Cyberpunk 2077 Explained: Story, History, Editions and Prices

In brief: Cyberpunk 2077 is CD PROJEKT RED's open-world role-playing game set in Night City, based on Mike Pondsmith's Cyberpunk tabletop RPG. It launched on 10 December 2020 in a badly broken state on PS4 and Xbox One, was rebuilt over the following three years, and has now sold more than 40 million copies. Today it is on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and Mac. Most new players on PC, PS5 or Xbox Series X|S should buy the base game plus the Phantom Liberty expansion, or the Ultimate Edition that bundles both. On 31 October 2026 Steam listed the base game at $59.99 / £49.99 / €59.99 / ₹2,999 and Phantom Liberty at $29.99 / £24.99 / €29.99 / ₹1,499.

By Tulasiram Pemmadi · NextPlayIntel · Last updated 31 October 2026. Researched with AI assistance from CD PROJEKT RED's own announcements, financial reports and store pages listed in the sources, and fact-checked before publishing. We summarise official information; we did not run our own hardware tests.

This explainer covers what Cyberpunk 2077 is, how it got from a famously troubled launch to one of CD PROJEKT RED's best-selling games, and which edition to buy on each platform. The full price table for every store and region is on the Cyberpunk 2077 game page, and the Update 2.5 guide covers the latest patch.

What is Cyberpunk 2077?

Cyberpunk 2077 is a single-player, first-person action role-playing game. You play V, a mercenary in Night City, a corporate-run megacity on the west coast of the Free States of North America. Early in the story a heist goes wrong and V ends up with a biochip in their head that holds the digital ghost of Johnny Silverhand, a rockerboy terrorist played by Keanu Reeves. The chip is slowly overwriting V, and the main story is a race to find a way out.

You choose one of three lifepaths at the start (Nomad, Streetkid or Corpo), which changes the prologue and some dialogue options. After that the game is open: you can follow the main quest, take gigs from fixers across the city's districts, or follow long side stories such as Panam's, Judy's or River's. Combat mixes guns, melee weapons, stealth and quickhacking, and the cyberware you install shapes your build as much as your attribute points.

The game is based on the Cyberpunk tabletop role-playing game created by Mike Pondsmith and published by R. Talsorian Games, and its timeline follows on from Cyberpunk 2020 and Cyberpunk Red. CD PROJEKT RED, the Polish studio behind The Witcher series, developed and published it.

A short history of Cyberpunk 2077

2012–2020: announcement, delays and launch

CD PROJEKT RED announced the game in May 2012 and released its first teaser trailer in January 2013. The studio showed gameplay to the press at E3 2018 and revealed Keanu Reeves as Johnny Silverhand at E3 2019. The release date then moved several times, from April 2020 to September, then November, and finally to 10 December 2020 on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Google Stadia.

The launch versions on PS4 and Xbox One ran poorly and had many bugs. CD PROJEKT RED apologised and offered refunds, and Sony removed the game from the PlayStation Store on 17 December 2020. It did not return to the PlayStation Store until June 2021, after a series of patches.

2021–2023: repair, next-gen versions and Edgerunners

Through 2021 the studio shipped large stability patches. On 15 February 2022, Update 1.5 brought native PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions, and owners of the PS4 and Xbox One versions got a free upgrade. In September 2022 Netflix released Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, an anime series by Studio Trigger set in Night City. Its success brought many players back to the game.

Update 2.0, released on 21 September 2023, rebuilt the skill trees, perks, police system, vehicle combat and cyberware limits. Five days later, on 26 September 2023, CD PROJEKT RED released Phantom Liberty, a spy-thriller expansion set in the new Dogtown district, with Idris Elba as FIA agent Solomon Reed. It also added a new ending to the main story. Phantom Liberty and Update 2.0 are only on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC (and later Switch 2 and Mac). PS4 and Xbox One stayed on the older 1.6 version.

The Ultimate Edition, which combines the base game and Phantom Liberty, followed on 5 December 2023 alongside Update 2.1, which added the working NCART metro.

2024–2026: new platforms and a second anime

Update 2.2 arrived in December 2024. On 5 June 2025, Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition was a launch title for Nintendo Switch 2, on a 64 GB game card or as a download, with gyro, touch and mouse controls. On 17 July 2025 the Ultimate Edition reached Mac (Apple silicon with 16 GB or more of unified memory) through the Mac App Store, Steam, GOG and the Epic Games Store, on the same day as Update 2.3 added AutoDrive and Delamain taxis.

In its first-half 2026 results, CD PROJEKT RED said Cyberpunk 2077 had passed 40 million copies sold and Phantom Liberty 15 million, including copies sold in the Ultimate Edition. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 premiered on Netflix on 20 October 2026, and the free Update 2.5 followed on 22 October.

Which edition should you buy?

• PC, PS5 or Xbox Series X|S: buy the base game and add Phantom Liberty later, or get the Ultimate Edition if it costs less than the two separately in your store. Console stores run sales often, so check before you pay.

• Nintendo Switch 2 and Mac: only the Ultimate Edition is sold, so there is no choice to make.

• PS4 or Xbox One: these versions still work and include a free upgrade to the PS5 or Xbox Series X|S version, but they stop at version 1.6 and cannot run Phantom Liberty or Update 2.0. Only buy them if you plan to move to a current console.

• India: Steam India lists the base game at ₹2,999 and Phantom Liberty at ₹1,499. PlayStation Store India and Xbox Store India prices change with sales, and the game page lists the current ones. There is no official Nintendo eShop in India.

Prices were read from the Steam store for the US, UK, Germany (EU reference) and India on 31 October 2026. We never convert currencies, so check the price at checkout.

Do you need to play anything first?

No. Cyberpunk 2077 stands alone, and the game explains its world as you go. Edgerunners is set in the same city a year before the game, and it adds context for a few side characters and items, but you do not need to watch it first. Phantom Liberty unlocks during the main story's second act, and you can also skip straight to it from the main menu with a pre-built character. Our Phantom Liberty how-to explains both routes.

Are there cheats, and what about bugs?

There are no official cheat codes on any platform. The PC "console commands" you see online come from a third-party mod. Our Cyberpunk 2077 cheats page and endings guide list what the game really has: endings, the secret ending and the rewards they give. If the game crashes or will not launch, follow the Cyberpunk 2077 troubleshooting guide, which uses CD PROJEKT RED's own support steps. The error codes directory lists documented Cyberpunk messages.

PC system requirements

Steam lists these official minimum and recommended specs for Update 2.x (checked 31 October 2026). Both call for an SSD. The full table, including ray-tracing tiers, is on the game page.