Rating Cyberpunk 2077 is tricky, and I wish there was a Neutral option. It's an okay RPG that shines in certain areas, particularly level design and perk systems, but falters in many others.

If you approach it expecting a GTA-style open-world experience, you're in for a disappointment. This game works far better as an immersive sim RPG (and should've focused on being that), reminiscent of Deus Ex, or a staged crime action like Mafia (Classic). The open world is just a facade for a decent sci-fi story that has some good thriller beats in certain parts.

Returning to the game (now via Steam) after first experiencing on Patch 1.2 in 2021, the much-hyped 2.0 update brought some improvements, though many of these were features that the modding community had already made possible long before CDPR officially implemented them (e.g. rideable metros, vehicle customization, Johnny riding as a passenger, etc).


Cyberpunk 2077 can never escape its "open world as props" problem. While the game features a massive world, much of it serves as mere set dressing. The towering buildings that initially impress are often inaccessible or reduced to low-quality mesh that you can pass through as they are actually empty backdrops.

Driving remains clunky. Vehicle controls feel heavy and slippery, so much so that at least 10 mods exist on Nexus to overhaul vehicle handling.

Traffic and pedestrian behavior are equally frustrating. Cars refuse to move when blocked by obstacles, and crowd reactions are inconsistent, with NPCs sometimes ignoring gunfire or violence. Children in the game are just resized adult models with adult voices, breaking immersion in laughable ways.

Worse still, the game employs a mechanic that thins out traffic while you’re driving, so you'll often find the roads empty, making the gigantic city feel lifeless.

The police/crime system is another low point.

While cop spawn mechanics have improved since 1.0, officers still inexplicably appear behind you in dead-end areas. Their patrol AI remains basic, unable to detect you even when you’re crouched behind some walls with nearby passage, and they forget your crimes after a 30 seconds, even in 5 star heat level. Civilians, meanwhile, are no longer hackable in the 2.0 update, and their loot has been removed entirely.

All of this adds up to a game that discourages chaotic, criminal playstyles. Much like Mafia (Classic), the cops and civilians are merely props—or, at worst, roadblocks—to the story being told.


The story itself is serviceable but lacks depth for fans of the cyberpunk genre.

The most compelling narratives come from the side gigs, particularly those involving cyberwares (e.g. cyberpyschos). These missions often deliver the noir-infused psychological horror or drama characteristic of great cyberpunk media like Blade Runner or _observer. These gigs explore themes like humanity and religion with some nuance, but the main quest barely scratches the surface of these ideas.

World-building, a cornerstone of the cyberpunk genre, also falls short. The exploration of corporatism rarely goes beyond shallow critiques of “corpos bad” or “monopolies evil.”

Unlike the strong anticapitalist roots of the cyberpunk genre, the game's take on corporatism is so superficial that both socialists and conservatives can project their own "big bad elite" boogeymen onto it without meaningful critique. In fact, during the game's launch, parts of the fanbase rabidly crusaded for CDPR while simultaneously displaying hostility toward the game’s shallow attempts at progressive transhumanism, such as gender boundary-crossing.

Indeed, themes of transhumanism, a cornerstone of the genre, are also largely overlooked. The story often sacrifices deeper philosophical inquiries into mind-body dualism for a commercialized Che Guevara-esque “rebelling against the system” narrative.

Some of the game’s more absurd elements, like clown-themed mercenaries or people who biocondition, could have been used to delve into subcultural politics or transhumanist dilemmas, but they are never utilized to their full potential. One of the NPCs in this game is called "Ozob Bozo" and never develops beyond the name.


Despite its flaws, Cyberpunk 2077 excels in its level design. The immersive sim approach shines, allowing players to tackle missions in various ways—stealth-hacking or brute-force shotgunning.

The city itself, when not marred by low-quality meshes or textures, is a visual marvel. Its brutalist architecture conveys a palpable sense of dystopian oppression.

While the NPCs are just lifeless bots with no purpose, you feel like the city is a place that is truly lived in through the verticality of the environments in the narrow corridors, streets, and complicated roofs and buildings overlayed on top of each other.

The 2.0 update adds some welcome depth to the perk system, allowing for creative and satisfying approaches that complement the amazing level design. Unfortunately, the game's balance issues persist, as the mid-game becomes far too easy. Overpowered perks and a broken economy diminish the challenge, turning the game into a power fantasy.

Perhaps the game’s saving grace is its modding community.

Mods have fixed bugs (at least 20 mandatory bug fixes by the time of writing), introduced QoL in the poorly-designed UX, and even added features that CDPR later adopted officially, like the metro system and vehicle customization. Some mods go even further, introducing dynamic gang wars or smarter cops and traffic AI.

The community's work highlights what the game could have been if given more time and care during its development. I post some links on the comment section below.


Cyberpunk 2077 is not the groundbreaking masterpiece it set out to be.

While its level design and modding potential offer glimpses of brilliance, it fails to deliver on its promise of a vibrant, open-world cyberpunk experience. Fans of immersive sims or RPGs, or casual No Man's Sky-esque screen-archers, may find enjoyment here. But the game’s flaws and missed opportunities are hard to overlook. If this had been released as a more modestly priced title akin to The Witcher 1, ts shortcomings might have been easier to forgive.

As it stands, the rushed release and unmet expectations, even after 2.0, leave it falling short of greatness.