Cyberpunk 2077 Release Date, Trailer And Editions

Cyberpunk 2077 transports you to Night City, California, a dystopian megalopolis obsessed with power, glamour, and body modification. Social and economic stratification have forged Night City's six districts, in which the rich get richer and the poor are pushed further into the gutter. Housing the headquarters of the world's massive corporations, City Center acts as a beacon of wealth, prestige, and corruption. Pacifica, a slum overrun by gangs at the edges of the city, stands in stark contrast to the gleaming towers of the corporate world.

Between the two extremes, you can explore the industrial district of Santo Domingo, the endless nightlife of Westbrook, the suburban sprawl of Heywood, and the cramped streets and stalls of Watson. Each area takes up a decent amount of horizontal space; however, vertical exploration will be equally crucial. You can also venture outside of Night City into the Badlands, a brutal expanse marred by sand and ruins. A gang called the Nomads roams the wastes there, living out of their vehicles in a manner reminiscent of Mad Max.

If you want to know more about Cyberpunk 2077 — including its release date, rich setting, and unique gameplay — read on.

CD Projekt has released several trailers for Cyberpunk 2077. The teaser trailer launched at the start of 2013, offering a glimpse of the game's setting and core themes. The video, which clocks in at just over two minutes, introduces the Psycho Squad, a police force that specializes in taking down "psychos": individuals who overuse implants and body altering substances. Psychos overdose on these enhancements, resulting in insanity and a carnage-filled killing spree.

After years of silence, CD Projekt revitalized Cyberpunk 2077 with a second trailer at E3 2018. The trailer provided the first look at V, the game's protagonist, alongside several other characters, while offering a look at Night City's finer qualities. 

Another trailer debuted at E3 2019. The cinematic vignette details a chapter in V's life when his employer betrays him after he and his partner attract too much attention while completing a heist. Though the lack of gameplay disappointed some fans, the trailer stole the show by revealing one of Cyberpunk 2077's best-kept casting secrets: cinema's most famous cyberpunk hero, Keanu Reeves.

Several retailers are offering bonuses for pre-ordering the game. PowerUp Rewards Members who pre-order Cyberpunk 2077 from GameStop online or in-store will receive an exclusive Samurai Medallion while supplies last. This offer only applies to physical copies of the game. In the setting, Samurai is a legendary chrome rock band whose music fostered rebellion against the corrupt system. Frontman Johnny Silverhand was one of the first characters created for the world of Cyberpunk, and both he and his band will play an important role in the upcoming game.

Best Buy will throw in an exclusive Steelbook with pre-orders for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. A $20 value, the Steelbook contains detailed artwork. The version you receive will be picked at random, indicating that the retailer has more than one style available. My Best Buy members will also receive $10 in reward certificates, which you can use to purchase other games. 

V navigates Night City either on foot or in customizable vehicles. You can also run over pedestrians and listen to the radio while cruising. The game operates on a day and night cycle, with each NPC maintaining a unique schedule that will alter their behavior depending on when you encounter them. The dynamic weather system will also play a part, with massive levels of pollution and the effects of global warming producing acid rain. 

"When the rain came, people would seek shelter," UI Director Alvin Liu told Wccftech. "Generally, we're trying to make the NPCs very believable, we want it to feel like this is a world where people actually live in, which would make players want to spend time in the world as well."

You can purchase apartments to better establish V's presence in Night City. Serving as your home base, you can change clothes, grab your gear, and even check your email. Garages are also for sale, allowing you to store your cars and motorcycles. When it comes to entertainment, Night City has a lot to offer. CD Projekt has scattered minigames throughout the districts, including hacking, boxing, auto racing, and shooting ranges.

At E3 2019, CD Projekt revealed Keanu Reeves would play Johnny Silverhand, the iconic singer from Samurai. Johnny serves as a primary character in the game, despite having physically died years prior. Instead, he appears as a digital ghost installed on a chip in V's head. Number two in terms of the most spoken lines within the game, Reeves' role is more than just a cameo. According to CD Projekt Red founder Marcin Iwinski, the actor spent 15 days recording his lines. "You will see a lot of Keanu and hear even more of Keanu," Iwinski said.

Once a freedom fighter, Johnny has his own agenda, and V's relationship with him comprises one of Cyberpunk 2077's main story arcs. "He has a very strong vision for how the world should work, and he's like a true cyberpunk," revealed lead quest designer Paul Sasko. "He's the guy who goes against the system, and against the corporations, and against the city that's just an embodiment of this. He knows the city holds people in shackles — this is his way of seeing things. And suddenly he's back."

At E3 2018, CD Projekt revealed that Cyberpunk 2077 is "a mature experience intended for mature audiences." The gameplay demo provided a taste of this, with V carrying a naked woman she had rescued out of a building before cutting to a scene showing V waking up and moving around her apartment clad in nothing but her underwear. Packed with exposed flesh, violence, mutilated corpses, drugs, and curse words, the demo set the tone for the game's bleak version of the world. 

Cyberpunk 2077 includes full frontal nudity, a deliberate choice made by the developers. "Nudity is important for us because of one reason," said game director Adam Badowski. "This is cyberpunk, so people augment their body. So the body is no longer sacrum [sacred]; it's profanum [profane]. Because people modify everything, they are losing their connection to the body, to the meat. And that's why we need to use the nudity in many situations." Transhumanism, according to Badowski, is one of the cyberpunk genre's most important themes.

Though CD Projekt Red initially planned to incorporate multiplayer features into Cyberpunk 2077, this aspect has since been relegated to research and development so the team can focus on delivering a strong single-player experience. "We're not really working on multiplayer, our sole focus is single-player," Pawel Sasko told Eurogamer. "We'll do that, then we'll see. We're not saying no but we're not saying yes. If something does happen it will definitely be post-launch and that's as much as I can say right now."

If the developers release a multiplayer component following Cyberpunk 2077's launch, it will stay true to CD Projekt's distinct style and vision. "We're known for good stories, amazing characters, choices and consequences," Sasko continued. "So this is something for sure we'd be going with, if anything happened regarding that. We'd avoid anything that's not that. If we do it, it'll be our style." A filing made by CD Projekt for a grant back in 2016 offers a glimpse at what multiplayer might look like, citing a "seamless" experience that allows you to "search for opponents, manage game sessions" and "replicate objects."

To accommodate different preferences and levels of experience, Cyberpunk 2077 will feature multiple difficulty settings. Advanced gamers will be able to turn off the UI in Hardcore mode, significantly increasing the difficulty. The team has also provided options for more casual players who want to focus on the narrative or who are less comfortable with first-person shooter mechanics, including equipment that will make combat easier. 

"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," said Liu. "We even have weapons for that. If you recall from last year's demo, we had a weapon called the smart gun, which helps you aim. The bullets were much slower and usually a bit weaker. But if your aiming isn't your forte, you can always pick up the smart gun."

Cyberpunk 2077 allows you to take control of just about any piece of technology in Night City using the Netrunning skill. You can interact with computer systems via your Cyberdeck, an implant that contains a set number of programs represented by letters and numbers. Once you've connected to a port using the cable in your wrist, a minigame will launch that displays a variety of available hacks on the right side of the screen. To initiate these hacks, you'll need to find and select the appropriate sequence of programs from the grid to the left of the list before the clock runs out.

You won't be able to hack the full system, forcing you to pick and choose access. Possibilities vary from system to system, including options like "Camera Log" and "Encrypted Data." After hacking a network, additional options will appear on your screen as you traverse the environment, presenting creative ways to take out enemies or pass by unnoticed. 

Due to the fact someone is always watching in cyberspace, the hacks you choose may have unforeseen story consequences. NetWatch, an organization dedicated to the prevention of AI anarchy, frequently monitors computer networks. The group acts as a direct foil for the Voodoo Boys, a gang who seeks to expand their access to the Net through contact with the free AIs. The way you interact with these opposing powers can end in success, disaster, and even betrayal.