Now, hear us out - this doesn’t excuse CD Projekt RED in any way. The 2020 title is still the poster boy for overhyped games that underdelivered. You know how bad and buggy your game is when it scares Bethesda Softworks enough to delay its first new IP in years because it didn’t want to suffer the same fate. But, you have to give CDPR props - it navigated a PR disaster and is starting to earn back the trust of fans. You read that right, we’re saying “fans” because Cyberpunk 2077 is enjoying a new wave of popularity and positive reviews following the release of its most recent patch. One could argue that this was an eventuality. We can take a look back at November 2021 as a turning point, as Cyberpunk 2077 helped break the concurrent player record on Steam as it started to pull in positive reviews. Sure, Cyberpunk 2077 remains the butt of jokes and memes. This isn’t something that it will outgrow overnight if ever. However, despite all the clowning, Cyberpunk 2077 is now a game that people who are looking for an open-world RPG might want to start taking seriously. If you’re one of those who bought the game and asked for a refund or simply skipped it at launch due to the backlash, now is a great idea to try out Cyberpunk 2077. Here are far more convincing reasons why Cyberpunk 2077 is worth playing in 2022:
1. It’s almost always on sale
If, by any chance, Cyberpunk 2077 isn’t on sale right now while reading this article, that’s okay. The game goes on sale often enough that it’s only a matter of time before you can have it for half the price if not less. This isn’t to say that Cyberpunk 2077 isn’t worth it at sticker price, but if you are taking a chance at something, it’s always best to exercise caution.
2. Marvel at Night City’s open-world
Night City was always beautiful, it’s just that the rest of the game got in the way of things. It is not exactly easy to enjoy cruising around Cyberpunk 2077’s city when the game lags and crashes more often than not. Now that this is no longer the case, Night City has become a must-see. You wouldn’t even need to use fast travel as the city’s not exactly that large. Plus, once you find out where all the scenic routes are, you’ll be dying for a chance to ride through the city to a mission every chance that you can get.
3. There are just as many glitches as other “stable” releases
Is the game perfect? No, because no game is. But, if you ask us if it’s stable, then you’d be glad to know that it is. Cyberpunk 2077 still has a few kinks that CDPR might never get a chance to iron out, but so does every other AAA title that’s considered more stable. There’s the occasional glitch and you might see cars drive on top of each other, but other than the very rare crash, you’ll have a generally good experience playing Cyberpunk 2077.
4. You can now enjoy the game for what it really is
Riding on the coattails of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, CD Projekt RED must have forgotten it took two prior installments for The Witcher to go from niche to mainstream. More than a year after Cyberpunk 2077 came out, all the marketing and hype have flamed out. All that’s left is what Cyberpunk 2077 truly is - a solid outing with the right mix of story, gameplay, and setting. It’s not the next GTA or Red Dead Redemption, which CDPR was more than happy to indirectly bill it as, but the good news is that it no longer has to be. Players can now freely judge Cyberpunk 2077 based on realistic expectations and it’s pretty darn good if you know exactly what you’re getting.
5. The next-gen versions are an absolute joy
We probably wouldn’t be talking about Cyberpunk 2077 as a failure if CDPR waited until the PS5 and Xbox Series S/X were out before releasing it. Alas, the studio didn’t. If it’s any consolation, the native PS5 and Xbox Series X versions of Cyberpunk 2077 are out and they show exactly what the game should have looked like at launch. From the denser crowds, better graphics, more stable frame rates, as well as ray-tracing support, and faster loading times, playing Cyberpunk 2077 on the hard-to-get next-gen consoles feels just right. As a bonus, you can enjoy Cyberpunk 2077 on next-gen consoles for free if you own it on the PS4 and Xbox One. There’s also a two-hour limited trial version if you plan on paying for a PS Plus Premium subscription. If nothing else, it’s worth checking out Night City based on what it should have looked like - not what CDPR came up with as it rushed Cyberpunk 2077 out of the gates.
6. An expansion is coming
Cyberpunk 2077’s quest director confirmed in April that an expansion for Cyberpunk 2077 is still coming before CDPR confirmed in a financial call that the game’s paid post-launch content could come out by 2023 just a few days later. TLDR; more Cyberpunk 2077 is coming. If CDPR has indeed learned from its mistakes, we won’t hear more about Cyberpunk 2077’s until much closer to its release. By then, it will be 100% complete, and hopefully, better than expected once it arrives.
