Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world, single-player action-adventure RPG from CD PROJEKT RED. You play V, a mercenary trying to survive and build a reputation in Night City, a fictional megacity ruled by corporate power, celebrity culture, violence, and body modification. The game combines gunplay, stealth, hacking, exploration, dialogue choices, character-building, and cybernetic upgrades rather than functioning as only a first-person shooter.
Phantom Liberty is an expansion, not a standalone sequel. It adds a spy-thriller storyline in Dogtown, a sealed-off district of Night City, plus new missions, gigs, dynamic activities, and a Relic skill tree. For most new players with compatible hardware, Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition is the straightforward starting package because it includes the base game and Phantom Liberty.
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What is Cyberpunk 2077?
Cyberpunk 2077 is a large open-world RPG set in a dystopian future. Its central character is V, a mercenary for hire who accepts dangerous jobs while trying to become somebody in Night City. The game is played primarily from a first-person perspective, but its systems reach well beyond shooting: you can negotiate, investigate, sneak past enemies, disable security systems, modify weapons, install implants, and decide how to approach many objectives.
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The opening premise is intentionally high-stakes. V takes part in a major job to steal an implant associated with immortality. After the heist, an experimental prototype is embedded in V and linked to Johnny Silverhand, a famous and controversial musician and revolutionary. That setup drives the main story, but the details that follow are best discovered in the game rather than spoiled in an introduction.
#1 Best Overall
- DISCOVER UPDATE 2.0: Experience new and overhauled gameplay mechanics to fulfill your wildest cyberpunk fantasies. The free Update 2.0 brings brand new ways to play Cyberpunk 2077, including totally redesigned perks and cyberware systems, pulsating vehicle combat and car chases, a revamped police system, enhanced enemy combat AI, and more.
- CREATE YOUR OWN CYBERPUNK: Become an urban outlaw equipped with cybernetic enhancements and build your legend on the streets of Night City. · EXPLORE THE CITY OF THE FUTURE: Night City is packed to the brim with things to do, places to see, and people to meet. And it’s up to you where to go, when to go, and how to get there.
- BUILD YOUR LEGEND: Go on daring adventures and build relationships with unforgettable characters whose fates are shaped by the choices you make. · EQUIPPED WITH NEXT-GEN FEATURES: Immerse yourself in Night City like never before thanks to faster load times, improved visual and gameplay features, ray tracing and dynamic 4K support, and more.
- CLAIM EXCLUSIVE ITEMS: Claim in-game swag & digital goodies inspired by CD PROJEKT RED games as part of the My Rewards program.
- PHYSICAL EDITION GOODIES: The physical version of Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition includes an exclusive set of stickers and a rewards leaflet with a Wild Hunt Jacket and a Scorch Pistol!
Although the campaign is designed as a solo experience, Night City is busy enough to feel like a functioning place. People occupy streets, factions control neighborhoods, corporations shape public life, and optional jobs pull V away from the main plot. You are free to follow the critical path, spend hours on side work, or simply explore and find conversations, fights, shops, and hidden locations.
What is Night City?
Night City is the game’s fictional megalopolis and its most important character after V. It is not a single uniform city: districts have different architecture, wealth, dangers, and social rules. The corporate core rises into high-rises and polished plazas, while the outskirts open into the Badlands, a harsher desert region beyond the dense urban center.
CD PROJEKT RED presents Night City as a place with destinations, people, and secrets to discover. That design affects how you play. You choose where to go, which route to take, whether to travel openly or avoid attention, and how much optional content to pursue. A mission may begin in a luxury tower, move through a crowded market, and end in an industrial compound or an isolated stretch of desert.
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A city with contrasting spaces
- Corporate areas: Tall buildings, security checkpoints, executive power, and carefully controlled public spaces.
- Dense urban neighborhoods: Shops, apartments, markets, gangs, traffic, and side jobs packed into walkable streets.
- The Badlands: Open terrain outside the central city, with a different pace, hazards, and communities.
- Restricted locations: Industrial sites, hideouts, and other areas where your approach matters more than sightseeing.
These contrasts make exploration meaningful. Night City is a backdrop for the story, but it is also the system that supplies missions, factions, upgrades, conversations, and routes through the world.
Rank #2
- THE ULTIMATE CYBERPUNK 2077 EXPERIENCE - Includes the critically acclaimed spy thriller expansion Phantom Liberty
- CREATE YOUR OWN CYBERPUNK
- Explore the city of the future – you decide when you want to go where and how to get there
- Decide how the story ends – your choices in the main game as well as in the spy thriller adventure Phantom Liberty lead to a complex web of consequences
What do you do in Cyberpunk 2077?
The basic loop is to accept a job, decide how to handle it, complete the objective, and use the rewards to improve V. Main missions advance the central story. Side missions and gigs provide additional characters, conflicts, equipment, money, and context about Night City. Some activities are carefully staged story episodes; others are shorter jobs that let you test a build or explore a district.
Approach objectives your way
A guarded location may support a direct assault, a long-range attack from cover, a quiet infiltration, or a hacking-led route that disables cameras and turns defenses against their owners. The game does not require you to select one permanent class. Your attributes, perks, weapons, cyberware, and habits gradually create a style, and you can combine several approaches.
Improve V between missions
Successful jobs give you experience, equipment, money, and opportunities to refine your character. Skills and perks shape what V can do in combat and outside it. Weapons can be upgraded, and body-enhancing implants add new capabilities or improve existing ones. Because these systems interact, a character who relies on stealth can still carry a powerful firearm, while a combat-focused character can use hacking to soften a group before opening fire.
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Optional routes often reveal conversations, environmental details, and small stories that explain how people live under Night City’s corporate and criminal systems. Exploration is therefore useful even when you are not searching for a particular weapon: it can uncover new work, shortcuts, vendors, and narrative context.
Rank #3
![Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition - Nintendo Switch 2 [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41R5kouU7PL._SL160_.jpg)
- A Nintendo Switch Online membership may be required for online play. Please check the game detail page on Nintendo.com for membership requirements.
- 2025 CD PROJEKT S.A. All rights reserved. CD PROJEKT, the CD PROJEKT logo, the REDengine logo, Cyberpunk, Cyberpunk 2077, the Cyberpunk 2077 logo, Johnny Silverhand, the SAMURAI logo, Phantom Liberty and the Phantom Liberty logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of CD PROJEKT S.A. in the US and/or other countries. All other copyrights and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
How the main playstyles work
Cyberpunk 2077 supports several recognizable approaches, but they are options rather than mutually exclusive classes. Your build can change as you learn which systems you enjoy.
| Approach | How it plays | Useful investment |
|---|---|---|
| Direct combat | Engage enemies openly with firearms, close-range weapons, movement, and defensive abilities. | Combat-oriented attributes, weapon perks, upgraded guns, and cyberware that improves survivability or damage. |
| Ranged attacks | Use distance, cover, precision, and positioning to eliminate threats before they close in. | Long-range weapons, accuracy-focused perks, optics, and implants that support targeting or mobility. |
| Stealth | Stay out of sight, bypass guards, create distractions, and remove targets quietly. | Stealth perks, suppressed weapons, movement upgrades, and cyberware that helps avoid detection. |
| Hacking | Manipulate cameras, devices, doors, and enemies through the environment before or during an encounter. | Hacking skills, an appropriate cyberdeck, resource management, and perks that expand available options. |
| Cyberware-focused hybrid | Use body-enhancing implants to combine mobility, defense, damage, and utility with conventional weapons. | Implant capacity, compatible cyberware, and attributes that support the abilities you want to activate. |
You do not need to understand every perk before starting. Choose a broad direction, try different weapons and abilities, and spend later points where the game’s missions show you what is most enjoyable. A hybrid character is perfectly viable if you prefer switching between hacking, stealth, and open combat.
Is Phantom Liberty a separate game?
No. Phantom Liberty is a paid expansion for Cyberpunk 2077. It adds a spy-thriller story that takes V into Dogtown, a walled-off district within Night City. The expansion includes additional missions, gigs, dynamic missions, and an exclusive Relic skill tree.
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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Dogtown has its own atmosphere and power structures, so Phantom Liberty feels like a substantial new campaign area rather than a cosmetic add-on. It remains connected to V’s existing character and the wider Night City experience. You still use the base game’s weapons, cyberware, skills, and choices while engaging with the expansion’s new content.
Rank #4
- CREATE YOUR OWN CYBERPUNK - Become an urban outlaw equipped with cybernetic enhancements and build your legend on the streets of Night City.
- EXPLORE THE CITY OF THE FUTURE - Night City is packed to the brim with things to do, places to see, and people to meet. And it’s up to you where to go, when to go, and how to get there.
- BUILD YOUR LEGEND - Go on daring adventures and build relationships with unforgettable characters whose fates are shaped by the choices you make.
- DECIDE HOW THE STORY ENDS - Your choices in the base game and the spy-thriller adventure Phantom Liberty create interweaving webs of consequences, ones that shape the fate of the characters around you — and your own.
- CLAIM EXCLUSIVE ITEMS - Claim in-game swag & digital goodies inspired by CD PROJEKT RED games as part of the My Rewards program.
When should a new player play it?
You can begin Phantom Liberty after reaching the point in the base-game story where its content becomes available. Players who want the most natural narrative progression can first learn Night City and V’s core systems in the base game, then enter Dogtown when the story introduces it. A new-game start option may also be available on supported versions, but the exact interface and current options can change with platform updates.
Which systems support Phantom Liberty?
CD PROJEKT RED’s previous-generation support notice states that Phantom Liberty is available for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, and not for PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. Platform listings and support can change, so check the current edition description for your region before buying. Do not assume that owning the base game on an older console automatically provides access to the expansion.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which Cyberpunk 2077 edition should I start with?
Your decision mainly depends on three things: the hardware you already own, whether you want Phantom Liberty, and whether you prefer a physical copy or a digital download.
| Starting situation | Most relevant option | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| You have a PC, PlayStation 5, or Xbox Series X|S and want the complete current package. | Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition | The publisher describes this edition as including the base game and Phantom Liberty. Confirm the store listing for your region and platform. |
| You already own the base game on a compatible platform. | Buy Phantom Liberty separately if you want its story and systems. | Check that your copy and platform support the expansion and that the purchase is for the same storefront ecosystem. |
| You use PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. | The base game is the relevant purchase; Phantom Liberty is not supported on those systems according to the previous-generation notice. | Read the exact edition description before paying, especially if a listing uses “complete” language. |
| You play on Switch 2 and want both parts. | The Switch 2 Ultimate Edition. | It is sold as a physical 64 GB game card or a digital download. Confirm local availability and storage requirements. |
| You care about physical ownership. | A physical release where offered, including the Switch 2 game card. | Physical availability varies by platform, market, and edition; verify what is actually included on the box or product page. |
The Ultimate Edition was announced for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S on November 21, 2023. A Switch 2 Ultimate Edition announcement on June 5, 2025 confirmed both physical and digital formats. These dates identify the publisher’s announcements, not a guarantee that every retailer or region still carries every format.
Best Value
- Included is the following: Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition for PlayStation 5 PS5, 2 pack of PremGear 2 Sizes Thumbsticks made to increase accuracy and comfort (1 High-Rise, 1 Mid-Rise), PremGear Quality Cleaning Cloth
- DISCOVER UPDATE 2.0: Experience new and overhauled gameplay mechanics to fulfill your wildest cyberpunk fantasies. The free Update 2.0 brings brand new ways to play Cyberpunk 2077, including totally redesigned perks and cyberware systems, pulsating vehicle combat and car chases, a revamped police system, enhanced enemy combat AI, and more
- CREATE YOUR OWN CYBERPUNK: Become an urban outlaw equipped with cybernetic enhancements and build your legend on the streets of Night City
- EXPLORE THE CITY: Night City is packed to the brim with things to do, places to see, and people to meet. And it’s up to you where to go, when to go, and how to get there
- BUILD YOUR LEGEND: Go on daring adventures and build relationships with unforgettable characters whose fates are shaped by the choices you make
A simple purchase decision
- Identify the exact platform you will use.
- Check whether that platform supports Phantom Liberty; PlayStation 4 and Xbox One do not.
- Decide whether you want only the base campaign or both the base game and expansion.
- Choose physical or digital based on storage, resale, convenience, and local availability.
- Read the edition contents before checkout so you do not buy a base-game listing expecting the expansion.
What is different about the Switch 2 version?
The Switch 2 release documents platform-specific control options including motion controls, gyro aiming, mouse controls, and touchscreen functions. Those features should not be generalized to PC, PlayStation, or Xbox versions. If these controls matter to you, confirm that the particular mode and accessory setup you plan to use is supported by the current Switch 2 software and system configuration.
The Switch 2 Ultimate Edition includes both Cyberpunk 2077 and Phantom Liberty. The physical version uses a 64 GB game card, while a digital version is also offered. Before choosing digital, check the console’s available storage and the current download requirements in your region.
What should first-time players know?
You are not locked into one “correct” build
The game presents guns, stealth, hacking, ranged attacks, and cyberware as complementary tools. Early decisions guide your strengths, but you can experiment instead of trying to follow a supposedly perfect build. If you enjoy solving encounters in different ways, distribute investments across a primary approach and one supporting specialty.
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Some jobs reward observation. Cameras, access points, alternate entrances, and hackable devices can reveal a quieter or safer route. Scan the area, look for cover, and consider whether the objective actually requires eliminating everyone.
Keep equipment and upgrades organized
Weapons and implants are not interchangeable decorations. Compare their effects with the abilities you use most, dismantle or sell items you do not need when appropriate, and revisit vendors or upgrade menus as V becomes stronger. A weapon that fits your perks is often more useful than one with a superficially higher number.
Explore at your own pace
The main story is only one way to experience Night City. Side missions can introduce important characters and mechanics, while short gigs are useful practice for a new build. You can return to exploration after a major story mission if you prefer a focused first run.
Expect mature themes
Cyberpunk 2077 deals with violence, exploitation, addiction, inequality, identity, corporate control, and the consequences of modifying the human body. Its age rating and content warnings vary by region, so review the local rating information if that affects your purchase.
Quick Recap
What Cyberpunk 2077 is—and is not
- It is an open-world RPG with first-person combat, exploration, dialogue, missions, and character progression.
- It is a solo-focused experience rather than a multiplayer service.
- It is not limited to shooting; stealth, hacking, cyberware, and route planning are central systems.
- Night City is an explorable setting with distinct districts and the Badlands, not merely a decorative backdrop.
- Phantom Liberty expands the game with Dogtown and a spy-thriller campaign; it is not a separate game.
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