Oh, Cyberpunk 2077. The game that became a meme, a cautionary tale, and, eventually, a redemption story. I was one of the poor souls who played it at launch on a base PS4. The bugs weren’t just bad—they were legendary. NPCs T-posing through walls, quests breaking for no reason, and a frame rate so choppy it looked like a slideshow. I refunded it after 10 hours, swearing I’d never touch it again. But when the Phantom Liberty expansion dropped alongside the massive 2.0 update, curiosity got the better of me. I rebooted my save, and holy hell—was it worth it?
The difference is night and day. Night City finally feels alive. The combat is smoother, the AI is less braindead, and the RPG mechanics—like the revamped skill tree—actually make your choices matter. Keanu’s Johnny Silverhand no longer feels like a glorified GPS; he’s a genuine partner in chaos. And Phantom Liberty? It’s not just a great expansion—it’s the game Cyberpunk should’ve been at launch. The new story, set in the sprawling Dogtown, is gripping, the characters are memorable, and the missions are some of the best CD Projekt Red has ever designed. I’m not saying it’s perfect—there are still janky moments—but it’s now a game I can wholeheartedly recommend.
But here’s the thing: the damage to Cyberpunk’s reputation was done. I’ve talked to so many gamers who still refuse to give it a second chance, and I don’t blame them. When a game launches in such a broken state, trust is hard to rebuild. And yet, I can’t help but admire CD Projekt Red for trying. They didn’t just patch the game; they rebuilt it. They listened to the criticism, owned their mistakes, and put in the work to make it right. In an industry where so many live-service games get abandoned after a rocky launch, that’s rare.
So, should you play Cyberpunk 2077 now? If you’re on PC or current-gen consoles, absolutely. It’s a flawed masterpiece—a game that stumbled out of the gate but found its footing in spectacular fashion. But if you’re still bitter about the launch, I get it. Just know that Night City is finally the neon-drenched, cyberpunk nightmare we were promised. And Johnny? He’d probably tell you to stop whining and dive back in.