It’s been almost three years since the launch of CD Projekt Red’sCyberpunk 2077, and to say that it has been a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs would be an understatement. From its rough launch in 2020 to its recent redemption arc spurred on by its anime counterpart,Cyberpunk 2077has certainly been a story of game development like no other. In the closing chapters of its redemption arc arrives thePhantom Libertyexpansion and huge 2.0 update, serving as the conclusion to CDPR’s efforts to bringCyberpunkto a better, finalized state. It’s safe to say that the studio has delivered.
Cyberpunk 2077’sPhantom LibertyDLC does everything a great expansion should. It brings an excellent new story to the table that can rival some of the best arcs in the main game and introduces brand-new characters who feel right at home in Night City. But that’s only half of the equation;Cyberpunk 2077’s 2.0 updatemolds the game into a new shape, making it feel closer to the RPG that it always knew it could be. Together,Phantom Libertyand Update 2.0 are as good of an excuse as any to jump back into Night City or proof that now is finally the time to check outCyberpunkfor the first time.
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WhereCyberpunk 2077’s main story focuses mostly on living the dangerous life of a merc in the seedy underbelly of Night City–doing things like taking on Corpos, Arasaka, and anyone in the way of getting Johnny Silverhand out of V’s brain–Phantom Libertytakes V’s story into the grander scope of this future’s New United States of America. V’s duties in this expansion shift from their standard slate of running gigs to reporting directly to the President of the NUSA. While it might not be very fitting for a main character who frequently spits in the face of authority, V finds themselves here thanks to an illusive government agent named Songbird, who promises V a cure for their Silverhand issue in exchange for a quick escort mission for the President.
In true espionage story fashion, not everything is what it seems when dealing with spies, shadow agencies, or even the president of the NUSA herself, and things spiral out of control rather quickly. It can be difficult to really dive into what makesPhantom Libertyso compelling because the twists and turns start from the moment the title screen drops until its end credits, and saying too much could risk spoilers. Rest assured, though, CD Projekt Red is firing on all cylinders.Phantom Libertyis as emotional and tense as any other storyline inCyberpunk 2077, if not more, in some instances. There are plenty of tough decisions to make, with real weight and impact on the main story, and it achieves emotional moments that the base game rarely reaches, thanks to CD Projekt Red’s strong writing.Phantom Libertyis very much aWitcher 3: Blood and Winemoment forCyberpunk 2077, where the DLC supersedes the main game at times, especially with its characters.
The two new main characters introduced in this expansion are a young FIA agent named Songbird and a grizzled aging spy named Soloman Reed, played by Idris Elba. These are two FIA agents who have been through the ringer time and again and are written and portrayed in ways that make them feel as real as they look. These are flawed and messy characters who can be as unsure of themselves as they are cunning and dangerous.
Idris Elba’s performance, in particular, was incredibly well-acted and served as a good counterpart to Keanu Reeves’s performance as Johnny Silverhand. Soloman Reed has a habit of telling players everything that is on his mind with just a simple glance. In fact, most of the new characters inPhantom Libertyended up being a bit more memorable than the base game’s cast at times because of how tightly-knit and interwoven the storylines of these characters are. It was all top-tier storytelling and character work that we would expect from CD Projekt Red.
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Of course, when talking about characters inCyberpunk 2077, it’s only fitting to mention the setting.Cyberpunk 2077was a masterclass inmaking Night City feel like a truly lived-in digital locationand is arguably a character itself.Phantom Liberty’s Dogtown continues that same great sense of presence and atmosphere that the base game was so good at cultivating. From the moment players step into the rundown, crumbling streets of Dogtown, it’s clear that every bit of attention to detail that went into Night City went into Dogtown while also feeling distinct in its forms of industry and culture.
Nested in the Pacifica region of Night City, Dogtown operates as an autonomous zone independent of Night City and is controlled by the Barghest military group. Kurt Hansen, the head of Barghest, promises Dogtown residents a more promising living situation outside the corporate oppression of Night City. But like anyone with wealth and resources inCyberpunk, Hansen abuses that power for his own gain.Phantom Libertyhas a neat interplay with its villain and setting, as Hansen quite literally towers above all of Dogtown in his Black Sapphire headquarters positioned right in the center of Dogtown.
Dogtown itself isn’t a massive district within Night City–it’s small enough that players will likely be well acquainted with most of its corners and city streets by the time the DLC is up–but it’s in how CD Projekt Red portrays Dogtown that the district feels massive. The way that characters talk about Dogtown, describe it, and interact with it makes this slice of Night City feel truly alive and grand in its own right. There were moments throughout some missions where we really felt like we could get lost in our main objective just by how the story made us interact with our surroundings.
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At fourteen hours in length for the main story,Phantom Libertyhit all the right notes that it needed to remind fans that despite all the setbacks, CD Projekt Red was never ready to give up onCyberpunk 2077and the universe it built.Phantom Libertyis tense, emotional, and packed full of everything that fans would want out of aCyberpunkstory from CD Projekt Red and then some. It’s moreCyberpunk 2077,but better in some places, and with some big consequences for V.
However,Phantom Libertyis only half of what has made replayingCyberpunk 2077so good lately. Update 2.0 is here, and it is a serious improvement to the game on all fronts. This revamped version ofCyberpunk 2077brings with it skill tree changes, cyberware reworks, and a totally new police system, with a few other quality-of-life improvements that compound to make a world of difference in howCyberpunkplays. Update 2.0 finally brings what was once a good action game with occasionally lacking RPG elements closer to being the role-playing experience that it always hinted it could be.
The skill tree rework, specifically, is where some of the biggest changes have been made to the core gameplay experience and where Cyberpunk 2077 feels like it’s come into its own. Now, instead of each skill tree being a disjointed web of base perks with branching iterations, all skill trees are now linear with sections that can only be unlocked by spec-ing attribute points into that tree. Additionally, the perks residing within each tree have been totally reworked so that they make a more significant impact on play styles.
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What this means is that players now have to take serious consideration into what play style they want to focus on and which weapons they want to primarily use instead of creating some sort of jack-of-all-trades V, who can sneak as well as they can punch and can use SMGs as well as they can use a machine gun. From our time with 2.0, we found that there really is only enough room to spec into two trees heavily, with a third to round out the build in some capacity through level 50. While it could be seen as scaling back player options in some regard, this now forces players to think about their character in the long term and truly focus on role-playing as characters like a netrunning ninja or a cyborg brute without having to bleed skill and perk points into things that don’t fit the build.
Another notable improvement is how armor is now linked to cyberware instead of clothes, giving greater importance to the player’s cybernetics. Previously, cyberware almost felt like a “nice-to-have” at times, taking a back seat to perk and skill points. Now, there is a bit more thinking that goes into what cyberware players want to attach to their bodies, especially because it impacts carry weight. The perk “Pack Mule” is now totally gone from the perks list, while the Athletics tree has no impact on carry weight anymore, meaning that trips to the Ripper doc to boost skeleton cyberware will be a lot more frequent, but it also makes a lot more sense in the greater role of role-playing and character building within theCyberpunkworld—a welcome change.
CD Projekt Red has also finallyfixedCyberpunk 2077’s lacking police systemand added in vehicle combat after many roadmaps. While neither system is incredibly robust, these are still decent changes and additions that bringCyberpunkup to the level of other open-world games. Night City’s finest now use a star-rating wanted system to escalate conflicts and search parameters, similar toGrand Theft Auto’s police system, eventually leading to armored MaxTac units showing up to hunt the player. Meanwhile, vehicular combat is about as simple as aiming and shooting with the bumper buttons, but it does bring a more hectic atmosphere to Night City as gangs frequently drive past each other with guns drawn and engaging in combat. These are fine systems that don’t impact the game too much but still bring it to the levelCyberpunk 2077should have always been.
And that is whereCyberpunk 2077ends up with the release ofPhantom Libertyand Update 2.0: it finally feels like the game it should have always been, if not close to it.Cyberpunk 2077has been a bumpy ride from beginning to end, but it has also been a redemption story that not many studios can say they have accomplished under such turbulent conditions. While it isn’t the exact game that was showcased at E3 2018,Cyberpunk 2077in 2023 is as complete and satisfying as it has ever been, and that itself is a notable achievement.
As the capstone project to CD Projekt Red’s efforts in fixingCyberpunk 2077,Phantom Libertyand Update 2.0 see the studio at its best, delivering a story that is emotional, refreshing, and up to the caliber that fans expect from CDPR while also reworking the game into its best and presumably final form. If this is truly the end forCyberpunk 2077, then we’re excited to see where CD Projekt Red goes next with the franchise because it’s clear there are more stories to tell in this world, either in Night City or outside of it.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
WHERE TO PLAY
Phantom Liberty is a new spy-thriller adventure for Cyberpunk 2077. When the orbital shuttle of the President of the New United States of America is shot down over the deadliest district of Night City, there’s only one person who can save her — you. Become V, a cyberpunk for hire, and dive deep into a tangled web of espionage and political intrigue, unraveling a story that connects the highest echelons of power with the brutal world of black-market mercenaries.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Libertyreleases June 29, 2025, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Game Rant was provided a PC code for the purposes of this review.
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