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Play Cyberpunk 2077 first, then Phantom Liberty. Phantom Liberty is an expansion, not a standalone game, and requires the base game. For the announced sequel, Cyberpunk 2 (formerly Project Orion), CD PROJEKT RED has not announced any required play order or prerequisite.
What the recommended order actually means
There are two different questions hidden in this topic. One is technical: can Phantom Liberty run by itself? The answer is no. The other is narrative: what order gives you the most useful context and the cleanest set of choices? For that, begin with Cyberpunk 2077 and move into Phantom Liberty when the campaign presents the opportunity.
Cyberpunk 2077 establishes V, Night City, the central conflicts, and the relationship with Johnny Silverhand. Phantom Liberty returns you to that same protagonist and world for a spy-thriller story in Dogtown, a new district. CD PROJEKT RED describes it as a full-fledged Cyberpunk 2077 adventure rather than a separate game. Those foundations make the expansion easier to follow and make its decisions feel connected to the main campaign.
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No. It is downloadable content for Cyberpunk 2077. CD PROJEKT RED’s June 12, 2023 bundle announcement explicitly says that the base game is included, “the latter being required to play Phantom Liberty.” The Steam listing states the same requirement in platform-specific language: “This content requires the base game Cyberpunk 2077 on Steam in order to play.”
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| Product | What it contains | Can it start Phantom Liberty? |
|---|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 base game | The main game and its original campaign | No expansion access unless Phantom Liberty is purchased separately |
| Phantom Liberty | Expansion content for Cyberpunk 2077 | No; the base game is required |
| Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition | The base game packaged with Phantom Liberty | Yes, after installing both components |
The requirement is about ownership and installation, not about having completed a particular number of missions. The available official descriptions do not say that you must finish the main story before the expansion becomes playable.
The best spoiler-light play order
- Start a Cyberpunk 2077 campaign. Use the base game to learn V’s situation, Night City’s major factions, and the role Johnny Silverhand plays in the story.
- Continue until Phantom Liberty becomes available. The expansion is introduced from within the campaign. When the game presents that opportunity, you can enter Dogtown rather than treating the DLC as a separate game on a separate timeline.
- Play Phantom Liberty before choosing your final base-game ending if you want the fullest integration. The expansion adds choices and ending context that can matter to how one complete playthrough feels. You do not need to clear every optional activity in the base game first.
- Complete the base-game conclusion after you have made the expansion’s decisions, if that is your preferred first-playthrough structure. This keeps the major story material in one campaign and lets you see how the additional content fits into the broader arc.
This is a recommendation for context and continuity, not an extra technical requirement. The documented requirement is simply ownership of Cyberpunk 2077; the timing advice is intended to avoid encountering the expansion without the character and setting information it assumes.
Should you finish the main story before starting Phantom Liberty?
Usually, no. Waiting until every main and side activity is complete is not necessary, and doing so can remove the sense that the expansion is part of an ongoing campaign. A better point is the first in-game invitation to pursue the Dogtown storyline, provided you are comfortable making major decisions before the base-game finale.
Starting Phantom Liberty during your first campaign
This is the most cohesive option for a new player. You learn the game’s premise first, enter the expansion when it naturally opens, and can then decide how to divide time between Dogtown and the remaining base-game objectives. Keep a manual save before committing to major story branches if you want to explore alternatives later; that is general save-management advice, not a published save-transfer policy.
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Starting after you have finished Cyberpunk 2077
If you have already completed the base story, Phantom Liberty is still the next piece of Cyberpunk 2077 content to play. The expansion remains a continuation featuring V and Johnny Silverhand, but its choices will be experienced separately from the decisions you made in the completed campaign. The official material does not promise a particular method for importing a completed ending or describe a universal save-transfer policy, so platform and edition-specific behavior should be checked in the game’s current documentation.
Starting with a new campaign that includes the expansion
A new player who owns the complete package can begin with the base campaign and follow the same order. Do not interpret an edition or menu option that places you near expansion content as proof that the base story is optional; the narrative context still comes from Cyberpunk 2077 itself.
What Phantom Liberty adds to the experience
The expansion’s identity explains why the order matters. It places V in Dogtown, a new district, and uses a spy-thriller storyline while bringing Johnny Silverhand back into the player character’s journey. That combination means it builds on established people, stakes, and terminology rather than introducing an unrelated cast in an independent setting.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsCD PROJEKT RED’s support notice identifies Phantom Liberty as the only planned expansion developed for Cyberpunk 2077. In practical terms, there is no second announced 2077 expansion that needs to be inserted between the base game and Phantom Liberty. The playable 2077 sequence is therefore straightforward: base game, then Phantom Liberty.
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Which version should a new player buy?
If you do not own either component, Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition is the simplest purchase because it combines the base game and Phantom Liberty. The publisher announced that bundle, while the storefront listing makes clear that the expansion depends on the base game.
| Your situation | Most straightforward choice | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| You own neither product | Ultimate Edition | Both required components are packaged together |
| You own Cyberpunk 2077 | Buy Phantom Liberty separately | You already have the required base game |
| You own Phantom Liberty only | Acquire Cyberpunk 2077 on the same supported platform | The expansion cannot be played as a standalone product |
| You want only the original campaign | Base game | It can be played without the expansion |
Check that both items are for the same platform and account before purchasing. The Steam requirement quoted above applies specifically to the Steam version; other storefronts use their own licensing and installation records.
When did Phantom Liberty release?
CD PROJEKT RED’s publisher announcement gives September 26, 2023 as the launch date. Steam’s store record lists September 25, 2023. The one-day difference reflects platform-specific release records, so use the date shown by the storefront or platform you are discussing rather than treating one date as a universal timestamp.
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Do you need Cyberpunk 2077 before Cyberpunk 2?
No prerequisite has been announced for Cyberpunk 2. CD PROJEKT RED called the project the anticipated follow-up to Cyberpunk 2077 in a February 6, 2024 announcement, when it was in the early stages of development. On May 28, 2025, the company said the project had completed its conceptual phase and moved into preproduction. The same announcement confirmed that Project Orion is now called Cyberpunk 2.
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Those updates establish the sequel’s status, not a required player curriculum. CD PROJEKT RED has not said that players must finish Cyberpunk 2077, complete Phantom Liberty, or own either game before playing Cyberpunk 2. Until the company publishes such a requirement, any claim that a particular ending will be mandatory preparation is speculation.
| Question about Cyberpunk 2 | What is officially established |
|---|---|
| Is it a sequel? | Yes. CD PROJEKT RED describes it as the follow-up to Cyberpunk 2077. |
| What was its former name? | Project Orion. |
| What development stage was reported on May 28, 2025? | Preproduction, after completion of the conceptual phase. |
| Must you finish Cyberpunk 2077 first? | No such requirement has been announced. |
| Must you finish Phantom Liberty first? | No such requirement has been announced. |
| Is there a release date, platform list, or save-transfer policy? | Those details have not been published in the cited official announcements. |
How to choose your play plan
If this is your first Cyberpunk game
Buy the base game with Phantom Liberty, start the original campaign, and follow the expansion invitation when it appears. This gives you the necessary character and world context without requiring you to finish every optional objective before entering Dogtown.
If you have played the base game but skipped the expansion
Play Phantom Liberty next. You are not missing an earlier 2077 expansion; CD PROJEKT RED has identified it as the only planned expansion for this game.
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You can play the earlier games for story context and enjoyment, but there is no confirmed prerequisite to satisfy. The sequel’s eventual launch requirements, platforms, release timing, and relationship to prior saves remain unknown in the cited announcements. Revisit official CD PROJEKT RED updates when those details are released.
Common ordering mistakes
- Buying Phantom Liberty alone and expecting it to launch. The expansion requires Cyberpunk 2077.
- Assuming the expansion is a completely separate campaign. It is downloadable content featuring V in the established Cyberpunk 2077 setting.
- Delaying the expansion until every activity is finished. The recommended point is when the campaign opens it, not necessarily after 100 percent completion.
- Treating rumors about Cyberpunk 2 as official requirements. No mandatory completion order has been announced.
- Mixing storefront licenses. Verify that the base game and expansion are owned on the same supported platform or account, especially when relying on a bundle.
What to remember
For the current Cyberpunk 2077 content, the order is clear: play the base game, enter Phantom Liberty when it becomes available, and consider finishing the expansion before the base-game finale if you want its choices and ending context in one playthrough. Ultimate Edition is the straightforward package for newcomers.
Cyberpunk 2 is a different case. It is the follow-up formerly known as Project Orion and was reported to be in preproduction by May 2025, but CD PROJEKT RED has not announced a required play order, release date, platform list, or save-transfer policy. Treat the earlier games as valuable context, not as a confirmed entry requirement.
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