Is Cyberpunk 2077 Worth Playing in 2026? Yes, Absolutely.

For most gamers today, especially those playing on PC or new consoles, Cyberpunk 2077 is absolutely worth playing in 2024 given the tremendous improvements since its disastrous launch. Night City has never looked and played better thanks to bug fixes and performance optimizations over the past two years. With its stunning open world and deep RPG systems, Cyberpunk now mostly delivers on its promise.

I‘ve put over 100 hours into Cyberpunk 2077 across two playthroughs – one at launch and one recently after patch 1.6. The difference is night and day. While some jankiness remains, the game I experienced in 2024 was the true definitive edition of Cyberpunk 2077. If you wrote the game off years ago, it‘s time to dive back into Night City.

Reflecting on Cyberpunk‘s Catastrophic Launch

As many will recall, Cyberpunk 2077‘s launch in December 2020 was an unmitigated disaster. On PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the game struggled to hit even 15 FPS in busy areas while visual bugs were rampant. It crashed constantly, quest progression broke, and cars bounced around like inflatable tubes at a carnival.

Even high-end PCs faced crashes, save corruption issues, visual tearing, blurriness, and poorly optimized performance. Reviewers slammed the game, averaging ratings around 70%. Some called it "broken and unfinished." Sony infamously pulled the game from their PlayStation Store for six months. Without a doubt, it was one of the most botched AAA launches of all time.

Looking back, it‘s clear Cyberpunk was rushed out well before it was ready. The developers‘ ambitions vastly exceeded the capabilities of old consoles. Management likely insisted on hitting the 2020 holiday season no matter what. Something had to give, and it was polish, optimization and playability.

Cyberpunk Today Plays Like a Totally Different Game

Since launch, CD Projekt Red has released over a dozen patches and hotfixes that have dramatically improved the gameplay experience. The difference playing Cyberpunk 2077 today versus at launch is staggering – it legitimately feels like a totally different game.

On PC with settings maxed out and ray tracing enabled, Night City is a technical marvel – dense, vibrant, and immersive. The lighting, textures, effects and detail are absolutely gorgeous. With my RTX 3080, it runs incredibly smooth at 60+ FPS in 1440p with no noticeable bugs or crashes.

On next-gen consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X, performance has also been optimized through patches to hit 60 FPS fairly consistently. The city looks nearly as stunning as a high-end PC. Occasional minor visual bugs still crop up, but there are no more game-breaking issues.

Most importantly, even on PS4 Pro and Xbox One X, the experience is now reasonably solid at 30 FPS. The world density had to be turned down, but crowding-induced crashes are far less frequent. No area of the game feels truly broken or unplayable anymore.

Make no mistake, Cyberpunk is still a bit janky in places. You may occasionally witness some weird physics, textures that take a second to load in, or questionable enemy AI behavior. A few quests are still prone to minor glitches. But there are no longer any show-stopping problems that completely ruin the experience.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Reignites Interest

The release of the critically acclaimed anime Cyberpunk: Edgerunners on Netflix coincided brilliantly with the launch of Patch 1.6 in September 2022. This sensational show introduced the Cyberpunk world to new audiences and convinced many lapsed players to give the game another shot.

In the two weeks following Edgerunners‘ premiere, Cyberpunk 2077 hit over 1 million concurrent players on Steam, surpassing its prior peak at launch. CD Projekt Red revealed the game has now sold over 20 million copies in total. The show tapped into pent-up demand from people who wanted to love and play Cyberpunk but were turned off by its technical woes.

For fans of Edgerunners, Cyberpunk 2077 lets you further explore Night City with much more freedom and depth. You can recreate David‘s cyberware implants, use his guns and playstyle, visit familiar locales, and find easter eggs related to characters and events. The game brings to life everything you loved about the show.

Night City Shines Through

Looking past all the bugs and glitches, Cyberpunk 2077 had the core foundations of an incredible game even at launch. Night City itself remains one of the most stunningly crafted open worlds ever made in gaming. The sprawling cityscape bursting with dazzling neon set against gloomy desert feels totally unique.

I could spend hours just walking around and admiring the architecture, vibrant urban details and futuristic technologies brought to life. Driving through the city at night in the rain is simply breathtaking and has always been a technical showpiece.

Beyond the aesthetics, Cyberpunk also delivers a compelling narrative with great voice acting and memorable characters. Your choices genuinely affect the outcomes. Side quests feel crafted with as much care as the main story. There are so many ways to build and gear your character with varied combat, cyberware, hacking and dialogue options. The RPG systems let you truly customize V to match your playstyle.

If you enjoy open world action games and have any interest in cyberpunk dystopian settings, exploring Night City is an absolute joy in its own right. This immersive and dynamic urban world provides over 100 hours of quality content and escapism.

Should You Play Cyberpunk 2077 in 2024?

So now that patches have smoothed out most of the egregious technical problems, is Cyberpunk 2077 worth playing today? Here‘s my recommendation for different gamers:

• For those with a high-end PC, absolutely give Cyberpunk 2077 a shot in 2024. You can finally experience the game in all its intended glory with buttery frame rates and maximum eye-candy. The many PC-specific options let you customize the experience perfectly. This is by far the best way to play.

• On the PS5 or Xbox Series X/S, I highly recommend Cyberpunk 2077 as well. Performance is not quite as flawless as a top PC, but the next-gen consoles now run the game at 60 FPS reasonably smoothly. Some minor visual glitches remain, but nothing too bothersome.

• On a PS4 Pro or Xbox One X, you can get by with Cyberpunk 2077 and mostly enjoy the experience, but expect some compromises. The framerate drops below 30 FPS fairly often and visuals are not as crisp. I would only recommend playing here if you cannot upgrade to better hardware.

• On a base PS4 or Xbox One, I cannot wholeheartedly recommend Cyberpunk 2077, even after patches. Performance is just too inconsistent and compromised to be fully enjoyable. At minimum, upgrade to a PS4 Pro or Xbox One X first.

For new players open to looking past its rough launch history, Cyberpunk 2077 absolutely delivers a one-of-a-kind RPG experience. The sheer depth of its urban open world and customization systems keep you hooked for over 100 hours. It succeeds at making Night City feel vibrantly alive.

Even having played at launch, I found my recent second playthrough on PC to feel like playing a totally new and vastly improved game. Cyberpunk 2077 today lives up to its immense potential. If you have solid gaming hardware, it is absolutely worth playing in 2024.