cyberpunk 2077. The company is also working on a new Witcher game using Unreal Engine 5, though development of the latter is very early and little is known at this time, outside of a teaser image featuring a Lynx medallion and the fact that this game is supposed to begin a "new saga."

Following criticism at launch regarding the game's poor technical performance, CD Projekt RED released an Xbox Series X|S and PS5 update for Cyberpunk 2077 back in February 2022. A similar current-generation update for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was recently delayed, with CD Projekt RED moving the update from Saber Interactive to in-house development. CD Projekt RED is also continuing work on other unknown projects, including with its recently-acquired subsidiary, Boston-based studio The Molasses Flood.

Update, April 14 (2:00 pm ET) — Night City grows next year

CD Projekt also confirmed that the upcoming expansion for Cyberpunk 2077 will launch at some point in 2023.

I loved Cyberpunk 2077, right from launch. I stand by my review of the game, and am still more than happy to not only call it my 2020 game of the year, but one of my favorite games of all time. That said, I did play exclusively on the PC version of the game on a capable rig without any expectations whatsoever, which is an experience that very aggressively diverged from many others.

Cyberpunk 2077 on Xbox and PlayStation was a well-documented mess. The new-gen Xbox consoles didn't do too much to mitigate the damage either, with poor resolution, bad textures, poor performance, and glitches galore. Since then, CDPRED has been hard at work trying to repair the game and bring it up to expectations. This week, we finally got the 1.5 update that brought with it new-gen enhanced versions, complete with a wealth of other changes and improvements.

I went back to give Cyberpunk 2077 another try on my Xbox Series X, to see whether it lived up to my experiences on the PC version. Thus far, I'd say it's finally ready for console play — with caveats.

Rebalancing the loot and "RPG" aspects

One of my biggest complaints and criticisms about Cyberpunk 2077 was the itemization and RPG mechanics. In my humble opinion, CD Projekt RED isn't particularly great at this in general, with itemization and character progression in The Witcher 3 falling a bit on the messy side. Cyberpunk 2077 turned that strangeness up a notch, though, with itemization that not only made characters look horrible, but also came with gameplay-trivializing overpoweredness in certain gear combos.

I played Cyberpunk 2077 entirely as a Netrunner in my review, which I'm certain enhanced my experience of the game overall. I didn't engage much with the game's weaponry or gear, instead opting to hide in a corner and murder enemies via CCTV cameras and hacks. This gameplay style felt great and still does, but in subsequent attempts to play, I found Cyberpunk's gunplay and melee combat wholly lacking. CD Projekt RED has attempted to address some of these inconsistencies by adding new weapons and rebalancing some of the game's high-end mods and equipment aspects. You can't just stack mountains of crit-enhancing mods anymore, with new restrictions forcing you to be a little more considerate about how you approach character building.

Many high-end items now have more strict stat requirements too, which should add to the sense that your build actually matters. Some existing builds might end up broken as a result of this, though, with no way to re-allocate stats beyond starting over as of writing. They have added bonus stats to certain bionic upgrades, though. For example, Gorilla Arms now enhances your "body" stat, allowing you to carry heavier weapons without actually investing the points into your character.

While some existing playstyles may get nerfed as a result, many of these tweaks should add to the game's depth, allowing for lesser-used builds to shine. CD Projekt RED also tweaked some talent trees like Cold Blooded to bring them up to par with other builds. CD Projekt RED also added new animations for certain melee weapons, like the Katana, which enhances the "cyborg ninja" fantasy a fair bit.

I need to get deeper into the game to really get a feel for how this translates to overall gear progression, but early impressions are promising. This time, I'm going through the game as a tech sniper with light hacking, which should allow me to pick off dangerous enemies through walls and then opt for a tech shotgun to mop up.

Sadly, it doesn't seem like CD Projekt RED has gone to much trouble to address how horrible-looking gear is in the game. You can have a badass armor suit, then find a ripped neon green vest that has better stats. The game desperately needs some form of "transmogrification" system where you can swap an item's stats for another item's looks, but I suspect that'll come in a future patch. CD Projekt RED did add a barber system to your mirror in-game, allowing you to change hairstyles and the like, so I suspect they've heard the feedback about the visual aspects of roleplaying in Cyberpunk 2077.

Speaking of visuals, let's dive into some performance and graphics criticisms, shall we?

Visuals, performance, and AI enhancements

I did dabble with Cyberpunk 2077 on Xbox Series X post-launch but found it too horrible to play. The game ran far better on my RTX 2070 gaming PC, both in terms of visual quality and performance, making the Xbox version simply rough to deal with. Thankfully, as of 1.5, the game has become a little closer to what you might expect from a "AAA" new-gen game.

Previously while driving around Night City, the game would hitch and stall, unable to stream new areas fast enough on the Xbox Series X. Performance enhancements and optimizations seem to have fixed that across the board, with the game running at a thoroughly stable 60 FPS at all times. The game is simply stunning, with one of the densest and detailed open worlds in industry history, and the Xbox Series X finally comes a little closer into parity with its PC counterpart. It's not all glowing, though.

Cyberpunk 2077 has a ray-tracing mode on Xbox Series X, which is a little tough to use. It absolutely craters the frame rate on Xbox Series X, cutting in half to 30 FPS. Not only that, but it seems to introduce some uncanny input lag that's hard to measure. The game is utterly stunning with ray tracing turned on, dripping in graphical opulence, but it just makes it feel a bit tough to play. The "rooftop sequence" with Johnny Silverhand was utterly mind-blowing with ray tracing enabled, something more akin to that Matrix demo we recently got, but the frame rate trade-off is a bit too much in general play. It's a shame, because on PC it can produce truly indulgent environmental realism without impacting performance anywhere near as much as it does on console. Hopefully, Microsoft can explore machine learning to elevate ray-tracing capabilities of the Xbox Series X, because today, it just doesn't seem to be quite there yet.

Source: Windows Central

Furthermore, if you're on an Xbox Series S, you're pretty much flat out of luck here. While the game has been improved over its Xbox One S backward-compatible format, the game is still capped at 30 frames per second, despite the more powerful CPU found in the Xbox Series S. CD Projekt RED says they are investigating potential methods to raise the frame rate, but at least for now, the Xbox Series S version of Cyberpunk 2077 still remains a bit of a disappointment. Considering other games like Chivalry 2 and Call of Duty eventually did figure out how to squeeze more frames out of the Xbox Series S, I'm hopeful that Microsoft can potentially work with CD Projekt RED to help elevate the Xbox Series S version a bit.

One of the most contentious aspects of Cyberpunk 2077 pertains to its sandbox. Coming in from other CD Projekt RED games with no expectations whatsoever, I did not expect Cyberpunk 2077's NPC behavior to be any more complex than that of The Witcher 3, serving merely as background objects rather than sandbox entities. However, CD Projekt RED's marketing most definitely tries to align the game with Grand Theft Auto-style expectations, and it became a central criticism of the game over time. It does seem like CDPRED has made some enhancements here, though. Vehicles behave a little more intelligently than before in subtle ways, slowing down ahead of inclines and other obstacles. Police behave a little more intelligently too, reacting to criminal behavior from NPCs in a less scripted, and more dynamic way.

I think CD Projekt RED may still have a long way to go before the sandbox truly feels "alive" and not like a backdrop, though, if that is indeed what they're going for. But the work being done is excellent and makes the game world already feel more like a sandbox, and less like a pretty background you're meant to mostly ignore.

A long road to redemption

Despite the enhancements, Cyberpunk 2077 on Xbox is still glitchy. After a few hours of play, I've probably encountered more glitches and odd behavior than my entire playthrough on PC, coupled with four hard crashes. I've seen NPCs in cutscenes path through objects. I've seen the return of an old bug where "jacking in" to objects glitches out. I've also experienced hovering objects and strange ragdoll anomalies in combat. Most irritatingly of all, sometimes the music gets corrupted, adding maddening distortion to bass tones in some tracks — although, experience from other games on Xbox makes me wonder whether this is an issue with Xbox's Quick Resume feature, rather than Cyberpunk itself, since I've had this happen in other games too.

Indeed, it still seems like there's a long road ahead before Cyberpunk 2077 really hits the level of quality and polish CD Projekt RED led people to expect. Cyberpunk 2077 is an incredibly special game, with unprecedented ambition and environmental detail, in a world that still has truly insane potential for DLC and long-term fun. CD Projekt RED was one of the industry's most beloved developers before Cyberpunk 2077, making it something of a cautionary tale. The best place to play undoubtedly remains a Windows PC. Still, I think Cyberpunk 2077 as of 1.5 is more than in a playable state for Xbox Series X gamers, but Xbox Series S gamers may still want to hold off a bit to see whether they can solve the FPS problem.

Patch 1.5 says to me that CD Projekt RED has finally turned a corner on salvaging Cyberpunk 2077, though. The additional weapons, gameplay features, and other tweaks are a promising sign that more free content and expansions could be on the way to elevate and enhance the game even further and help it to finally deliver on that very clear potential and become unanimously one of the best Xbox games of all time in the process.

Howdy, everybody! I'm incredibly excited to introduce a new gaming-centric video series for Windows Central. Checkpoint is the show where to stop to break down all the biggest gaming stories of the week so far. Our first episode is officially live, and we can't wait for you all to check it out.

For this week's episode of Checkpoint, we dive into the mysterious Capcom countdown timer, Resident Evil 4 remake rumors, Elden Ring classes, and PC specifications, the big current-gen Cyberpunk 2077 update for Xbox Series X|S, the problem with Xbox gameplay showcases, and so much more!

What is Checkpoint?

Our goal with Checkpoint is to deliver a quick and convenient way for our audience to digest Xbox news each and every week. We view this as a hybrid format that combines our favorite elements of standard news recaps with added editorial opinions and conversations from myself and my co-host Jez Corden. As we work to refine the show and its delivery, we'd love to hear from viewers about what we've delivered with episode one.

The current target length for a standard episode will be 15 to 20 minutes. Obviously, we went a little over that with our first outing, but we hope to refine the show while still keeping the conversations fun and natural. As we already deliver a weekly gaming podcast called Xbox Chaturdays, we want to ensure that Checkpoint serves as more digestible standalone video series on the Windows Central Gaming channel.

The news covered this week

• Capcom countdown timer - 00:17
• Elden Ring PC specifications - 04:45
• New Elden Ring class details - 08:15
• Quick Resume Update Incoming - 11:50
• Cyberpunk 2077 Xbox Series X|S update - 14:35
• Does Xbox need its own Nintendo Direct? - 21:16

Checkpoint currently aims to be a weekly show. Make sure to subscribe to Windows Central Gaming for updates as well as other Xbox and PC content.

What you need to know

• Cyberpunk 2077 is an ambitious open-world sci-fi RPG that was assailed by a chaotic and flawed launch.
• On Tuesday, CD Projekt RED finally released the long-awaited current-gen upgrade for Cyberpunk 2077 on Xbox Series X|S and PS5.
• While the 1.5 update includes dozens of major improvements, additions, and fixes, many players have lamented the lack of 60 FPS support for Xbox Series S.
• On Wednesday, CDPR confirmed it's investigating raising the framerate cap for Series S, but can't confirm anything at the moment.

Describing Cyberpunk 2077's life so far as "complicated" is an understatement, but CD Projekt RED has committed to improving the ambitious title's experience, especially on consoles. After months of waiting, current-gen consoles like Xbox Series X|S and PS5 finally enjoy official support for Cyberpunk 2077.

The Cyberpunk 2077 1.5 update brought dozens of new features, visual enhancements, quality-of-life improvements, and fixes to the open-world sci-fi RPG. Xbox Series X and PS5 enjoy the bulk of improvements with 4K at 60 FPS support, ray tracing, and more.

One current-gen console has received additional attention from the video game community thanks to its lackluster performance in comparison. The Xbox Series S does not feature ray tracing, and is locked to a "Performance" mode at 1440p resolution and up to 30 FPS. The framerate, specifically, has attracted ire from players who long for a 60 FPS mode, possibly at a lower 1080p resolution. On Wednesday, CD Projekt RED confirmed it's "looking into" raising the FPS cap for Xbox Series S.

This is by no means a confirmation that performance enhancements are inbound for Cyberpunk 2077 on Xbox Series S, which is just as capable as its more powerful siblings besides a reduced GPU and memory. The Cyberpunk 2077 team is currently investigating the possibility of raising the framerate on Xbox Series S, ideally to 60 FPS.

Hopefully, we'll learn more in the near future as CDPR continues to explore options, as the Xbox Series S' limitation to 30 FPS remains one of the biggest complaints about the otherwise great Cyberpunk 2077 update. It's clear the Xbox Series S is more than capable of handling higher framerates in other games, all the way up to 120 FPS, even if its GPU often prevents it from reaching the lofty resolutions of the Series X or PS5.

Elsewhere, CD Projekt RED also confirmed they're working on fixes for the disc version of Cyberpunk 2077 not launching on PS4, and crashes on PC being caused by audio driver issues (which can potentially be temporarily mitigated by disabling said audio drivers). In a similar vein to implementing 60 FPS support on Xbox Series S, CDPR is also investigating the possibility of transferring trophies from PS4 to PS5, which is made more complicated by the way PS5 currently handles current-gen game upgrades.

In our Cyberpunk 2077 review, we praised the game for its immense and intricately detailed world and ambitious RPG experiences. This experience was unfortunately mired in endless glitches and bugs, especially on consoles. but the 1.5 update is the best Cyberpunk 2077 has ever been. With the release, Cyberpunk 2077 may join the list of best Xbox games for fans of RPGs looking for a brand-new world to explore.

What you need to know

• Cyberpunk 2077 first launched in December 2020, garnering praise but also backlash due to the state of the game.
• Since then, CD Projekt Red has released multiple patches, as well as a planned current-generation upgrade for the game.
• Patch 1.5 for Cyberpunk 2077 adds new guns, apartments, the ability to customize V mid-way through the game and more.
• The Xbox Series X|S and PS5 upgrades, alongside patch 1.5, are now available for Cyberpunk 2077.

The latest patch for Cyberpunk 2077 is here, alongside the current-generation upgrade for modern consoles. In a Twitch stream on Tuesday, CD Projekt Red detailed some of the improvements and fixes that are coming to the game over a year after launch.

Patch 1.5 for Cyberpunk 2077 adds in some smaller DLC packs like new apartments, the ability to customize V's appearance throughout the game, some new guns, improved crowd reactions, a reworked skill tree and more. This patch is accompanying the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PS5 upgrades for the game, which add new visual features, faster loading times and more.

You can take a look at some gameplay footage of the current-generation version below:

On Xbox Series X and PS5, there's two modes available, with the game supporting ray-traced shadows in one mode and targeting 60 FPS in the other. Both modes run at 4K, while the Xbox Series S gets a single mode at 1440p 30 FPS. The PS5 version of the game also benefits from the DualSense haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.

What you need to know

• Cyberpunk 2077 developer, CD Projekt Red, has announced an upcoming live event scheduled for 4 p.m. CET.
• The upcoming stream is expected to discuss the free "next-gen" version of Cyberpunk 2077, designed with upgrades for Xbox Series X|S and PS5.
• Cyberpunk 2077 is also expected to receive a five-hour free trial on Xbox consoles, according to a now-deleted tweet from the official Xbox Netherlands Twitter account.

While Cyberpunk 2077 remains in the shadow of its troubled launch back in 2020, developer and publisher CD Projekt RED is soon expected to debut one of its largest updates yet for the sci-fi RPG. Following the announcement of a live event scheduled for Feb. 15, the studio has teased a next-generation upgrade for Cyberpunk 2077, expected to target Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 consoles.

The new update also appears set to launch alongside a five-hour free trial for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S owners, according to a now-deleted tweet from the official Xbox Netherlands account.

"Explore the world of Cyberpunk 2077 in the Next-Gen Update with a 5-hour free trial on Xbox Series X|S now available," the post stated. The accompanying image also reflects an upcoming patch for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles and a planned free trial, suggesting a scheduling error on Microsoft's behalf. A screenshot of the tweet was also captured by Twitter user @MartinVersch00r ahead of its removal.

Microsoft Store pages for Cyberpunk 2077 also list "Cloud gaming with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate" in some regions, a banner often reflective of a title's inclusion within Microsoft's subscription service. However, given its absence in leaked marketing materials, we understand this is an error in the listing.

Cyberpunk 2077 first hit consoles and PC in December 2020, following eight years of anticipation and multiple delays. The title's ambitious premise pitched an open-world metropolis, serving up stunning virtual vistas and a rich branching narrative.

The final launch product was riddled with game-breaking issues, with especially poor performance on older consoles, triggering CD Projekt RED to offer up no-questions refunds. The studio later stated it was "deeply sorry" for the launch, issuing regular updates to address complaints.

Updated Feb. 15 @ 8:50 a.m. ET: While this post previously included a reference to a Microsoft Store listing that implied Cyberpunk 2077's inclusion within Xbox Game Pass, we've since updated this story to reflect its leaked free trial.

What you need to know

• CD Projekt RED took to Twitter on Monday to announce a stream discussing Cyberpunk 2077.
• Many players immediately speculated the stream would be about Cyberpunk 2077's long-promised current-gen console update.
• Reported leaks from the Microsoft Store corroborate these speculations, with Xbox Series X|S preemptively showing Cyberpunk 2077 as Optimized for some players.
• The Cyberpunk 2077 stream will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022 at 4:00 p.m. CET.

One of the best ways to experience CD Projekt RED's highly ambitious sci-fi RPG Cyberpunk 2077 is on a current-gen console like Xbox Series X|S, but the game still doesn't take full advantage of the powerful hardware on offer. An update to optimize Cyberpunk 2077 for current-gen consoles has been in the works for months, but no release date has been revealed, much to the chagrin of players.

On Monday, CD Projekt RED revealed it would host a Cyberpunk 2077-focused stream the following day, with little additional information available. Immediately, speculation among the community ran rampant, with many asserting the stream would finally share details on Cyberpunk 2077's update for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PS5. Reported leaks hailing from the Microsoft Store and Xbox Series X|S consoles appear to confirm these rumors.

As revealed by The Verge senior editor Tom Warren on Twitter, some Xbox Series X|S users are now seeing Cyberpunk 2077 appear as "Optimized" for the current-gen consoles, despite no new update releasing for the title and no changes being observed. This, combined with CDPR's not-so-subtle response, indicates that Cyberpunk 2077's long-awaited current-gen update is not only ready to be shown off by CD Projekt RED, but may actually be right around the corner from release.

Of course, this all remains conjecture until CD Projekt RED confirms (or doesn't confirm) the news during tomorrow's stream. It's worth mentioning that we here at Windows Central were not able to see Cyberpunk 2077's "Xbox Series X|S Optimized" tag either on Xbox Series X|S or online. Whatever the case, we don't have long to wait. CD Projekt RED's Cyberpunk 2077 stream airs on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022 at 4:00 p.m. CET, and can be found on Twitch.

Cyberpunk 2077 is a complicated game with a convoluted past, but can still be one of the best Xbox games for fans of epic RPG fans playing on Xbox Series X|S or PC. With a potential current-gen upgrade releasing in the near future, Cyberpunk 2077 may get even better.

A couple weeks ago, the Steam version of Cyberpunk 2077 dropped to about half off (around $25). That had a huge impact on the game, bringing in an influx of players and positive reviews. Well, today you can get the game for just $9.99 at Best Buy if you want to play it on Xbox One or Xbox Series X. This is a Deal of the Day so it won't last long at this price, and you can still find it going for around $25 to $30 in other places if you want it for a different platform. It's hard to beat the amount of content you're getting for just $10 with this deal.

Cyberpunk 2077 will always be known for its unusual launch and the controversial reception it originally had, but the game has made a lot of leaps and bounds to rectify its issues since then. There's still a lot to come, too, as CD Projekt Red has said its going to optimize the game for next-gen consoles soon. They are also working on an expansion, so you'll be able to add onto the content you're getting today.

This is an open-world science fiction RPG game where you explore a futuristic city, drive cars, shoot guns, and talk to all sorts of crazy characters. It has drug-induced meanderings, crime scene investigations, and Keanu Reeves as the former lead singer of a popular band. There are mysteries to solve, a story to uncover, and plenty of content to keep you busy for hours.

What you need to know

• NZXT launches special limited edition H710i for CD Projekt RED's Cyberpunk 2077 RPG.
• It's the same H710i with excellent cable management, solid thermal performance, and included RGB controller hub.
• The limited edition Cyberpunk 2077 H710i is available now for $300.

CD Projekt RED's Cyberpunk 2077 made headlines when it launched on PC and consoles, but mostly for all the wrong reasons. It's still a solid game, but one that requires considerable effort from the developer to realize the game that was hyped up and promised for years. The game world is incredible, however, and it led NZXT into a partnership to create a custom H710i full-tower PC case.

We've seen custom cases from the American PC manufacturer before, but this has to be one of the most spectacular-looking examples to date. Instead of playing it safe with a few visuals applied to the metal chassis, NZXT also gave the tempered glass side panel a good going-over to create one awesome-looking Arasaka Corporation-themed case with kitsch graffiti.

It's the same chassis that we know and love, giving it a high rating in our in-depth NZXT H710i review. This is the "i" version with an included RGB and fan controller hub, as well as a preinstalled RGB strip. Aer F120mm fans are also included for better airflow and there's support for AIOs with up to a 360mm radiator.

NZXT also includes a Cyberpunk 2077 chip charm and Arasaka Corporation-themed Puck with each limited edition case. You can buy one for yourself right now from NZXT for $300.

What you need to know

• Cyberpunk 2077 is an ambitious open-world sci-fi RPG that fell short in some ways but excelled in others.
• CD PROJEKT RED is still working hard to improve Cyberpunk 2077 and has provided an update for its plans.
• Cyberpunk 2077's long-awaited next-gen version is slated for release in Q1 of 2022, alongside a major cross-platform update.
• In other news, the first proper Cyberpunk 2077 expansion is in development, the next-gen version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is still in the works, and CD PROJEKT is expanding with new teams.

Cyberpunk 2077 is an ambitious and expansive RPG experience, and there are still many players waiting for the quintessential version to dive into everything it has to offer. On Monday, CD PROJEKT RED provided an update as part of its Q3 2021 financial earnings report on its plans for Cyberpunk 2077 and more, highlighting that there are still big things to come for this much-maligned open-world sci-fi spectacle.

Cyberpunk 2077 already provides a fantastic experience on PC, and is pretty solid on current-gen powerhouses like Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PS5. However, the game is technically running as a last-gen title and isn't properly optimized for the newer consoles. Fans have been eagerly waiting on this update for ages. According to the CDPR update, the current-gen version of Cyberpunk 2077 is now scheduled for release in early 2022; a target that, hopefully, won't slip any further.

The team is also working on a major cross-platform update for Cyberpunk 2077. This update presumably will further fix bugs and optimize the title across platforms, especially on the aging Xbox One and PS4 families of consoles (which historically provide a majorly flawed experience in Cyberpunk 2077). Finally, the first expansion for Cyberpunk 2077 is currently in development. We may get an update on when to expect this in the near future.

Elsewhere in the update, CD PROJEKT RED confirmed that it's continuing to work on the current-gen version for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. CD PROJEKT is also expanding, with two new teams joining the group recently.

It'll be interesting to see how Cyberpunk 2077 evolves over time. While still one of the best Xbox games and best PC games for fans of epic RPGs — especially if you're playing on more modern hardware like Xbox Series X|S — many members of the gaming community have heavily criticized the title for its unpolished experience on older machines and the plethora of bugs that plague it.

What you need to know

• CD Projekt Red previously announced free current-generation upgrades for Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
• While these upgrades were scheduled to arrive in 2021, both have been delayed to 2022.
• The upgrade for Cyberpunk 2077 is now slated for Q1 2022, while The Witcher 3's free upgrade is scheduled for Q2 2022.

According to CD Projekt Red's latest investor report, the free current-generation upgrades for Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt are being delayed out of 2021. The upgrades are now slated for 2022, with the update for Cyberpunk 2077 coming first in Q1 2022, while the update to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is slated for Q2 2022.

CD Projekt Red previously indicated it wasn't sure these upgrades would arrive in 2021. The enhanced release of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is also bringing extra DLC items brought about as a collaboration with the Witcher Netflix series.

Whenever exactly these free upgrades arrive, the updates are meant to bring an improved experience for players on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PS5.

While more patches, updates and bug fixes are still on the way for Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red has noted that it is "quite satisfied" with the overall level of performance in the game across all available platforms.

What you need to know

• Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt are both due for a next-gen version to optimize the games for more powerful hardware.
• While there is no official delay announcement, CD Projekt has implied that these anticipated releases could miss their planned 2021 release window.
• Because of "lessons learned" from Cyberpunk 2077's development, CD Projekt isn't making any promises or commitments right now.
• The next-gen versions for Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt are still slated for a 2021 release, but could be delayed down the line.

Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt represent the two flagship products from storied developer CD Projekt RED, and both games are slated to receive extensive next-gen versions in 2021 to optimize them with improved visuals, performance, and much more. However, according to VGC, CD Projekt can't fully commit to this previously planned release window, and have insinuated that one or both next-gen versions could potentially be delayed into 2022.

Nothing is set in stone at the moment, but CD Projekt referred to the tumultuous launch of Cyberpunk 2077, which led to a widespread controversy and millions of returned copies, especially on older consoles like Xbox One and PS4, as reasons for its uncertainty. It's only recently, with the release of updates like Cyberpunk 2077's 1.3 patch update, that Cyberpunk 2077 has reached satisfactory levels of performance.

"The target is to release the next-gen version of Cyberpunk 2077 late this year," Michał Nowakowski, CD Projekt's SVP of business development, said. "At the same time, keeping in mind the lessons we have learned during the past year and taking into account that this project still remains in development, we can't say with full certainty that the production schedule will not change."

The story is much the same for The Witcher 3's planned next-gen port, despite the effort being handled primarily by an external studio (Saber Interactive).

Hopefully, Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3 both see the release of their next-gen versions for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and newer PC hardware, in the original release window. That being said, it's better to take the time to deliver a finished product than rush into another potential disaster. We'll keep an eye out for any further developments in this space.

Cyberpunk 2077 may have failed to deliver on its lofty promises at launch, but that doesn't stop it and (especially) The Witcher 3 from being some of the best Xbox games for RPG fans. The planned next-gen versions for both titles will hopefully elevate them even further.

What you need to know

• Cyberpunk 2077 is an ambitious open-world sci-fi RPG from the makers of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
• The game launched with lofty promises, and delivered a sub-par experience due to a lack of optimization and polish.
• Since launch, CD Projekt RED has worked tirelessly to release patch after patch to resolve the game's biggest issues.
• The 1.3 patch update for Cyberpunk 2077 is coming soon, and includes a ton of fixes, quality-of-life improvements, and adds the first new DLC.

Cyberpunk 2077 is the tragic story of unobtainable ambitions held back by a probably too-early release, but developer CD Projekt RED has worked hard since the game's launch last year to improve and fix its issues. Today, CDPR has detailed the upcoming 1.3 patch update for Cyberpunk 2077, and it features a massive list of major changes and improvements, all aimed at helping Cyberpunk 2077 achieve its potential as one of the best Xbox games you can play.

The 1.3 patch update is coming soon to all platforms Cyberpunk 2077 is available on, including Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC, PS5, PS4, and Google Stadia, and features meaningful quality-of-life improvements (like a larger minimap when driving) and plenty of fixes for performance, quests, and much more. This comes after CDPR's CEO claimed satisfaction with Cyberpunk 2077's overall performance, meaning the studio could now focus on system and gameplay improvements.

The 1.3 patch update also lays the groundwork for future DLC for Cyberpunk 2077, with a new option under the Main Menu, and adds the first proper DLC content for Cyberpunk 2077. All three initial DLCs for Cyberpunk 2077 are completely free.

The full changelog for Cyberpunk 2077's 1.3 patch update includes:

New DLC

Additional content

• A list of all the free DLCs can be found in the Main Menu under "Additional Content"

Johnny Silverhand's Alternative Appearance

• Can be enabled in Settings in the "Additional Content" tab

Multilayered Syn-Leather Deltajock Jacket, Luminescent Punk Jacket

• Both available in the stash in V's apartment after receiving a message from Viktor after completing The Ride. They're of Rare/Iconic quality by default, Crafting Specs to craft a higher quality will also be unlocked

Archer Quartz "Bandit"

• Available as a reward or for purchase (depending on choices made by player) after completing Ghost Town and then receiving a message from Dakota or Rogue. If you haven't received the message, make sure to be in the Badlands area and move further away from Dakota's workshop. Dakota will also need a couple of days to contact you

Changes & fixes

Improvements

• Improved the minimap's zoom level when driving, so that it's more zoomed out and easier to navigate
• Automatic Love — screen with pictures of Skye and Angel will be displayed substantially longer, making it easier to choose between the two
• Added a button which allows to reallocate the distribution of Perk points on a character's skill tree
• Increased the number of slots for autosaves from 10 to 20 and for quick saves from 3 to 10 across all platforms
• Added Database links to Journal entries
• Added an accessibility option for center of screen dot overlay which helps with reducing/avoiding motion sickness. It can be enabled in Settings > Interface > Center of screen dot overlay
• Fixers will now message V to offer a car for purchase less often
• Improved the Screen Space Reflections effect so that it looks less grainy on consoles and on lower visual settings qualities on the PC
• Added a filter for quest items in the Backpack
• Quest item tags from miscellaneous Job items will now be removed after finishing associated quests, allowing to sell or drop them
• It is now possible to rotate V in the Inventory with a mouse
• Players will now properly be able to craft a quickhack even if they once crafted it and then got rid of it
• Added a comparison tooltip for cyberware
• Improved a notification when buying cyberware and not meeting the level requirements to equip it
• It's now possible to upgrade crafting components in bulk
• Added new sleeping spots for Nibbles in V's apartment
• Icon on a disposal crate will now turn red when player picks up a body instead of being grayed out
• Landmine icon will now be grayed out after disarming it
• It's now possible to use an elevator while carrying a body
• Happy Together — Barry now has an updated, more unique appearance
• Base item will now be highlighted green like other components if it's present in the Inventory when crafting the same item of a better quality

Balance changes

• Detection time of enemies now depends on game difficulty. Enemies on Easy and Normal difficulties will now detect the player slower. Enemies on Very Hard difficulty will now detect the player faster
• Enemies on Very Hard difficulty (and only that difficulty alone) will now be more aggressive when searching around when they are in the "Alerted" state
• NCPD will no longer react and turn hostile because of dead bodies in Open World activities
• NCPD will now also react to hitting NPCs with a non-lethal weapon
• Adjusted the damaging process when shooting crowd NPCs while in combat depending on distance and the weapon used
• (Don't Fear) The Reaper — improved Adam Smasher's behavior during the fight
• Play It Safe — improved Oda's behavior during the fight
• Transmission — improved Placide's behavior during the fight
• Transmission — increased Placide's hacking resistance
• Cyberpsycho Sighting: Letter of the Law — improved Cyberpsycho's behavior during the fight
• Every Breath You Take — improved Red Menace's positioning and aim
• Increased stats of La Chingona Dorada (Jackie's iconic pistols)
• The Rescue — increased the number of ammo at the beginning of the quest
• Introduced minor tweaks and improved balancing of the Contagion quickhack
• Improved the Crafting system, so that items with Random quality scale their quality with player's Crafting skill — it's not possible anymore to roll a quality exceeding that of the relevant Crafting skill
• The level requirement of items will now increase with each upgrade. Note: the level of upgraded items will be adjusted as a result of this change. The equipped items which exceed the level requirement can keep being used but, if unequipped, will have to wait until the required level is reached
• Added more crafting specs for cyberware mods
• Added crafting specs for knives (available from the start of the game)
• Updated the number of components required to craft some items, e.g. Bounce Back, MaxDoc, quickhacks, clothing mods and some weapons
• Balancing of crafting specs for clothing mods
• Balancing the number of components required to craft clothing
• Balancing the number of components required to craft Sandevistan Fragments
• Optical Camo cyberware will now be available for purchase from Ripperdocs
• Adjusted price of the Sensory Amplifier cyberware mod
• Rare Unity crafting spec will now be obtainable only during Suspected Organized Crime Activity: Tygers by the Tail
• Changed the price and quality of Kerry's guitar that can be obtained during Gig: Psychofan

Gameplay changes

• Fixed an issue where crafting specs from clothing stores were available only during the first visit to a vendor
• Fixed an issue which occurred after visiting the Nomad Camp, resulting in being unable to use weapons and quick menu items
• Fixed an issue where hacking a neutral target wasn't counted towards the Christmas Tree Attack achievement
• Tutorial windows about skill checks will no longer pop up when the "Unauthorized" prompt is displayed on devices
• V will no longer look down after using fast travel

Perk changes

• "Hit the Deck" perk will now work properly on knockdowned and staggered NPCs
• "Can't Touch This" perk will now grant the player immunity to Blind from their own flash grenades
• "Crazy Science" perk will now properly increase the sale price of all items
• "Hacker Overlord" perk will now grant a recipe for the Epic Whistle quickhack
• Guitars from New Dawn Fades will no longer be disassemblable and won't be automatically disassembled when having the "Scrapper" perk
• Player will now properly have a chance of looting a weapon attachment with the "Mech Looter" perk

Fast-forwarded dialogue

• Fixed an issue where player could get stuck in changing position between crouching and standing after skipping dialogue
• V will no longer holster a weapon after skipping dialogue while holding it
• V will no longer be stuck in a loop after skipping holocall dialogue while falling into water

Crafting & prices

• It is no longer possible to exploit the epic "Untitled 18 - Brancesi, 2021" painting by selling and buying it back
• Added a quality setting to Sandevistan Fragments' crafting specs

Loot

• Fixed various unlootable items
• Fixed the icon displayed when looting shoes
• Fixed a case where Jackie's iconic pistols could be found lying on the street in Northside as loot
• Fixed an exploit where player could loot the XBD dealer's stock from his body after killing him in Disasterpiece
• Removed duplicate loot from an Open World activity in Pacifica
• Fixed appearance of a junk item
• Added loot to an empty loot container behind a Sex Shop in Corpo Plaza
• Fixed an issue where some Rare items were dropping where they weren't supposed to
• Adam Smasher will now drop additional loot besides the Access Token
• Fixed some unopenable loot containers in the Control Tower in With a Little Help From My Friends
• Removed Legendary Mantis Blades from Royce's office in The Pickup

Vendors

• Removed duplicate crafting specs from Weapon Shops in Vista Del Rey, The Glen, Rancho Coronado, Badlands and Pacifica
• Added some food items to the Trailer Park food vendor's stock

Devices

• Fixed some vending machines' appearance not corresponding to what they have in stock
• Optimisation related to various devices
• Fixed text displayed while scanning machines in Reported Crime: Table Scraps
• Fixed an issue where it wasn't possible to use the numpad next to the garage in The Highwayman
• Fixed animation of an enemy distracted by a water sprinkler
• Fixed untranslated text displayed while scanning a Weapon Vending Machine
• Fixed an issue where pachinko machines in Wakako's parlor were missing
• Fixed oversized collision boxes of proximity mines in various quests
• Fixed an issue where NPCs weren't reacting to distraction from TVs and cameras in The Heist
• Adjusted appearance of access point antennas
• Added missing interaction for an access point in Gig: Guinea Pigs
• Fixed lights on some access points
• Fixed the oversized collision box for boilers
• Removed redundant personal link icon from a non-interactive device in Gig: Severance Package
• Removed a redundant scanning component from shelves that hide Access Points
• NPCs killed by a car elevator will no longer clip with it or pop up on its surface
• Fixed untranslated text displayed on the screen of the Confession Booth
• Hologram decorations will no longer have collisions
• Fixed untranslated text displayed when scanning a forklift
• Fixed an issue in Riders on the Storm where scanning a forklift in the Raffen Shiv camp was highlighting an enemy who was outside of the forklift's reach
• Fixed an issue where uploading the Icepick Daemon to some forklifts located near an Assault in Progress in Kabuki powered them off
• Ceiling turrets will no longer begin firing before facing the target
• Taking control of a camera while swimming will no longer break the UI, camera view and animations
• Removed the laser effect from cameras after using the "Fry Circuits" interaction on them
• Added SFX for the "Fry Circuits" interaction used on a camera
• Fixed an issue where taking control of turned off cameras could turn them back on
• Fixed a barbed wire that didn't deal any damage
• Added a missing animation when jacking into a device in Gig: Old Friends
• Security Cameras will no longer spot V when crouching or hiding behind the cover
• Fixed untranslated text on the intercom screen in Silver Pixel Cloud in Blistering Love

Elevators

• It's no longer possible to get stuck inside the elevator in Megabuilding H10
• The elevator in I Fought The Law can no longer be exited when using it to get to the penthouse
• "Scanning" timing of access authorization in elevators was shortened
• Tweaked arrows on the UI panel of an elevator to light up according to its movement direction

NPCs

• Turrets should now have a common target with NPCs
• Adjusted the NPCs' behavior when their car is stolen
• NPCs will no longer react by crouching to every gunshot
• Fixed an issue where some NPCs wouldn't run away from combat scenes
• Traffic vehicles will now honk after hitting V
• Vehicles will no longer get stuck in their position upon saving and loading the game while they're in the air
• (Don't Fear) The Reaper — Adam Smasher's footsteps are now audible when he's running after V
• Play It Safe — fixed an issue where Oda's mantis blades textures could disappear upon his defeat
• I Walk the Line — fixed an issue where Sandevistan's visual effects could appear despite Sasquatch not using it
• (Don't Fear) The Reaper — it's no longer possible to attack Adam Smasher during his phase transition animation
• Play It Safe — fixed an issue where Oda could become invisible at long distance
• The Pickup — Royce's minion will no longer T-Pose after applying Short Circuit on Royce
• Beat on the Brat: Pacifica — destroying Ozob's nose will now properly deal additional damage to him
• Beat on the Brat: Kabuki — the Twins will no longer loop in the guard animation after V wins the fight and follows them
• I Walk the Line — the Animals will no longer ignore the collision of the shutter doors if V sneaks past them
• It's no longer possible to stun lock cyberpsychos by continuously throwing grenades at them as the knockback now presents a delay
• Stadium Love — it'll no longer be possible to perform takedowns on 6th Street members in the quest area
• Drones will now look destroyed after they explode
• NPCs will no longer keep hiding in cover after being flanked
• Polished grenade trajectory preview for extreme angles
• Disabled mirror interactions during combat

Quickhacks & scanning

• Fixed FPP camera, so that it doesn't drop down when starting to scan
• Improved performance when opening the Scanning menu
• Security Cameras with fried circuits can no longer be hacked
• Fixed an issue when available quickhacks could be doubled
• Added dying animation for NPCs killed with the Short Circuit quickhack
• The Tyger Claw boss in Pisces can now be hacked during combat
• It's now possible to use Distraction quickhack on the conference holo table in Nocturne Op55N1
• Fixed an issue where scanning an enemy NPC from inside a car could launch the car in the air
• Ladders will no longer be displayed as "turned on" while scanned.
• Fixed an issue where scanning overlay would remain on screen if the scan was performed while exiting a car
• Fixed an issue where scanning regular NCPD Officers would display results for MaxTac
• Human names will no longer be displayed above robots and mechs while scanning
• Smoothed Surveillance Camera controls when remote-controlling drones

Player mechanics

• Fixed an issue that blocked double jump during holocalls
• Fixed an issue where V could be launched into the air when attempting to jump through or climb various terrains throughout Night City
• Bodies dumped in Thorton Galena "Ghoul" will no longer stick outside the back of the car
• Fixed an issue with weapons becoming invisible after selecting them rapidly with the mouse scroll button
• It's no longer possible to open a trunk of the car while it leaves with Jotaro's body inside in Gig: Monster Hunt
• Added animation for picking up and dumping bodies in vehicle trunks
• Fixed an animation of dumping and picking up bodies from vans
• It's now possible to stash NPCs in the trunk of Villefort Cortes
• Fixed an issue in The Beast in Me: City Center where Claire's car could be spinning around in circles instead of driving away if the player chose not to go with her to her garage
• Players can no longer use frightened NPCs as human shields when a Police warrant is applied
• Fixed an issue where V was unable to fast climb or slide down ladders

Cyberware

• Titanium Bones cyberware will no longer appear as duplicated at the Wellsprings Ripperdoc
• Fixed an issue where the name of the cyberware on cooldown wasn't displayed

Mods

• Deadeye clothing mod now works properly
• Panacea and SuperInsulator clothing mods will now protect players against EMP Grenades

Stability & performance

• Dynamic Resolution Scaling improvements
• Improved framerate consistency, resulting in fewer hitches and spikes, especially during combat
• Fixed a streaming issue affecting performance in the City Center district
• Fixed crashes that occurred when loading a save file after the car combat sequence with Arasaka agents
• Fixed a crash that occurred when waiting for Thompson before leaving Atlantis in Never Fade Away
• Fixed a crash that occurred after turning off and on the "Crowds on Minimap" option in Settings multiple times

UI

• Delamain's image will no longer get stuck on holocalls when V leaves the car too fast after completing Epistrophy: Badlands
• Item tooltip will no longer disappear if its content is too long
• Fixed various typos in subtitles, shards, quests and weapons' descriptions
• Added a text message received after failing Epistrophy: North Oak by leaving the Delamain cab.
• Changed back the name of the fast travel point near V's apartment to "Megabuilding H10"
• Removed some items labeled as "None" and without proper icons from the inventory
• The on-hover menu with multitude of mods on an item in inventory will now show stats properly
• Fixed an issue where male variants of the VR tutorial were in Polish for Brazilian Portuguese language version
• Black-Market battery mod description will now display strings with item attributes properly
• Fixed an issue where the Contagion quickhack button was missing its icon outside of inventory
• Status Effects icon of the "Cold Blood" perk now looks like a snowflake
• Punk Duolayer Tank Top will now be visible in the Inventory when equipped
• Added a loading screen tooltip informing about Fast Forward settings
• Fixed the Galena "Gecko" vehicle's name next to the "Buy vehicle" prompt
• Image in the second message from Nancy Hartley in Holdin' On / Killing in the Name will now be displayed properly
• Adjusted wording of the Crafting skill progression reward related to upgrade cost reduction
• The image displaying Mackinaw MTL1 in the "Call vehicle" menu will now match with the car's model
• Removed debug strings from the "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" perk's tooltip
• Icon grouping artifacts will no longer get detached from their respective locations on the map when zooming in / out
• When Stamina Meter is depleted, the appropriate icon will now appear next to the health bar instead of the overload icon
• Villefort Alvarado V4F 570 Delegate description will now correctly state that the drive is rear wheeled
• The period of the possible occurrence in the description of Synaptic Accelerator in the tooltip will now display a proper value when playing in Polish
• Fists description in the weapon wheel will now display an appropriate item type
• Fixed text in the shard about Chiba-11 district
• Opening Photo Mode and a vendor menu in quick succession will no longer result in freezing the game
• Gold iconic loot icons will now be displayed on the minimap
• Fixed an instance where hit markers and kill confirmation weren't visible when destroying enemy turrets
• Fixed enemy markers using the incorrect color on unaware enemies — they will now be yellow instead of red
• Fixed an issue when RAM Recovery Rate below 0.50 was not displayed correctly
• Fixed an issue when the disassemble item button was displayed incorrectly
• Fixed an issue where the buttons on switching mods warning were not working as intended
• Fixed the non-functional hinted keys when Breaching Protocol
• Removed redundant input hints in the Cyberdeck panel

Graphics, audio & animation

• Reinforced Composite-Lined Rocker Foldtop is now properly aligned with V's legs
• Fixed an issue where the Monowire could slightly dislocate male V's arms and clip through clothes
• Fixed an issue in The Heist where Flathead's case could float outside the hotel room in Konpeki Plaza, blocking the doorway
• Fixed an issue where changing music volume in Sound settings affected car radio alongside with the background music
• Fixed and issue where Takemura's voice was doubled while talking to V in the van in Down on the Street
• Fixed an issue where some netrunning suits clipped with female V's legs and male V's pants
• Fixed an issue with the running animation after jumping on downwards or upwards slope
• Fixed dust particles, which were sometimes incorrectly displayed
• Characters' skin will no longer become too bright in dark areas
• In The Information, Smasher's shadow will no longer appear on the elevator's door after rewinding braindance to the beginning
• Fixed Arasaka soldiers spawning on player's sight when going back upstairs to save Takemura in Search and Destroy

Environment & levels

• Fixed various map holes in Watson, City Center, Westbrook, Heywood and Santo Domingo
• Fixed faulty pathing for vehicles on the City Center ring road
• Fixed multiple places where the player's character could get stuck permanently
• Fixed multiple issues with disappearing environments
• Fixed multiple issues with objects popping in on player's sight
• GPS in Biotechnica Flats will no longer lead players to unreachable areas

Quests

• Rearranged shards into correct categories
• Fixed an issue where calls to quest NPCs would abruptly end, making the NPC appear in other calls and potentially breaking other holocalls from the NPC
• Fixed an issue where interrupted holocall would resume along with another call, which could make the NPC appear in other calls and break the next holocall from that NPC
• Lots of quest-specific fixes and changes

Open world

• Fixed an issue allowing multiple debrief holocalls from fixers to play at once, which could lead to blocked completion of various gigs (like Gig: A Lack of Empathy, Gig: Fixer, Merc, Soldier, Spy and others). We continue working on visual issues related to gigs stuck in the Journal, note that the latter don't prevent district achievements from unlocking
• Removed redundant loot from the body in the ferris wheel
• Fixed an issue where Quadra Type-66 could be destroyed before buying it, blocking the progression of its "Buy Vehicle" quest and possibly the completion of the Autojock achievement
• Fixed an issue in a shootout in Wellsprings where enemies were immortal because the trigger area was too small

Cinematic design

• Fixed an issue causing NPCs to not look at V during various scenes
• Fixed an exploit where player was granted a Unity Pistol after each save / load
• V's facial animations while looking in the mirror will now be played properly
• Fixed an issue where Rogue was spawning next to the player after calling her and asking about Adam Smasher
• Fixed an issue where some NPCs could stop performing animations after a longer game session
• Fixed multiple issues with NPCs mounting vehicles incorrectly
• Fixed various issues where NPCs could be placed incorrectly and clip through objects after loading a saved game
• Fixed an issue that could cause NPC animations to be played in the wrong spot in various quests
• Fixed an issue where Jackie could spawn before the player's eyes during the half-year montage
• Fixed an issue where NPCs' appearances got randomized when looking away
• Fixed an issue where quests and scenes could progress before the loading screen disappeared

Miscellaneous

• A gift from Judy can now be found in V's apartment after player receives a text about it after completing her romance side quests
• Fixed some story inconsistencies in radio broadcasts
• Fixed the blackout effect persisting during Love Like Fire when using certain language settings

PC-specific

• Fixed the issue where tutorial tooltips weren't correctly displayed on 8K screens
• Fixed an issue that caused the game to crash if a save thumbnail was corrupted
• Fixed toggling Windowed and Fullscreen modes with the Alt+Enter shortcut
• It's now possible to exit locked scanning overlay by pressing TAB
• Added a more compact PC version of the mouse cursor

Console-specific

• Inner Dead Zone setting will now be applicable also to the game menus
• PlayStation — NPCs will no longer speak after being killed
• Improved streaming of city lights
• Overwriting a save game when there's insufficient memory space will no longer corrupt the save
• Masks and tubes inside the barn in The Hunt will no longer be invisible
• Rogue will no longer clip through Johnny and will hold the glass correctly in Ghost Town
• Fixed an issue in The Rescue where loading a save in front of the police blockade resulted in the NCPD officer not starting dialogue, blocking progress
• Fixed an issue on PS4 where the meeting scene with Judy and Dolls in Pisces wouldn't start properly
• Xbox — Fixed an issue in A Cool Metal Fire where a part of the scene in Cassius Ryder's clinic could be cut off after the fade out
• Fixed an issue where weapons were equipped to a wrong slot when assigning them from the Backpack