Cyberpunk 2077 release date, trailer, news and gameplay
The devil's in the details
With Cyberpunk 2077 making a grand appearance at Gamescom 2019, it's about time that we ran an update to our neural sensors as to what has been happening with the game.
The game had a rather eventful E3, with not only the Cyberpunk 2077 release date being announced, but also that "John Wick" himself Keanu Reeves has now been confirmed as having a large part in the game. It's likely that we'll hear more stuff at Gamescom.
Cyberpunk 2077 - everything you need to know
- What is Cyberpunk 2077?: Cyberpunk 2077 is a first-person RPG from CD Projekt Red, makers of The Witcher trilogy.
- What is the Cyberpunk 2077 release date?: The important date to keep in your calendars is April 16th, 2020.
- Where can I buy Cyberpunk 2077?: You can pre order Cyberpunk 2077 from Steam, Epic Games Store, or directly from the CD Projekt owned GOG. It's also available in retail stores. It will also be released on Google's Stadia.
Cyberpunk 2077 roundup contents
- Cyberpunk 2077 release date: 16th April, 2020
- Cyberpunk 2077 trailer
- Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay
- Cyberpunk 2077 pre order
- Cyberpunk 2077 news
Cyberpunk 2077 release date: April 16th, 2020
The official Cyberpunk 2077 release date will be April 16th, 2020. This is not very long away and is honestly a lot sooner than anyone expected, given the rather ambitious scope of the game. It's less than a year away until you can play the game for yourself.
There was a bit of confusion in an investor call before the official Cyberpunk 2077 release date reveal, since that had it slated for before June 2019, with CD Projekt Red releasing two big-budget RPGs before 2021. CD Projekt Red then later clarified in a forum post that Cyberpunk 2077 would be the first of these two RPGs, while the company isn't planning on working on the second before Cyberpunk is finished.
Cyberpunk 2077 trailer
From what we've seen so far of Cyberpunk 2077, it is a first-person open-world RPG based on the pen and paper RPG - Cyberpunk 2020 by Mike Pondsmith. There are plenty of trailers throughout the article that showcases exactly how it will play, but as with any game, it's all subject to change according to Adam Badowski.
The most recent and jaw-dropping Cyberpunk 2077 trailer came during Microsoft's E3 2019 conference, where it was revealed that Keanu Reeves will be Johnny Silverhand - a main contact in the game.
He lent his voice, likeness, and motion capture to the character, and was also the person who revealed the Cyberpunk 2077 release date. Beforehand we got a bit more of the story that saw the player-controlled character - V, being doublecrossed by Dex and his goons.
Last year we saw an extended bit of gameplay, which delved a bit further into gunplay, skills, and body augmentation.
It also showed the grand scale of Night City, driving around freely in a car, but there will be other vehicles on show. Decisions will affect the events you'll encounter in the open world.
Before that, the game was shown off for the first time during E3 2018 in a teaser trailer that showed off Night City for the first time.
Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay
Recently, Matt went to E3 2019 to see how the game was shaping up ahead of its release date. He points out that the gunplay looks to need a bit of work, among other concerns he had for the game, stating:
"On a very different note, the shooting looks limp. Bullets pile into people as their health bars tick down, each shot lacking impact despite goon after goon tumbling to the floor. I’m hoping I won’t need to resort to my gun too often, though: abilities like that turret manhandling spice up what looks like piddly gunplay."
For another opinion, there is also Brendan's first impressions from the first E3 demonstration. The 50-minute demo was full of things that left his brain "...feeling very fizzy." The player will take on the role of V, an otherwise completely customised character as the player would be able to choose their own gender, skin colour, body shape, etc. There will also be a background that you can choose at the beginning that leads to certain events unfolding in certain ways based on your upbringing. Also, it's worth noting that you can give them a proper name should you so wish, but V is the alias they go by.
Cyberpunk 2077 is in first-person, complete with a standard HUD, and is a bit of a mix between Grand Theft Auto meets Deus Ex with its ambitious amount of things to do. It will primarily involve melee or gun-based combat, with V being somewhat nimble on foot and possessing abilities to aid in their survival, but this is not the only way to solve a particular problem.
Numerous times during the demo, there are moments where the player has dialogue options that use their more sociable skills to defuse any potentially fatal situation. Of course, there's no guarantee that things will go smoothly - this is Cyberpunk after all.
Since it's based on an already existing system, it includes a lot of nods to the original Cyberpunk 2020 rules, including a stat for coolness which is to determine your character's willingness to fight while wounded and your fighting ability under fire, as well as just how cool they are. Certain equipped items can also boost stats, such as the leather jacket that V puts on during the demo that has a boost to street cred - allowing for better vendor prices. V is also shown to obtain a spider bot that shoots enemies for you, as well as an off-screen helper to pinpoint enemies to shoot. In fact, you're free to be as much of a maniac as you want to, though not against kids or plot-essential NPCs.
As for any semblance of multiplayer, Maciej Pietra said:
"Currently we are really focusing on developing the fully open-world roleplaying game. And what you’re going to get straight from the box will be a fully fledged single-player experience. When it comes to the multiplayer, I’ll be honest, we’re doing some R&D, we’re researching but that’s all I have to say."
Cyberpunk 2077 pre order
Cyberpunk 2077 is available to pre order now. In addition to retail, digital, and steel book versions, there is also a goodie-filled collector's edition. Plenty of sho, so you can find out where you can buy the game at the Cyberpunk 2077 pre order site. In the UK it will be a GAME exclusive, retailing at a whopping £249.99. It will include:
- A copy of the game
- Digital stuff - soundtrack, sourcebook for Cyberpunk 2020, an art booklet and wallpapers
- Metal pin
- Embroidered patches
- Stickers
- A collector's edition box
- World compendium
- 10 inch figurine of V and bike
- Full map of Night City
- Postcards of Night City
- Collector's art book
- A key chain with the Quatra V-Tech car
- Steel book case
- Survival guide inside an Evidence bag
Cyberpunk 2077 news
- Will Cyberpunk 2077 be at Gamescom 2019?
- Spin-off card game
- Cyberpunk 2077 will have multiple prologues
- Cyberpunk 2077 has a band
- Will there be a New Game Plus mode in Cyberpunk 2077?
- Cyberpunk 2077 will have hardcore modes that get rid of the UI
- You'll be able to leave Night City in Cyberpunk 2077
- Cyberpunk 2077 will have romantic interests
- Cyberpunk 2077 has multiple classes, skills, perks, and attributes
- Lady Gaga is not in Cyberpunk 2077
- There will be no microtransactions in Cyberpunk 2077
- There are currently no plans for multiplayer
- No, Ciri won't be in Cyberpunk 2077
Will Cyberpunk 2077 be at Gamescom 2019?
CD Projekt Red has confirmed that Cyberpunk 2077 will be at Gamescom 2019, with live demonstrations. This will not, however, be a playable demo.
Instead, attendees will be able to watch some live presentations of the game, hosted by members of the development team, who will be walking them through what they see in the demo.
Spin-off card game
It was recently revealed that there will also be a Cyberpunk 2077 card game, launching in 2020. Its name will be Cyberpunk 2077 - Afterlife: The Card Game and task you with commanding a team of Cyberpunks to carry out missions to raise your "Street Cred". This is a real-life card game and there are currently no plans for it to be released in digital form.
Cyberpunk 2077 will have multiple prologues
Cyberpunk 2077 will allow players to make their own custom characters, each one with one of three playable prologues that establishes your character's background. According to Paweł Sasko - speaking to VG24/7:
“The player in Cyberpunk 2077 can create a custom character that has one of three origin stories, that we call lifepaths: you can be Nomad, Corpo or Street Kid. Each of that Lifepaths has a different starting location and story background that are strongly connected with the origin story. Anything more I say can reveal too much from the story, so I will leave it like this.”
Cyberpunk 2077 has a band
Johnny Silverhand, portrayed by Keanu Reeves if you didn't know already, is a former front-man of a band in Night City called "Samurai". They were apparently successful, so to make this revelation a little more convincing, CD Projekt Red got Swedish punk band Refused to provide the music for the fictional band, with the first single "Chippin' In".
Will there be a New Game Plus mode in Cyberpunk 2077?
Yes, there will be. It was recently spotted in a preview by Reddit user "Arise92" by a Polish PlayStation interview. This doesn't go into much detail on what will be retained in New Game Plus, however.
Cyberpunk 2077 will have hardcore modes that get rid of the UI
CD Projekt Red's Alvin Liu confirmed that there would be a hardcore mode that is there to provide a "real challenge" for players by not having the user interface. The idea is to give full immersion by not giving markers and indicators to tell you where things are, but also the levels of enemies.
They're also making modes for people that are not as experienced with shooters but want to play for the story. Alvin states:
“If you want to play more casually for the story and maybe you’re not experienced with shooters, which was a real big concern for us. We want to tell a story and maybe you’re a big fan of The Witcher and you’re not comfortable playing a shooter, we have settings available for that.”
There are also some accessibility options such as Field of View sliders for those who need them to not feel nauseous while playing. As one of those people, I welcome this addition.
You'll be able to leave Night City in Cyberpunk 2077
Despite the bulk of the activity being within the confines of Night City, you are able to leave for the Badlands - a rather dilapidated ruin of civilisation's past. There will also be other locations to visit in the game, as was confirmed by Paweł Sasko to VG24/7, who said:
“Players can leave Night City and just explore that area – an area that is mostly sort of destroyed basically after all the droughts and everything that happened in the 50 years from 2020 to ‘77. And you can explore that, there are specific quests prepared for that, also open world content, so that’s definitely covered. It’s not only the city that you’re visiting.”
Cyberpunk 2077 will have romantic interests
One of the things that certain fans of The Witcher got a kick out of was the romantic sub-plots. It's been a staple of large-scale RPGs, with BioWare's Mass Effect and Dragon Age series. Cyberpunk 2077 will also have romantic moments. In a Reddit post, Paweł Sasko states that players will have "way more options [than] only heterosexual," and are able to "...define what type of interactions your character prefers and have a relationship with that NPC/NPCs."
Cyberpunk 2077 has multiple classes, skills, perks, and attributes
Those who like to take on a defined role within RPGs will be happy to learn that all of the main classes from the classic Cyberpunk 2020. Netrunners are computer hackers, able to slip through the toughest security measures or uncover corporate secrets. Techies meanwhile are described as "renegade mechanics", preferring to tinker with more physical contraptions and the human body rather than the internet.
For those that just want to punch things, there are the Solos - the hired muscle; combat focused with the uncanny ability to notice any dangerous traps or generally avoid harm. Cyberpunk 2077 will allow you to choose to specialise in one, or use a mix of the three as the game progresses.
Lady Gaga is not in Cyberpunk 2077
I mean, we've got Keanu Reeves and that's absolutely "breathtaking" enough, but two incredibly famous celebrities would have been a nice thing for the game to have. Who better than one of the most famous musicians on the planet and nobody would have been a better fit than Lady Gaga? Sadly this is not to be, even if Alvin Liu agrees that she would be a perfect fit.
There will be no microtransactions in Cyberpunk 2077
As the above Tweet says, there will be no microtransactions in the game.
There are currently no plans for multiplayer
Contrary to what you might have read on the internet, there will not be multiplayer in Cyberpunk 2077. The confusion arose because of an automated translation of a report on a Polish business site into English said so, but evidently, the true meaning was lost to many who didn't speak Polish. CD Projekt Red clarified the points made by saying,
“We currently have a total of five teams working on a number of projects, with three focusing on the development of Cyberpunk 2077. These include CD Projekt Red Warsaw and Kraków, who are handling the main game, as well as the Wrocław studio, where around 40 industry specialists are engaged in technology R&D.”
CD Projekt Red has also confirmed that their other two teams are working on Gwent and an unannounced mobile project.
No, Ciri won't be in Cyberpunk 2077
In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, there was an easter egg involving Ciri that references the world of Cyberpunk 2077. One person who's not a fan of this is the game's director Adam Badowski.
“We are not Kingdom Hearts. We are not joining universes, and I know that there are a lot of fans on the team and they would like to have Ciri in the game. But I am totally against it, still.”
Co-founder and joint CEO Marcin Iwiński, was a little less negative about the idea. “Maybe you will change your mind. There is a little hope there.” However, it seems like Adam Badowski will need some convincing of this and, as such, it's highly likely that Ciri won't be in Cyberpunk 2077.