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Cyberpunk 2077 is a single-player-style, open-world action-adventure RPG from CD PROJEKT RED. You play V, a mercenary trying to survive and build a reputation in Night City, a fictional megalopolis where corporate power, celebrity culture, advanced technology and body modification shape everyday life.
The game combines direct gunfights, long-range weapons, stealth, hacking and cybernetic upgrades. Phantom Liberty is an expansion rather than a separate game: it adds a spy-thriller story in Night City’s walled-off Dogtown district. If you are buying for the first time, the main decision is whether your platform supports the expansion and whether you want the base game and expansion bundled in Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition.
What is Cyberpunk 2077?
Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world role-playing game set in a dystopian future. Its action takes place from a first-person perspective, but calling it only a first-person shooter misses the role-playing systems that determine how you approach missions. You develop V’s abilities, choose equipment, alter the character with implants and decide whether a situation calls for force, concealment, technology or a combination of all three.
V works as a mercenary for hire. The story begins with a high-risk job to steal an implant associated with immortality. After the heist, an experimental prototype becomes embedded in V and is connected to Johnny Silverhand. That setup launches the central survival story without requiring you to know anything about the wider Cyberpunk universe. The details and consequences unfold through missions, conversations and exploration, so a new player can begin without reading the tabletop source material or earlier games.
#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!
The campaign is designed around personal choices and an explorable city rather than a sequence of isolated shooting arenas. You can follow major objectives, take on optional work, meet people, look for hidden locations or simply travel to another part of Night City. The game does not force one universal build or a single correct solution to every encounter.
What is Night City?
Night City is a fictional megalopolis and the game’s primary setting. It is not merely a background for missions: its districts, residents, businesses, threats and social divisions provide the context for V’s work. The official overview contrasts the corporate high-rises of Corpo Plaza with the outlying Badlands, giving you a sense of how far the environment ranges from dense urban wealth to more open, dangerous territory.
A city built for different kinds of play
Night City’s scale lets you choose destinations and routes instead of moving through a strictly linear sequence. A corporate district can frame a mission around surveillance, status and controlled access, while a trip toward the Badlands can feel more exposed and unpredictable. The contrast is useful even if you never stop to study the setting: changing districts changes the visual language, the people you encounter and the kinds of spaces in which fights or stealth approaches occur.
Why the setting matters to the story
Corporate power, glamour and body modification are everyday realities in Night City. V’s ambition is therefore tied to the city itself: building a name means navigating institutions, crews, clients and rivals that all value technology and reputation differently. Exploring is a way to understand those pressures, not just a method of reaching the next marker on the map.
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?
Most play sessions alternate between story missions, optional jobs and free exploration. A typical activity can involve traveling to a location, gathering information, entering an area, dealing with opponents or security systems, and deciding how to leave. You can improve V between missions by investing in skills and perks, replacing or upgrading weapons and installing body-enhancing cyberware.
Fight with guns or other ranged weapons
Direct combat supports a guns-blazing approach for players who prefer to take control of an encounter immediately. Ranged attacks let you engage targets from a distance and shape the fight around positioning. Weapons can be upgraded, so the equipment you keep and improve matters as your character develops.
Use stealth
Stealth is an alternative to starting a loud firefight. You can look for less exposed routes, manage your position and avoid drawing attention. Stealth is not a separate campaign or locked class; it is one way to solve situations within the same story and can be mixed with other tools when avoiding every enemy is impractical.
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Hacking adds a technological layer to encounters. A character built around hacking can use skills and planning to influence a situation before committing to direct combat. Even a primarily combat-focused V can keep hacking as a supporting option, giving you another response when a doorway, security system or hostile group creates a problem.
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.
Install cyberware and develop V
Cyberware consists of body-enhancing implants that change what V can do. Alongside implants, you spend development points on skills and perks. This progression means your initial choices do not have to define every later mission: you can shape the character toward direct attacks, distance, stealth, hacking or a hybrid as you learn what you enjoy.
How do Cyberpunk 2077 playstyles work?
The publisher presents several approaches as options rather than mutually exclusive classes. There is no single “best” build for every player; the useful choice is the one that matches how you want to handle risk, distance and preparation.
| Approach | What it emphasizes | When it suits you |
|---|---|---|
| Direct combat | Immediate, high-pressure gunfights and upgraded weapons | You prefer taking control of an encounter and relying on weapon handling and positioning. |
| Long-range attacks | Distance, sightlines and careful target selection | You want to manage threats before they reach you. |
| Stealth | Concealment, route planning and avoiding unnecessary attention | You enjoy patience and looking for a less exposed way through an area. |
| Hacking | Skills that let technology become part of your solution | You like preparing an encounter and using systems rather than only firepower. |
| Cyberware-focused hybrid | Implants combined with weapons, stealth or hacking | You want V’s body upgrades to support a flexible style instead of committing to one tactic. |
You can also combine these approaches. For example, a mission might begin with stealth or hacking and end in a gunfight, or a ranged build might use cyberware to create a safer position. Your skill and perk investments, weapon upgrades and implants should reinforce the situations you expect to create most often, but experimentation is part of the role-playing experience.
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Is Cyberpunk 2077 a single-player game?
Cyberpunk 2077 is built as a solo, single-player-style experience centered on V’s campaign. You make decisions for one protagonist, explore Night City and progress through story and optional missions at your own pace. The important distinction is that “action game” describes how you control fights, not the whole structure: character development, conversations, exploration and alternate approaches are equally important parts of play.
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.
What is Phantom Liberty?
Phantom Liberty is a spy-thriller expansion for Cyberpunk 2077, not a standalone replacement for the base game. It takes V into Dogtown, a walled-off district of Night City, and adds a spy-focused narrative, additional gigs, dynamic missions and an exclusive Relic skill tree.
What the expansion adds
- A new storyline with a spy-thriller tone.
- Dogtown, a walled-off area with its own atmosphere and conflicts.
- Additional gigs and dynamic missions beyond the base game’s activities.
- A Relic skill tree exclusive to the expansion.
You need the base game to use Phantom Liberty. Buying the expansion by itself does not give you the complete Cyberpunk 2077 experience, while an edition that bundles both removes the need to purchase them separately. The expansion is supported on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. CD PROJEKT RED’s previous-generation support notice states that it is not available on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One after the game’s Patch 1.6 support cutoff.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which Cyberpunk 2077 edition should I start with?
Choose based on three practical questions: which hardware you own, whether you want Phantom Liberty, and whether you prefer a physical copy or a download. The publisher describes Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition as including the base game and Phantom Liberty on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. A Switch 2 Ultimate Edition also contains both.
| Starting option | What it includes | Best fit | Important limitation or format note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base game | Cyberpunk 2077 campaign and Night City | You want to begin with the original game or decide on the expansion later. | Check the exact platform listing; Phantom Liberty is a separate purchase unless the package says it is included. |
| Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition for PC, PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S | Base game plus Phantom Liberty | You want the complete current-generation package in one purchase. | Expansion support applies to these platforms; confirm the edition and regional listing before paying. |
| Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition for Switch 2 | Base game plus Phantom Liberty | You want both campaigns on Nintendo’s Switch 2 hardware. | Available as a physical 64 GB game card or a digital download; local availability and storage requirements can vary. |
| PlayStation 4 or Xbox One version | Base-game version availability depends on the listing | You only have previous-generation hardware. | Phantom Liberty is not supported on these consoles, so do not buy an expansion code expecting it to run there. |
When the base game is the sensible first purchase
Choose the base game if you are unsure whether the setting or playstyle will suit you, if your platform cannot run Phantom Liberty, or if you want to spread purchases over time. You still get V’s main campaign, Night City’s districts and the full range of combat, stealth, hacking and cyberware systems described above.
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
When Ultimate Edition is simpler
Ultimate Edition is the straightforward starting point when you already use a supported platform and know you want the expansion. Because the base game and Phantom Liberty are in one package, you avoid accidentally buying an expansion for the wrong console generation. Verify the platform label: an Ultimate listing for one system does not automatically grant a version for another.
Physical or digital?
Physical and digital editions can differ by platform and region. The Switch 2 Ultimate Edition is documented as a physical 64 GB card or a digital download. The publisher has also announced physical Ultimate Edition releases in selected markets for some other platforms, but the exact stock, packaging and language options are local questions. Check the current store page or retailer listing in your country rather than relying on a global description.
What should a first-time player know before starting?
- Confirm the hardware first. Identify whether you are buying for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. This determines which edition and expansion options are relevant.
- Decide whether you want the expansion now. If you want Dogtown, the spy-thriller story and the Relic skill tree, look for an edition that explicitly includes Phantom Liberty.
- Pick a broad early direction, not a permanent identity. Spend skills and perks toward combat, distance, stealth or hacking, then adjust as you discover which encounters you enjoy.
- Upgrade deliberately. Weapons and cyberware are progression tools. Review new equipment and implants instead of treating every item as a simple replacement.
- Explore between major objectives. Night City is designed for choosing destinations and routes. Optional work and detours show how its districts and communities differ from the main campaign path.
- Keep the story spoiler-light. The opening heist and the prototype implant establish the premise; later revelations about V and Johnny Silverhand are better experienced through play.
Platform-specific notes for Switch 2
The Switch 2 release documents motion controls, gyro aiming, mouse support and touchscreen features. These are features of that version and should not be assumed to exist on PC, PlayStation or Xbox. The physical Ultimate Edition uses a 64 GB game card, while a digital copy requires appropriate console storage and a compatible regional store account. Confirm the current download, storage and availability information when you buy because those details can change by market.
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Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world RPG about making a life and a name as V in a city organized around power, technology and constant risk. Night City rewards curiosity, and the systems let you solve problems with weapons, range, stealth, hacking, cyberware or a mixture of them. If your hardware supports it and you want the complete package, Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition bundles the base game with Phantom Liberty. If you use PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, plan on the base game only because the expansion is not supported on those consoles.
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