The long dark night is over, and Cyberpunk 2077 has finally been released. CD Projekt Red's flagship title has been scoring rave reviews from both critics and gamers alike, and it's a stunning achievement that will influence the future of story-driven adventure games for years to come.
The day one launch was interesting, to say the least. It wasn't perfect, but it was a far sight better than other launches gamers have suffered through of late. Here's a list of things that happened to Cyberpunk 2077 players on day one, from finicky installations to glorious gameplay.
10 The 57.4GB Bug
It wouldn't be a AAA launch day without the unexpected hiccups and headaches, and Cyberpunk 2077 had more than a few. One of the more infamous issues centered around the 57.4GB bug, which is a reference to the exact download percentage many gamers got stuck at during installation.
It didn't take long before gamers started creating hilarious memes to vent their frustration at not being able to play the game. Even those who pre-ordered and pre-downloaded the game were subject to this issue. Some found workarounds, while others simply had to park it and wait out the storm.
9 Broken Steam
The Steam version of the game caught some flack for a day-one patch which effectively crippled many players and prevented them from firing up the game. This was separate from the 57.4GB bug and focused more on the queue download system in general.
In reality, this wasn't entirely unexpected. Cyberpunk 2077 enjoyed massive pre-sales before launch day even arrived, which meant that hundreds of thousands of gamers would need to apply the patch before the game even kicked off. Others reported trouble with Steam writing the game to their hard drives, regardless of whether they had enough space or not. Gamers still suffering from this problem should check their Steam downloads to see if this error message is present. If so, attempt to download on another drive if possible.
8 Gratuitous Mature Stuff
Everyone knew Cyberpunk 2077 was going to be an adults-only game, but few really expected it to go as far as it did. Full-frontal nudity a la Conan Exiles was there, right down to the character creation, as was the heavy use of alcohol, illicit drugs, and sexual content.
The game didn't shy away from the bad language, either. It went far beyond most games with its use of particularly nasty swear words – the kind one might hear on HBO Max or Amazon's The Boys. This is definitely one game the kids should not play.
7 Your PC Can't Handle It
Lucky gamers who managed to snatch up an RTX 3090 card probably expected to run Cyberpunk 2077 at a full 60fps. Many of them were surprised to learn that CD Projekt Red truly pushed the boundaries when it came to the visuals and detail, and it shows. Weaker computers simply cannot squeeze out enough juice to run the game at Ultra, or even High settings, at least with ray-tracing enabled.
Ray-traced lighting on Cyberpunk 2077 is largely a 30-series game, and higher resolutions (obviously) mean higher processing power. DLSS does work wonders for the game (and is mandatory for heavier settings), but those expecting to ray-trace in full detail at 4K should give up. It's probably not going to happen anytime soon. Thankfully, even the lowest settings look fantastic, so gamers have some elbow room.
6 Less Choice, At First
Cyberpunk 2077 was touted as a "go anywhere, do anything you want" kind of game, but those expecting a Deus Ex-level of freedom at the beginning were in for a bit of a disappointment. No matter what character background you choose, the game's first few hours are largely linear in an effort to establish a backstory.
As the game progresses, a greater degree of choice starts to seep in, which is where things really get interesting. First-time gamers shouldn't be fooled by the constricting nature of the opening narrative. There's room to maneuver and explore on your own terms.
5 Yes, The City Is That Big
Pessimists and pragmatists took Cyberpunk's original demo reveal at face value after years of broken promises by other developers who promised big things, only to garner disappointment. CD Projekt Red managed to turn their original vision for Night City into a reality, and that's a testament to game evolution.
It's hard to fathom just how large and detailed Night City is, but it's every bit as daunting and magnificent as the original reveal suggests. The sheer amount of life packed onto every street corner is unprecedented, and truly a leap forward in world-building. CD Projekt Red has set the bar insanely high for other developers to follow, and they should take note.
4 Oddly Lopsided Skills
Gamers used to traditional FPS/RPG titles like Deus Ex may find Cyberpunk's UI a little daunting; perhaps even superfluous. This isn't (necessarily) a knock against the game, but certain gameplay elements feel much more complicated than they technically need to be, while others feel much too simple.
For instance, hacking is comprised of several different interfaces that each demand a particular touch. Remote hacking doors and other objects is done through a rather weird flip-top multiple-choice HUD display, while code hacking seems oddly straightforward as it would be in a game like Fallout 4. It's not the learning curve that feels off, but the interfaces themselves.
3 Sweet, Sweet Combat
Cyberpunk 2077 doesn't reinvent the FPS combat wheel, but it does make the entire affair feel more energetic, exciting, and purposeful. Whether it's dodging side to side while exchanging gunfire with a target, or getting up close and personal in a beat-down match, the combat feels fluid, responsive, and realistic.
This is critical since gamers will be doing a lot of fighting in Cyberpunk 2077. Without the right feel, this mechanic would quickly become tiresome. Also, the game handles swords better than any FPS title since Shadow Warrior. Day one players who went through the tutorials were undoubtedly pleasantly surprised by what they found.
2 You Will Mess Up Your Skills & Perks
Many a gamer dived into Cyberpunk and started dishing out skill and perk points to craft the perfect in-game avatar, only to realize that certain paths were blocked based on what they didn't know. This is part of the fun of testing out different builds to see which ones fit with a player's personal style, however.
Some have advised playing the game for a few hours to get the feel of the game before restarting from scratch, armed with better knowledge. Rest assured, day one players learned quickly that Cyberpunk 2077 wasn't nearly as straightforward as they thought.
1 A Bug-Free (Largely) Experience
2020 was mired by the launch of several big-name titles that shipped with a host of instabilities and Skyrim-level bugs that ruined the day one experience. Thankfully, Cyberpunk 2077 seems to have only one prolific bug attached to its name – the aforementioned 57.4GB bug. Everything else seems to run fine after the day one patch is installed.
The menu is snappy with no lag, and the game runs stable and consistent except in outdoor areas with lots of congestion and traffic, which is to be expected. Slight visual bugs like flickering textures and goofy ragdolls pop up here and there, but nothing to squirm over. Day one seems to be a pretty stable experience, at least on PC. That said, it varies from player to player.