Welcome Back to Night City
It’s 2025, neon rain is hitting your windscreen, the city hums underneath you, and Johnny Silverhand won’t stop roasting your life choices. That’s Cyberpunk 2077 today — not the broken meme from 2020, but a polished, confident RPG that finally became everything it promised.
If you’ve been wondering whether the game is truly worth playing now, this Cyberpunk 2077 2025 Review lays it all out: the 35M sales comeback, the surprisingly good Switch 2 port, the Phantom Liberty must-play chapter, and why player counts keep climbing. Five years later, Night City isn’t just fixed — it’s thriving.
Key Takeaways
- Cyberpunk 2077 crossed 35M sales, outperforming The Witcher 3’s pace.
- Steam sits at 30K active daily players, peaking at 42K+.
- Nintendo Switch 2 hits 40fps handheld using DLSS — a shockingly good port.
- No December anniversary patch coming, but Patch 2.31 + 2.31a polished everything.
- Netrunner builds dominate the 2025 meta.
- Edgerunners Season 2 is in production.
This Cyberpunk 2077 2025 Review makes one thing clear: CDPR didn’t just recover — they over-delivered.
Cyberpunk Basics
Cyberpunk 2077 throws you into Night City as V, a mercenary scraping by with gig money, street deals, questionable implants, and a literal rockstar ghost in your head.
The beauty of the world lies in the choice:
- Sneak past security like a ghost
- Hack everything in sight
- Or turn a street corner into an action movie set
Everything feels alive — buzzing markets, gang-controlled blocks, fast cars, and skyscrapers that swallow the sky.
Night City Districts
- Watson – Your gritty starting zone, hustlers everywhere.
- Westbrook – Luxury, corporates, and high-risk gigs.
- Dogtown – Phantom Liberty’s lawless warzone.
Lifepaths Matter
Street Kid, Nomad, or Corpo — each gives unique dialogue and flavor. In this Cyberpunk 2077 2025 Review, Street Kid still feels the most “authentic Night City,” while Corpo gives delicious betrayal energy.
Night City’s Atmosphere Hits Different in 2025
One thing this Cyberpunk 2077 2025 Review can’t stress enough is how much Night City’s atmosphere has improved after all the patches. The lighting feels warmer, crowds behave more organically, and even the ambient conversations add life to the streets. Walking through Japantown at night or cruising down Heywood during a sandstorm feels genuinely cinematic. Back in 2020, players joked about “empty city syndrome,” but in 2025, Night City is so dense and reactive that you can spend hours exploring without touching a mission.
Driving Finally Feels Like an Actual Feature
Driving used to be the game’s biggest frustration, but today, it’s one of its most enjoyable activities. Patch 2.0 and 2.31 revamped physics, traction, braking, and even AI driver behavior. Cars grip the road realistically, bikes glide between lanes, and AutoDrive is now surprisingly smooth under patch 2.31a. In this expanded Cyberpunk 2077 2025 Review, it’s fair to say that cruising through Corpo Plaza in a Quadra Type-66 now feels like a proper open-world experience, not an afterthought.
The Redemption Arc
Launch year (2020) was rough — bugs, disappearing crowds, chugging consoles. But CD Projekt Red didn’t walk away. They rebuilt everything across years of patches.
Today?
- Crowds feel alive
- Police actually chase intelligently
- Combat is deeper
- The city feels… real
By late 2025, the game passed 35 million sales, becoming CDPR’s biggest earner ever — boosted by new ports, PS Plus placements, and Phantom Liberty hype.
Update 2.0 → The Turning Point
The game was practically reborn:
- Fully redesigned skill trees
- Smarter AI
- Heat system for police
- Better vehicle handling
Patch 2.31 + 2.31a
- AutoDrive finally overtakes traffic
- Photo Mode improvements
- DLSS updates
- General polish
Fans expected an anniversary update in December, but CDPR confirmed no patch. Still, the community remains energized — especially with Game Awards buzz and expansion sales.
Phantom Liberty
If the base game is great, Phantom Liberty is phenomenal.
Set in Dogtown, the spy-thriller storyline brings Idris Elba’s Solomon Reed into a morally grey world of betrayal, espionage, and painfully difficult choices. The writing hits hard — choices feel heavy, the stakes feel real, and every ending punches you in the chest.
Why Phantom Liberty is essential in 2025
- Adds the best base-game ending
- Introduces the Relic skill system
- Offers 20–30 hours of tight storytelling
- Dogtown’s atmosphere is unforgettable
It sold 10 million copies alone, proving fans loved the darker tone.
Why Phantom Liberty Hits So Hard Emotionally
Beyond action and politics, Phantom Liberty succeeds because it forces you to question loyalty, survival, and moral responsibility. Songbird’s desperation, Reed’s broken sense of duty, and V’s limited options create a pressure cooker of impossible decisions. This expansion earns constant praise for delivering the most mature writing CDPR has done since The Witcher 3.
If you love character-driven stories, this Cyberpunk 2077 2025 Review confirms there’s no skipping Phantom Liberty — it elevates the entire narrative.
Top Builds in 2025
S-Tier: Netrunner
Melt entire rooms with your brain.
- Militech Apogee cyberdeck
- RAM regen perks
- Contagion + Overheat spam
A-Tier: Sandevistan Melee
Become a blur of monowire and blades.
- Time-slowing Sandevistan
- Dash perks
- Bullet-dodging insanity
B-Tier: Gunslinger
Reliable, stylish, but overshadowed by hacks & melee power.
One thing this Cyberpunk 2077 2025 Review appreciates is how the game encourages experimentation — re-specs are free, painless, and fun.
Switch 2 & Mac Ports
This part surprises many: the Switch 2 version is shockingly good.
Switch 2 Performance
- 40fps handheld at 720p
- DLSS magic
- Stable in crowded areas
- Full Ultimate Edition on a cartridge
It beats the Steam Deck for stability and crushes old-gen consoles.
Mac users finally get love too — Apple Silicon runs it at a smooth 60fps, making Cyberpunk portable in ways nobody expected back in 2020.
Mods & Cyberpunk 2 Tease
The community is alive and pumping out incredible mods — over 18,000+ on Nexus.
Fan favorites:
- Better lighting
- Denser crowds
- Car packs
- Appearance menus
- Photo mode enhancements
And then there’s the future…
Cyberpunk 2
Powered by Unreal Engine 5, targeting 2028–2030, with a bigger world and next-gen focus only.
Edgerunners Season 2 is also in production, guaranteeing a new wave of hype.
Cyberware Now Defines Your Playstyle Completely
Cyberware used to feel like passive stat boosts, but in 2025, it determines how you move, fight, and solve problems. Sandevistan lets you bend time, Berserk gives you superhuman strength, and Netwatch-enhanced cyberdecks turn you into a digital assassin. When creating builds for this Cyberpunk 2077 2025 Review, one thing became clear: cyberware is no longer a background feature — it’s the heart of the experience.
Cyberpunk 2077 2025 Review: Final Verdict
After everything — the patches, the redemption arc, the DLC, the ports — Cyberpunk 2077 stands tall as one of the best RPGs of the decade.
Pros
- Deep story & emotional choices
- Stunning world-building
- Great performance on all platforms
- Phantom Liberty is a masterpiece
Cons
- Some side gigs repeat
- Heavy RT requirements on PC
- Mod crashes here and there
Conclusion
Cyberpunk 2077 has come a long way since its rocky 2020 launch. With 35 million copies sold, thriving ports on Switch 2 and Mac, the must-play Phantom Liberty DLC, and endless replayability, Night City finally feels alive, reactive, and endlessly engaging. Patches and community mods have turned it from a flawed promise into a fully realized, cinematic RPG.
Whether you’re exploring the neon-lit streets for the first time or returning for a new lifepath, this Cyberpunk 2077 2025 Review confirms one thing: the game isn’t just fixed — it’s legendary. If immersive storytelling, deep RPG mechanics, and a living, breathing world excite you, now is the perfect time to dive into Night City.