CD Projekt Red announced that Cyberpunk 2077’s next-gen update will arrive in the second half of 2021. The announcement comes from a five-minute video in which the company apologized for the game’s rough launch. In a video posted to Twitter, CD Projekt co-founder Marcin Iwiński outlined post-launch plans for the game. Iwiński says that the game’s PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X updates are being targeted for the back half of the year. Previously, no estimate was given for the updates. Dear gamers,Below, you’ll find CD PROJEKT’s co-founder’s personal explanation of what the days leading up to the launch of Cyberpunk 2077 looked like, sharing the studio’s perspective on what happened with the game on old-generation consoles. pic.twitter.com/XjdCKizewq — Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) January 13, 2021 Iwiński provided a timeline showing when the game’s next updates are expected. A new hotfix is scheduled to release within the next 10 days, and a larger update will release in the following weeks. The game’s first DLC update will not come until after the patches are implemented. CD Projekt Red says it will continue to deliver fixes to the game after the initial winter patches. The video offers a look into the days leading up to the game’s troubled launch. Iwiński explained that the game was developed with PC in mind and was adjusted to consoles after the fact. He goes on to explain that the root cause of poor performance on PS4 and Xbox One came down to the game’s in-game streaming system, which created an extensive testing process. The pivot to work-from-home development also contributed to the problem, he added. In a follow-up blog post, CD Projekt Red addressed the topic of crunch, which was implemented to finish the game in time for release. “Avoiding crunch on all of our future projects is one of our top priorities,” one FAQ answer notes. Cyberpunk 2077 is currently available on PC and Xbox consoles, though it was removed from Sony’s PS Store. In our post-patch review of the game, we recommended that players hold off on buying the game until further patches or the game’s next-gen update are released. The rehabilitation of Cyberpunk 2077 finally culminates in both the release of the 2.0 update and the substantial DLC expansion called Phantom Liberty. Between these two, plus all the changes made in the years since launch, the once unstable and buggy game is finally living up to its potential. While everything up until this point has been free, including the 2.0 changes, Phantom Liberty is the first and only piece of paid content. Giving players an entirely new area in Dogtown to explore, plus a lengthy main story and tons of new side missions, it’s the biggest reason to reinstall this ambitious title. But how exactly can you start the DLC since it is meant to slot into the story of the main game rather than take place before or after? We’ve hacked in and downloaded all the data you need on how to start the Phantom Liberty DLC.
How to start Phantom Liberty
There are actually a few different ways to get into Phantom Liberty depending on your preference and whether or not you’ve played the base game. The easiest way to get directly into it is through the main menu. With the DLC installed, you will have an option to jump directly into the expansion, even if you haven’t played the main game yet. This sounds great for those who want to see the new stuff right away, but it isn’t recommended if you haven’t played the base game at all. You will be given a character automatically leveled up and placed at the proper point in the story for the DLC to take place with no context or tutorial on how to play. Note that picking this option doesn’t lock you out of any of the base game content. For new players who want to experience Phantom Liberty more naturally, you will need to play the opening hours of Cyberpunk 2077 until you complete the “Transmission” mission before the quest that starts the DLC will trigger. When Cyberpunk 2077 launched in December 2020, I so desperately wanted to love it. I was enamored with its intricate open-world design, which featured an impressive level of verticality, but it was hard to ever get fully immersed due to its slew of launch problems. Pair that with a lore-heavy story that was filled with cyber-talk and I often found myself feeling lost in Night City — and not in the good way I want from an open-world game. Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty — Official Trailer As promised, CD Projekt Red will release the current-gen update for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Complete Edition this year, on December 14. This update will go live across PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, and is free to anyone who already owns the game on previous-gen. The current-gen version of The Witcher 3 has been in the works for quite some time, suffering multiple delays since its initial announcement in 2021. Thankfully, the game’s developer will make good on its promise to launch it in 2022.


