Cyberpunk 2077 will be designed for mature and demanding players who expect to be treated seriously, and the game will be richly detailed, non-linear, and with a complex and gripping story.

The creators promise that “Cyberpunk 2077” will be true to the essence of the cyberpunk genre. Players will be thrown into the dark future of the year 2077 and into a world where advanced technologies have become both the salvation and the curse of humanity. A multi-thread, nonlinear story designed for mature players will take place in the sprawling metropolis of Night City and its surroundings. Players will have a chance to freely roam the open-world environment and visit places well known from the pen-and-paper RPG “Cyberpunk 2020”, including a combat zone completely taken over by gangs, the legendary Afterlife joint and the nostalgic Forlorn Hope.

In Cyberpunk 2077, the player will be thrown into a dark future. The metropolis of Night City is a stage set to tell the tale of one individual, raised on the streets, who tries to lift himself up from the gutter and find a way to survive amongst booster gangs and mega corporations in a city of filth and sin. Drugs, violence, poverty and exclusion haven’t disappeared by 2077, as people stayed as they were for centuries – greedy, closed-minded and weak. But not only ghosts of the past trouble mankind, but new issues have appeared. Psychos go on rampages and the streets are filled with junkies addicted to a new form of entertainment – the braindance, a cheap way to experience the emotions and stimuli of someone else, someone living a more exciting life.

CD PROJEKT RED unveiled a new cinematic trailer for their upcoming expansion, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, starring Idris Elba. Also presented during the show was an array of new information, including the changes to gameplay coming with the new expansion, new music, and the launch date for Cyberpunk 2077’s free Update 2.0.

This special episode of Night City Wire heavily featured the star of Phantom Liberty, Idris Elba (Thor: Ragnarok, Luther, The Suicide Squad, The Wire). The world premiere of a brand-new trailer starring Elba — set seven years before the events of Phantom Liberty — started the show, and was followed by additional behind-the-scenes footage of the well-known actor. 

The audience had the opportunity to see Elba discuss his character in the expansion, secret agent Solomon Reed, in both an interview and a frame by frame analysis of the trailer itself.

Later in the episode, more details were revealed about new elements and changes to gameplay. Game Director Gabe Amatangelo talked about the revamped perk and skill trees, and the completely new Relic skill tree that’s coming exclusively with the Phantom Liberty expansion. Also presented were three short videos featuring CD PROJEKT RED gameplay designers sharing their favorite character builds. As a bonus, the studio also released the Cyberpunk 2077 Build Planner — a free tool where players can create and plan their own builds in their browsers; everyone wanting to explore the changes made to the perk system, including the Relic skill tree from Phantom Liberty, can do so here.

The release date for Cyberpunk 2077’s free Update 2.0 was also revealed during the episode. With its revamped police system, redesigned perks, enhanced cyberware, and more, the update will be available from September 21st for all players who own Cyberpunk 2077 on current-gen consoles and PC.

Like in all CD PROJEKT RED games, music plays an important storytelling role in Phantom Liberty, and composers, P.T Adamczyk (Cyberpunk 2077, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners) and Jacek Paciorkowski (Seven: The Days Long Gone) took part in this episode of Night City Wire to discuss how they created brand-new music for a spy-thriller story. The composers gave insight into Phantom Liberty’s score, and unveiled that the score is available to stream right now in full. They also discussed details of the new radio stations included in the game. One of the new stations’ playlists — Growl FM — is composed entirely of tracks hand-picked from those submitted for a music competition organized for the Cyberpunk 2077 community. During the show, a Growl FM documentary was announced, releasing on September 18th, highlighting how the radio station came to be.

1. I'm a Netrunner – P.T. Adamczyk
2. Force Projection – P.T. Adamczyk
3. On The Prowl – P.T. Adamczyk
4. Bravo Foxtrot Golf – P.T. Adamczyk
5. Not A Plan, A Man – P.T. Adamczyk
6. Infiltration Compromised – Jacek Paciorkowski
7. Agent Provocateur – Jacek Paciorkowski
8. Hardest To Be – P.T. Adamczyk
9. Just Another Weapon – P.T. Adamczyk
10. The Man In Charge – Jacek Paciorkowski
11. Apex Predators – P.T. Adamczyk
12. You Can't Hide From Us – P.T. Adamczyk
13. Contra la Luna – P.T. Adamczyk
14. Never Looking Back – P.T. Adamczyk
15. Test of Loyalty – P.T. Adamczyk

“I loved being able to come back to Night City, but I loved creating a completely new score based on a new adventure, in this unique, dark-future location of the most dangerous district of Night City even more!” says Senior Composer at CD PROJEKT RED, P.T. Adamczyk. “We use more than just visual design and story to create the mood of our games; we also put an emphasis on music. Everything has to work together to create one coherent image. This time, we had the fun challenge of working in a completely new territory, a spy-thriller story, the effect of which Jacek Paciorkowski and I are very proud of. An hour of music from Phantom Liberty awaits you to give you a taste of just what’s coming your way. I hope that you’ll like it — and see you soon in Dogtown.”

“I’m completely psyched about Dogtown and its addition to Night City. And I’m incredibly thankful to have the opportunity to add my own fingerprint to Phantom Liberty’s modern spy-thriller soundtrack,” adds composer JACEK PACIORKOWSKI. “It was amazing for me to be able to reach into the dark and eerie world of sounds that worked so well with the dystopian reality of Cyberpunk 2077, and then help to create something new and distinct for the expansion. One of our main focuses behind the music we composed — aside from the characters in Phantom Liberty — is player choice and the consequences attached to that. While writing for multiple threat layers and alternative cues for resolutions may seem complicated, it was a great opportunity for us to take our creativity beyond the linear boundaries of writing a traditional music piece. Thank you so much for listening!”

Toward the end of the music segment, the theme song for Phantom Liberty was teased; the song is written and performed by Dawid Podsiadło, currently one of Poland’s top artists. Dawid previously worked with the studio to record music for the critically acclaimed anime, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.

The album is an opportunity to get to know the world of Phantom Liberty before its release by introducing listeners to the atmosphere of the action-packed district of Dogtown and immersing them in the spy-thriller story created by CD PROJEKT RED.

The entire album is available on music streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Deezer, and many others.

In Phantom Liberty, players once again take on the role of V, a cyberpunk for hire, as they embark on a mission to save the President of the New United States of America after her orbital shuttle is shot down over the deadliest district of Night City — Dogtown. What follows is a deep dive into an intricate story of espionage and political intrigue which connects the highest echelons of power with the brutal world of black-market mercenaries. The stakes are larger than life, but so is the reward — your very survival.

The full-fledged expansion to Cyberpunk 2077 features a hard-hitting spy-thriller adventure to embark on set in a brand new location. Over the course of the new story players will meet and work with new characters, including FIA sleeper agent Solomon Reed, played by Idris Elba. Among the returning cast is Keanu Reeves, reprising his role as rebel-rockerboy Johnny Silverhand. The expansion also comes with a slew of new content, including new quests, gigs, and gig types; new vehicles, tech, cyberware, and weapons; a brand new Relic skill tree for even more freedom for crafting one’s own unique playstyle, and more.

Another major overhaul revealed is the new police system. Police AI has been improved, meaning the NCPD will respond to player actions in more realistic and engaging ways, including setting up roadblocks, attempting to ram players off the road and more. Driving around Night City will also see upgrades with the introduction of vehicle combat, which allows the player to shoot while driving and quickhack enemy vehicles from cars and motorbikes.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is coming to Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC (GOG, Steam, Epic Games Store) on September 26th 2023 at $29.99.

Players who wish to dive deeper into the lore of Cyberpunk 2077 can now pick up ‘The World Of Cyberpunk 2077’, a brand new book created in collaboration with Dark Horse Books. More details can be found here.

Cyberpunk 2077 is available for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC.