Best order for most newcomers: watch all 10 episodes of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, play Cyberpunk 2077, play the Phantom Liberty expansion when it becomes available in the game (ideally after the main campaign), then explore the official Cyberpunk: Edgerunners MADNESS manga and the physical Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Mission Kit. Watch Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 after season 1; its announced Netflix premiere is October 20, 2026.
The recommended Cyberpunk: Edgerunners watch and play order
The anime should come first because it is a complete introduction to Night City and does not require knowledge of the game. The game then expands that setting interactively, while Phantom Liberty is treated as expansion content rather than as a separate anime chapter. Printed and tabletop tie-ins are optional extras, not prerequisites.
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- Watch Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (10 episodes). It is a standalone story about David Martinez and does not retell the game campaign.
- Play Cyberpunk 2077. You will recognize locations, terminology and ideas from the anime, but the game follows its own playable campaign.
- Play Phantom Liberty. Start it after the main game, or enter it when the game makes its expansion access available if you prefer to integrate it into a longer playthrough.
- Read Cyberpunk: Edgerunners MADNESS if you want more printed story material.
- Use the physical Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Mission Kit for a group tabletop continuation.
- Watch Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 when available. It is a sequel-series entry with a fresh cast and an all-new story, not homework for season 1 or the game.
Why the anime belongs before Cyberpunk 2077
It is deliberately standalone
CD PROJEKT RED describes Edgerunners as “a standalone, 10-episode story about a street kid trying to survive in a technology and body modification-obsessed city of the future.” That design makes it a safe first step: you do not need to understand the game’s systems, protagonist or mission structure before pressing play.
The series gives you an emotional and visual orientation to Night City without requiring a tutorial. It introduces the social pressure of cyberware, the violence of corporate power and the risks faced by mercenaries through David’s experience. You can therefore follow the drama on its own terms instead of treating every scene as background for a game you have not played.
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It shares a universe, not a campaign
Netflix announced the anime as “a brand-new story set in the world of the highly anticipated game, Cyberpunk 2077.” The shared universe includes Night City and common terminology, but Edgerunners is not a screen version of the game’s V campaign. Watching first will not remove the central discovery of playing V; it simply gives you context for the world you are entering.
What the order protects you from
Starting with the anime limits game-related spoilers while preserving the show’s own reveals. You also avoid approaching David’s story as a checklist of references. Once you play the game, familiar places and concepts can add recognition without changing the fact that the anime stands on its own.
Step 1: Watch Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
How much you need to watch
Watch the complete 10-episode first season in sequence. There is no prologue, game campaign or tabletop rulebook that must be completed first. The anime’s episode count is the clearest practical starting point for a newcomer: finish the season before moving to the game if you want the intended arc to land without interruption.
What to notice without turning it into homework
- How Night City treats body modification as both opportunity and danger.
- How street crews, corporations and ordinary residents occupy different positions in the same city.
- Which locations and terms recur, so you can recognize them later in the game.
These observations are optional viewing context, not required lore. Avoid pausing to look up every reference; the story supplies enough information to understand David’s choices.
Anime release context
The official series announcement dates to 2020, and the Netflix debut was September 13, 2022. Those dates identify the first season’s release history; they do not change its position at the beginning of the recommended order.
Step 2: Play Cyberpunk 2077
The game is the main interactive entry point
After the anime, Cyberpunk 2077 lets you move through Night City rather than only observing it. You can approach the setting through missions, exploration and player decisions, while the anime remains a separate character story in the same universe.
What carries over from the anime
You may recognize locations, slang, technology and the general logic of Night City’s factions. Those connections are world-building rewards, not a required sequence of plot events. The game does not assume that you know David’s complete story, and the anime does not require you to know V’s objectives.
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Should you play before watching?
You can, but it is a less reliable first experience for newcomers. Playing first prioritizes interactive discovery and may make you notice references in reverse. Watching first prioritizes the anime’s emotional arc and gives you a vocabulary for the setting before you make your own choices. If your primary goal is to start with the game immediately, the game remains understandable; the anime-first route is a recommendation, not a requirement.
Step 3: Place Phantom Liberty correctly
It is an expansion, not season 1.5
Phantom Liberty belongs to the game path. It should not be inserted between anime episodes, and it is not a missing chapter of David’s story. Treat it as expansion content for Cyberpunk 2077.
Two sensible entry points
| When to start | Who it suits | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| After finishing the main game | Players who want a clean campaign arc and the least uncertainty about returning to the story | You postpone the expansion until the original campaign is complete. |
| When its in-game access becomes available | Players who want to fold the expansion into one longer playthrough | You must manage two connected strands of content and decide when to pause other missions. |
The recommended default is to finish the main game first, then begin the expansion. The alternative is valid when the game makes access available and you prefer a single integrated run.
What not to expect
The expansion does not continue the anime’s episode numbering or replace the anime as the next viewing step. Its role is to enlarge the playable world after you have entered Cyberpunk 2077.
Optional printed and tabletop tie-ins
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners MADNESS manga
The official Cyberpunk: Edgerunners MADNESS manga is the natural printed follow-up when you want more Edgerunners material. Read it after the anime so the series remains your first encounter with its core cast and tone. It is optional: skipping it does not create a gap in the game or anime order.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Mission Kit
The physical Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Mission Kit is a tabletop role-playing product for groups that want to continue playing in the setting. Its documented contents include:
- An Edgerunners Handbook.
- A rule book.
- Pre-generated characters.
- Dice.
- Maps and standees.
- Tokens.
- A full-length mission titled “The Jacket.”
Because it is a tabletop kit, it adds a group-play option rather than another required screen chapter. Read or play it after the anime if you want a direct Edgerunners-themed activity, or after the game if you would rather encounter the wider setting first. Neither choice changes the canon order of the anime and game.
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Where Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 fits
Its announced release position
Official CD PROJEKT RED pages give Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 a Netflix premiere of October 20, 2026. With the current date being October 19, 2026, that is an announced date rather than a claim that every territory will have identical availability at the same local hour.
What is known about the sequel series
The sequel is described as having a fresh cast and an all-new story. That means it should be approached as a new entry in the franchise after season 1, not as a prerequisite that must be completed before playing Cyberpunk 2077.
Recommended timing
Watch the first season before the sequel. You may then watch season 2 before or after playing the game, depending on whether you want another anime-led introduction or a return to the interactive setting. The sequel’s new cast and story prevent it from becoming a required bridge between David’s story and V’s campaign.
Comparing the main order options
| Order | Spoiler exposure | Prerequisite knowledge | Anime impact | Time commitment before the next medium | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anime → game → Phantom Liberty | Lowest risk of game material affecting the anime | None beyond the 10 episodes | Strongest first-time emotional focus on David’s story | Starts with one 10-episode season | Most newcomers |
| Game → anime → expansion | May make you interpret anime references through the game first | None, although game systems come first | Can feel like a return to a familiar world | Begins with the full game commitment | Players who already want to play immediately |
| Anime → manga → game → Phantom Liberty | Protects the anime’s first-season experience | None for the manga or anime | Extends the printed Edgerunners material before interactive play | Adds reading before the game | Readers who want more Edgerunners fiction |
| Anime → Mission Kit → game | Minimal game-story exposure before play | Requires a tabletop group for the kit’s full value | Keeps the anime as the emotional starting point | Adds a group session or campaign before the game | Tabletop groups and role-playing fans |
There is no mandatory release-order puzzle to solve. The meaningful decision is whether you want your first extended experience to be a short, fixed anime story, a long interactive campaign or a group-created tabletop story.
Canon and continuity in plain language
- Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and Cyberpunk 2077 occupy the same Cyberpunk universe and share Night City.
- The anime is not a retelling of V’s campaign.
- Phantom Liberty is game expansion content, not an anime sequel.
- Cyberpunk: Edgerunners MADNESS and the Mission Kit are optional tie-ins for additional printed or tabletop material.
- Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 is a sequel-series entry with a fresh cast and all-new story.
This separation explains why anime-first advice works: the connections reward recognition, but no entry depends on completing another one to make sense.
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A practical plan for different readers
If you have never touched Cyberpunk
Watch the 10 anime episodes, then start Cyberpunk 2077. Continue into Phantom Liberty after the main game unless you specifically want to integrate the expansion as soon as its access appears. Add the manga or Mission Kit only if you want more material after establishing the core story.
If you already own the game and want to start tonight
You can begin Cyberpunk 2077 without watching first. When you later watch Edgerunners, treat it as a separate Night City story rather than searching for a one-to-one adaptation. Your choice changes the order of discovery, not whether either narrative is understandable.
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If your priority is the anime’s emotional arc
Watch season 1 without interleaving game sessions. Move to the game afterward, then choose the expansion and tie-ins according to your available time. This keeps the anime’s 10-episode progression intact.
If you are organizing a tabletop night
Watch the anime first so everyone shares the same reference point, then use the Mission Kit’s pre-generated characters, dice, maps, standees, tokens and “The Jacket” mission. The kit is built to let a group play in the setting; it does not need to be inserted into the game’s campaign chronology.
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Do I watch Edgerunners before playing Cyberpunk 2077?
Yes, that is the recommended newcomer order, because the anime is standalone and supplies setting context without requiring game knowledge.
Is Edgerunners a prequel to the game?
It is a separate story in the same universe and Night City, not a retelling or direct prequel to V’s campaign.
Where does Phantom Liberty fit?
Play it as an expansion after the main game, or when its in-game access becomes available if you prefer an integrated playthrough.
Is there an Edgerunners manga?
Yes. The official Cyberpunk: Edgerunners MADNESS manga is an optional follow-up for readers who want more printed material.
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What comes after the anime?
For the core path, play Cyberpunk 2077. For optional extras, read the manga or use the Mission Kit. Then watch Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 when available; its announced Netflix premiere is October 20, 2026.
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