Cyberpunk 2077 release date, gameplay, platforms, trailers and more

Coming off the back of The Witcher 3, all eyes were on on developer CD Projekt Red. The Polish company’s next game is now nearly here: Cyberpunk 2077.

A gritty sci-fi first-person RPG (based on a tabletop roleplaying game, of all things), Cyberpunk 2077 is about as far from The Witcher series as you can get in terms of its look and feel, but the emphasis on branching narratives and player choice mean this should still play to the devs’ strengths.

Excitement for the game reached fever pitch at E3 2019, where CD Projekt Red showcased not only a new cinematic trailer but got Keanu Reeves – star of John Wick and The Matrix – to come on-stage and reveal the game’s release date.

Here’s everything you need to know. 

When will Cyberpunk 2077 be released?

After literally years of waiting, Keanu Reeves took to the stage at E3 2019 to confirm an April 2020 release date for Cyberpunk 2077. However, that wasn’t meant to be, as in January 2020 CD Projekt Red confirmed that the release had been pushed back to 17 September 2020 to further polish the game. 

We should get more news before then though. CD Projekt Red has announced what looks likely to be a livestream called Night City Wire, set for 25 June (after a delay due to the Black Lives Matter protests in the US), and it could be our next big look at gameplay, platforms, or something else entirely.

Which platforms will Cyberpunk 2077 be available for?

Cyberpunk 2077 will be released on PS4, Xbox One and PC as well as offering support for 4K gameplay via the Xbox One X and PS4 Pro. It will also come to Google Stadia, and the developer has confirmed that the game will eventually take advantage of the PS5 and Xbox Series X too.

Xbox fans have an extra treat as CD Projekt has partnered with Microsoft to release a special edition Xbox One X and Xbox One controller. The console is out in June, but you can buy the gamepad right now, depending on stock.

While some may be holding out hope that the upcoming title will somehow make it to the Nintendo Switch, we don’t feel as confident; CDPR develops incredibly detailed, complex and gorgeous games, and even though there was a Switch port of The Witcher 3, we can’t imagine that the Switch will be able to power this beast.

What should I expect from Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay?

For those completely unaware, Cyberpunk 2077 is a new IP from the developers of the Witcher series, based on an old tabletop RPG. Cyberpunk 2077 is set in an open world known as Night City; a bright, neon sci-fi-inspired metropolis whose residents communicate with one another in a variety of foreign languages. While details are scarce, we imagine that we’ll be learning the ways of the city while trying to grasp the languages utilised by its residents to discover strange, dangerous conspiracies.

The developers have taken to Twitter to calm fans nerves about what to expect from the game. “Worry not” the devs tweeted. “We leave greed to others.”

According to the developers, Cyberpunk 2077 will be considerably ‘wider’ than The Witcher 3, offering a range of environments to explore, treasures to find, unique quests and NPCs, and it sounds like there will be a lot of violence too.

The ESRB has given the game a Mature rating, citing ‘Blood & Gore’ and ‘Intense Violence’, including a mission where you “assist a character by hammering nails through his hands and feet.”

Drugs pop up too, along with sex. “The game contains nudity and sexual material,” the ESRB states. “Players can select a gender and customize their character; customization can include depictions of breasts, buttocks, and genitalia, as well as various sizes and combinations of genitals.”

The player will be able to obtain and level up a series of skills, abilities and enhancements to improve gameplay and add new mechanics. This can include, for example, the ability to communicate with the NPC residents of Night City using Braindance, a handy digital recording device.

Driving features too, and we already know there’ll be a choice of cars and vehicles. Gameplay footage has already shown the player driving both a car and motorcycle, and in honour of the 5th anniversary of Mad Max: Fury Road the devs teased another vehicle inspired by the film (not to mention a glimpse of the ‘Badlands’ area where the Wraith gang are based):

Speaking at Pareto Securities’ Gaming Seminar, CD Projekt RED CEO Adam Kicinski claimed that Cyberpunk 2077 “is our new Witcher 3, but even more ambitious.”

“We work [in a] new universe, futuristic universe. We believe it’s very appealing to players, not only RPG players—but this is [a] true RPG, like Witcher, like Witcher 3, for mature audiences. It’s handcrafted, detailed, of course open-world, with open-ended gameplay,” he said.

The company has also confirmed that multiplayer is on the cards, although the team has only just started work on it and, as such, won’t be a feature of the game at launch. It is coming, though, with CD Projekt Red teasing that the fully-fledged multiplayer mode will make an appearance once all free single-player DLC is released. 

The game’s soundtrack has also been teased, and there will be a star-studded lineup of tracks to choose from. A$AP Rocky, Run the Jewels and Grimes are just a handful of the talent whose original recordings will be used in the game. Each artist will even have a fictional name in the game, to add to the mystery of the fictional Night City. 

Watch the Cyberpunk 2077 trailer

The latest trailer gives us a good look at what to expect from gameplay and showcases various systems at play, from character creation to driving to the more RPG-esque elements of the game. It’s a fascinating watch, and you can see the full 14-minute video here:

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