Cyberpunk 2077 in 2026: still a good buy? The guide

Cyberpunk 2077 passed the five-year mark in December 2025, and the game you find on Steam today bears little resemblance to the chaotic 2020 version. Between the 2.3 patch rolled out on July 17, 2025, the Phantom Liberty expansion now inseparable from the experience, a thriving mod scene, and the announcement of the sequel Project Orion, mid-2026 is a pivotal moment to discover or rediscover Night City. Here's the full rundown.

Cyberpunk 2077 in 2026: where do things stand?

It's hard to imagine a bigger contrast than the journey Cyberpunk 2077 has been on. Released in a dismal state in December 2020, pulled from the PlayStation Store, mocked for two years, it has since benefited from spectacular groundwork: the 2.0 patch overhauled the entire gameplay in September 2023, Phantom Liberty arrived shortly after to rave reviews, then a long series of updates polished everything up to patch 2.3. Today, the game runs well on all recent platforms, including Apple Silicon Mac since July 2025 via the Mac App Store.

This is no longer the Cyberpunk 2077 you may have written off in 2020: it's the RPG CD Projekt Red wanted to deliver from day one.

Current content: base game + Phantom Liberty

The complete package in 2026 comes in two inseparable parts:

• The base game: 60 to 80 hours to finish the main storyline and a good chunk of Night City's side quests, with its Panam Palmer, Judy Alvarez, River Ward, Kerry Eurodyne arcs and of course Johnny Silverhand, played by Keanu Reeves.
• Phantom Liberty: around 25 to 30 hours of political espionage in the isolationist district of Dogtown, with Idris Elba as federal agent Solomon Reed, netrunner Songbird (So Mi), and Colonel Kurt Hansen leading the Barghest militia.

A small note for French-speaking players: the DLC is indeed called Phantom Liberty in the French version, not "Chien Loup" or "Liberté Fantôme." The district remains Dogtown; only in-quest dialogue and titles are translated.

Patch 2.3: the last major update

Rolled out on July 17, 2025, patch 2.3 is officially the last major content update before the studio shifts its teams to Project Orion. It notably brings:

• Four new vehicles with their own dedicated acquisition quests.
• The AutoDrive feature and the return of the autonomous Delamain taxis, finally turning driving into a narrative tool rather than a chore.
• An overhaul of Photo Mode: 27 posable NPCs, on-the-fly time and weather changes, new outfits for models.
• Support for HDR10+ Gaming, AMD FSR 3.1, Intel XeSS 2.0, and VRR on consoles.
• Official release on Apple Silicon Mac.
• New CrystalCoat shades for customizing vehicle bodywork.

Best builds for tackling Night City in 2026

Since 2.0, the skill tree has been completely overhauled around the five attributes. Three archetypes clearly stand out in 2026:

• Netrunner: the most powerful build in the game. Intelligence 20 and Technical Ability 20, a high-RAM cyberdeck, Militech Paraline for regeneration, and the Contagion / Short Circuit / Synapse Burnout / System Collapse combo. You can clear out an entire room without ever leaving your shadowy corner.
• Solo / Tank: Body as top priority, shotguns and LMGs, Berserk cyberware. Ideal for a first playthrough, forgives mistakes and shines on Very Hard difficulty.
• Sandevistan / Blades: the famous "Edgerunner" build popularized by the anime. Reflexes 20, Cool 20, Militech Falcon Sandevistan, and the Byakko katana. Slow-motion choreography guaranteed, but a glass cannon to be handled with care.

The extra perk points brought by Phantom Liberty let you max out two complete trees before the expansion even ends: don't hesitate to hybridize.

Side quests you absolutely must not miss

Rushing through the main storyline means missing out on the game's best moments. Top priorities:

• The Panam Palmer arc (Aldecaldos): a must, it unlocks the Star ending, the brightest one in the game.
• The Judy Alvarez arc: the missions Pyramid Song and Both Sides, Now remain writing highlights.
• The River Ward arc: The Hunt, a chilling investigation into a serial killer.
• The Kerry Eurodyne arc: a punk concert and the thorough destruction of a yacht.
• Sinnerman and Dream On: two standalone quests that redefine what the game can tell.
• Regina Jones's Cyberpsychos: hunting down the 17 cyberpsychos for one of the game's best implicit arcs.

Multiple endings: which path to choose?

The base game offers four major endings, to which Phantom Liberty adds a fifth. Summarized without major spoilers:

• The Devil (Arasaka): the default path, the darkest one, available without any side quests.
• The Star (Aldecaldos): requires the full Panam Palmer arc. A hopeful tone, often cited as fans' favorite.
• The Sun (Rogue): requires finishing Rogue Amendiares's arc, notably the Blistering Love mission. V becomes a legend of the Afterlife.
• (Don't Fear) The Reaper: the secret solo ending, with no allies. Triggered through a silent dialogue with Johnny.
• The Tower (Phantom Liberty): added by the DLC, it requires siding with Reed until the very end. The most poignant, and also the costliest for V.

On the Phantom Liberty side, four expansion endings modeled after tarot cards coexist: King of Wands, King of Swords, King of Cups, King of Pentacles. Helping Songbird with her escape plan leads to the first two via the quest The Killing Moon; playing Reed's card opens up the next two via Somewhat Damaged, with the added bonus of access to the Tower ending.

PC mods: elevating an already solid experience

The Nexus scene has exploded since the 2.0 overhaul. The must-haves in mid-2026:

• Night City Alive: NPC responsiveness, traffic density, believable reactions to gunfights.
• New Level Cap 80: for those who want to unlock every tree without compromise.
• Appearance Menu Mod: change NPC outfits, spawn vehicles and characters, decorate your apartment.
• Native Settings UI: an almost mandatory prerequisite for most other mods.
• "2026 Overhaul - Mid Spec Friendly" collection: over 1,200 mods installable in one click from Nexus, tested to run on mid-range setups.

Price, CDPR roadmap, and final verdict

During the Steam Summer Sale in June-July 2026, the Ultimate Edition (game + Phantom Liberty) dropped to €33.10 (-60%) and the base game alone to €17.99 (-70%), the lowest prices ever seen on Steam. At these prices, the question of value for money doesn't even come up anymore. The game is available on PC (Steam, GOG, Epic, Mac App Store), PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, plus Switch 2 via cloud port since late 2025.

On the roadmap side, CD Projekt Red is clear: 2.3 officially closes the V era. Around 400 developers have shifted full-time to Project Orion, internally renamed "Cyberpunk 2" since May 2025. The project is co-produced between the new Boston studio and Warsaw, running on Unreal Engine 5.4. CEO Michał Nowakowski has confirmed a return to Night City, a time jump, a new protagonist, and non-live-service multiplayer systems. Release isn't expected before 2030 at the earliest.

In short: you have three to four good years ahead of you to finish Cyberpunk 2077 without any rush before the official return to Night City.

Verdict: yes, without reservation. The trio of "base game + Phantom Liberty + patch 2.3" represents around 100 hours of polished cyberpunk RPG, with one of the best narrative open worlds of the decade. At under €35 for the complete package on sale, it's probably the best content-to-price ratio in Steam's current catalog. For longtime owners, patch 2.3 more than justifies a new playthrough: new vehicles, AutoDrive, a revamped Photo Mode, and above all the joy of rediscovering a Night City that finally lives up to its reputation. In short, before Project Orion takes over at the end of the decade, it's more than time to give the best open-world RPG ever saved by a patch its due.

To go further

• Official 2.3 patch notes (cyberpunk.net)
• French-language Cyberpunk 2077 Wiki (Fandom)
• Game page and guides on jeuxvideo.com
• Nexus Mods: the PC modding scene
• News and guides on Breakflip