Cyberpunk 2077 six months later: how much has it changed from the initial version?

Cyberpunk 2077 six months later

Six months have passed since the official publication of Cyberpunk 2077, the rather controversial blockbuster released last December. After a launch decidedly troubled by numerous criticisms for the lack of optimization of the title and for some missing features, the developers of CD Projekt RED have defined a roadmap to fix the software. Neglecting the various bugs present in the final version of Cyberpunk 2077, on PC we were able to enjoy an excellent gaming experience, so much so that the rating assigned to them in the review was anything but low.

The real problem with the CD Project RED title was the lack of some promised content and the decidedly incomplete state of the Playstation 4 and Xbox One versions. Sony even had to remove the game from the PS Store due to the numerous refund requests received and a quality bordering on decency on the PS4.

After publicly apologizing for the numerous criticisms and protests from users, the Polish developers have have rolled up their sleeves to correct Cyberpunk 2077 and aim to achieve the typical excellence of their productions. In 2021, we received numerous corrective patches, although the issues in the game still persist. At this point we want to take stock of the situation, analyzing the current state of Cyberpunk 2077 six months after its release on PC and console, anticipating the news that could await us by the end of the year.

One bug fixed is always one less bug

Original roadmap to fix and improve the game The initial state of Cyberpunk 2077 was far from rosy. The title had serious problems on the older generation consoles, as well as thousands of bugs found in any part of the map. Just do a quick search on YouTube or Reddit to find out.

CD Projekt RED's first goal was clear enough: to correct the most important issues, especially those that caused the game to stop suddenly. And that's how two important corrective patches were planned and distributed with version 1.1 and later with 1.2. While the community was continuing to track down and report new game bugs, the developers had to keep up, releasing more minor fixes. Nowadays we have therefore arrived at version 1.23, the most recent currently available both on PC and on consoles. The improvements on PS4 and PS5 are evident, although some game mechanics such as police management, or other elements such as the artificial intelligence of the enemies, still present some uncertainty (in some cases really embarrassing).

Finally playable on Playstation 4 and Xbox One

The latest version released for Cyberpunk 2077 With patch 1.23 the game is finally enjoyable also on older generation consoles. In addition to having solved numerous bugs on all platforms, the developers have also worked on optimizing the Playstation 4 and Xbox One versions.

These rather dated consoles have really suffered so much from the mammoth Night City. The main problem was the stability of the frame rate, which often dropped even below 20 frames per second, bringing the experience truly to the limit of playability. With the recent patch the frame rate has stabilized sufficiently, reaching the classic 30 FPS in most cases. However, the developers had to sacrifice other graphics to achieve this, such as the fast loading of some textures, as well as the density of traffic and the population of Night City.

The final result is in any case much better than the original version that hit the market last December. Sony itself has recently revived the title on the PS Store, moderately satisfied with the improvements made. There is most likely still room for further changes and refinements, which will come later in the year. However, do not expect an overall performance even remotely similar to that seen on PC, where Ray Tracing and greater computing power allow you to experience a technical sector of another level.

It is worth starting Cyberpunk 2077 today ?

Seeing the scandal that emerged at the release of Cyberpunk 2077, many users immediately canceled the purchase of the CD Project RED title, aware that it would be wiser to recover it in the future. An undoubtedly sensible choice, in fact six months after the official launch, the video game turns out to be much more enjoyable. The numerous bugs and software crashes have burdened the gaming experience, often ruining missions with excellent narrative potential and original gameplay. At launch, the feeling was that of having a video game in beta in your hands, which still had to be refined by the developers. In fact nowadays many bugs have been fixed and it is possible to play Cyberpunk 2077 without crash even for tens of consecutive hours (which should be considered completely normal, but those who played it at launch know that it is not so). Pedestrians also behave more realistically, as does traffic in Night City.

Looking at the graph below you can see how the number of bugs has been significantly reduced in the past six months, although we don't know when it will approach (and probably never reach) absolute zero.

Graph which shows the stability of the game following the patches released The missions can be carried out without too many hitches due to bad programming, as well as the free exploration of the city does not make us constantly run into absurd situations (although some of those foreseen by the world can be considered "normal"). Overall Cyberpunk 2077 has been greatly improved, clearly maintaining a great RPG structure in a truly well-built futuristic setting. In short, the version 1.23 currently available is what we expected at launch, at least as regards the cleaning of the software. For more advantages (but also defects) of the game, we invite you to read our review of Cyberpunk 2077.

Answering the question posed in the title of the paragraph instead, we absolutely recommend that you try the title in the current conditions, especially if you have the opportunity to do it on new generation consoles, PC or Stadia. But don't expect a perfect product, because it's not at all. Cyberpunk 2077 in version 1.23 has reached a tolerable level of stability and cleanliness for a software of this size. If you are not in a hurry, read on, because more surprises may come at the end of the year.

Looking to the future

Night City in PC version of Cyberpunk 2077 Recently CD Project RED held a conference with its investors, where among other things, the future of Cyberpunk 2077 was discussed. Currently, the development team has commissioned more than 300 people to constantly improve the title and create new content for the game universe. This is a considerable number from which perhaps something more was expected.

We know that in recent months the working conditions have not been easy due to the global pandemic and the obligation in some cases to resort to smart working. In fact, however, we are arriving in the second half of 2021 with a game devoid of new content, as well as any small additions such as the much desired customization of our protagonist. In the same period of time following the launch of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, the same developers managed to propose a massive expansion, much appreciated by users.

A new roadmap, different from the one previously announced, was proposed during the meeting with the investors. As you can see from the image below, the defined roadmap is now more generic, with the arrival of generic fixes, free DLCs and the Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X | S versions in the second half of 2021.

New roadmap defined by the developers of CD Project RED We therefore have no date or period for the release of new additional content, just as we do not know when the long-awaited edition optimized for next generation consoles will be released. At this point, what we expect is the introduction of a massive version 2.0, probably coming towards the end of the year, when we celebrate the first anniversary of the game.

It will contain thousands of other fixes, along with major improvements on the user experience within Cyberpunk 2077. At the same time, the highly anticipated next-gen version will also arrive with support for Ray Tracing and other features similar to the personal computer edition. Artificial intelligence could also receive important improvements, both in firefights and in the general behavior of NPCs in Night City. We also expect the arrival of new content with free DLC, which must entice players to return to the title. For example, they could introduce new missions, new non-player characters in depth, new vehicles (perhaps even flying) and in general other small goodies to enrich this vast game world.

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