Cyberpunk 2077 is the latest project of CD Projekt Red. They’ve been working on the game for a few years now, teasing at releases, but it seems like the game itself is finally coming closer. At conventions, a lot of information regarding the game has been dropped; and the hype is real. This is, after all, the game developer that brought us The Witcher, which I think we can all agree is one of the best RPGs to ever be produced.

So read through the list of what we already know and get hyped, because this is happening. Every time I hear a new piece of info, my excitement grows. What’s not to love about this concept?!

Updated On March 21st, 2021, By Jason Wojnar: This article was initially published in 2018, more than two years before the game actually came out. It is interesting to look back on as a historical curiosity, gauging just how excited gamers were for CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077. Unfortunately, the finished product turned into one of the most notable Triple-A gaming disasters of the century thus far. With this in mind, we decided to come back to this list, add a few entries, and also add on to the existing entries to more accurately detail what gamers should expect before actually jumping into the game while acknowledging what the game does right. 

RELATED: Developer Says Cyberpunk 2077 Won't Have Load Screens (But They Might Be Hidden)

13 Be Prepared For Glitches; Lots of Glitches

Cyberpunk glitch
Cyberpunk glitch

Initial reviews for the detailed a plethora of technical issues, but words could not prepare us for just how broken the title really is. Even on a good PC you will likely run into a ton of technical issues. Consoles compound the issue even further. One expects some bugs in an open-world RPG, but Cyberpunk 2077 goes way beyond any acceptable limits. At best they are humorous, but at worst they are gamebreaking glitches that make you erase a save file.

12 It Is Still Not Available On PS4 Digitally

the north oak sign from a distance cyberpunk 2077

After reports came out regarding the ridiculously poor performance of the base PS4 console, Sony and CD Projekt Red pulled the game from the PlayStation Store. Because this is currently the only version available for Sony consoles, those who do not currently own it must go for a physical copy if. Even though patches are still coming to this version, we have no word on when to expect the game to go on sale again. Even then, PS4 owners should not expect a miracle to occur; it will still look vastly inferior to other versions.

11 Official PS5 And Xbox Series X Versions Are On The Way

Claire during the sidequest The Beast In Me

Cyberpunk 2077 Is Currently playable on the PS5 and Xbox Series X via backward compatibility. Surprisingly, the last generation versions run significantly better on these new consoles, to the point where they could fool someone into thinking they are the versions for the new consoles.

Related: 10 Plot Holes In Cyberpunk 2077 That Were Never Explained

However, official PS5 and Xbox Series X upgrades are still in the works and should be coming out sometime this year. Those who already own the game will receive the upgrade for free. Here's hoping it better matches what PC gamers see on their souped up rigs.

10 It Is A Bleak, Futuristic View Of A Dystopian Society

Via: Destructoid

As the name suggests, it’s cyberpunk, meaning it’s set far in the future. That means that the world has descended into a dystopia. Seems pretty bleak, right? It seems like every game and piece of media out there that predicts technological enhancements in the future also predicts that we’ll all be goners because of them. But this does tend to make for the dark, gritty plotlines that I enjoy so much when it comes to futuristic media, so I’m not complaining. It’s just interesting that this is where everything defaults to —  as if it’s basically inevitable. I’d like to hope not in terms of real life, though.

9 Cybernetic Enhancements Are A Thing

Via: Gamespot

Whereas some games tend to focus on the difference between man and machine (such as Detroit: Become Human, another fantastic futuristic game), this game explores cybernetic enhancements for humans themselves and the trend of self-alteration. We don’t have many details about this yet—only what we know from the trailer—but this will surely add an interesting element to the game. Especially racing through it as a character. It seems that these enhancements might not only be a part of the story but part of the actual characters.

In the final game you can upgrade V with cybernetic enhancements. As cool as this is, this does not really play into the story or affect the ending. Curiously enough, V's look does not change as you upgrade them. You'd think the enhancements would change the way they appear.

8 The Combat System Is Brutal

Via: PC Gamer

If you get shot, you die. That’s what we’ve been told about this game. There’s no health bar that dwindles down, no easy way of making your way through the combat. It’s treated like real life where if you were shot once, you have a high chance of dying.

This will be interesting since combat is one of the things that can make or break a game. I always enjoyed the combat in The Witcher 3, so I have faith they’ll be able to nail the combat mechanics in this too. It’s obviously going to be much, much different jumping from a Medieval game to one set so far in the future, though.

In the finished product combat can definitely be tough, but players have a health bar and can definitely take a beating before biting the dust. On higher difficulties V definitely dies quickly, but with the ability to customize the difficulty at any spot, combat never grows too frustrating.

7 It Has Familiar Locations

Via: VG247

It’s not an entirely new world — the developers have already confirmed that some of the locations are familiar from other things. Personally, I’m a fan of this. If I can recognize locations, then I feel like the game is more believable, and I feel more immersed in it.

Related: 10 Awesome Areas Most Players Will Never Find In Cyberpunk 2077

An entirely new world is always much harder to grasp, so even seeing the inspiration from certain places tends to help me lose myself in a game entirely. This isn’t entirely new territory for CD Projekt. They're the ones who brought The Witcher to life from a series of books and based most of the game on those.

6 It Is On The Current Generation Of Consoles And PC

Via: GameSpot

This game was announced thing in 2012, which is quite a while ago. But as of now, they’re intending to release it for the current generation of consoles. This means that they only have a fairly short window to release the game from now on. They haven’t given us a date—or even a decent range—but the gameplay trailer and this plan to focus on the current genre seems to mean that the game is going to be released very soon. Many speculate that it will be sometime in 2019. Let’s hope so. I’m dying for it.

Cyberpunk 2077 eventually saw release on December 10th, 2020. While it did come out on current generation consoles, the game is arguably unplayable on PS4 and Xbox One. For console gamers, your current best bet is to play these versions on PS5 or Xbox Series X via Backward Compatibility.

RELATED: In Case You Were Worried: Cyberpunk 2077 Is Coming To The Current Generation Of Consoles

5 It Is Based On A Pen And Paper RPG

Via: Polygon

Yes, when they talk about including familiar locations, they don’t necessarily just mean in real life. They’ve confirmed that this game is based on a pen and paper RPG. Aren’t they just great at adapting other mediums into video games? This seems to be what this game developer does best.

It was developed in 1988 originally, called Cyberpunk 2020, and it’s still available today in both paper and digital forms. You know, just in case you wanted to check it out prior to the game’s release. Clearly, they had to change the title though. Unless things change drastically in the next year, that tabletop RPG didn’t become a reality.

Thankfully.

4 The Main Character Is Customizable

Via: Lovely Tab

They’ve been referring to the main character as "V," but unlike their majorly successful game, V is not a set character; Geralt was. Geralt was already an established character before The Witcher games. V, however, is a blank slate. Their first name is open, their last name is open, their appearance, as is their gender. Much like other open-world games, such as Dragon Age or Skyrim, you’re free to customize this character in whatever way you’d like to make the game more specific to you. That’s pretty cool, honestly. I could spend ages customizing my character in games, so this is good news for me.

The developer was mostly true to their promise in making V a fully customizable character. The character customization brought on its own controversy too. Some took issue with how the character's voice was the defining factor on the pronouns V uses.

3 It Is A First-Person Game

Via: Redbull

That’s actually kind of unusual for an RPG. They tend to go for third-person views, but this one is a first-person game. That doesn’t hold true for the cutscenes, though. Every little snippet of the game is interchangeable. But for the most part? First-person.

It's an interesting choice, and presumably an attempt to make the RPG as immersive as possible. I’m not really sure how I feel about first-person since I’m not awesome at first-person shooters, but I'm willing to give this a go if it adds to the overall feel of the game.

In the finished game, just about every moment is spent in V's shoes from the first-person view. Some sequences have you playing as Johnny Silverhand, but it is still from the first-person perspective. You still see V if you look in mirrors and only one scene takes place from the third-person perspective.

2 Companions Are A Thing In The Game

Via: Nerdist

One confirmed companion already is the bilingual Jackie. When asked if other companions would be present throughout the game, CD Projekt declined to answer —which makes me think that this means there will certainly be other companions, too. But who knows?

Because of their lack of answer on this subject, it’s unclear if the companions will be part of the main, mandatory story, or if they’ll be optional people that can be collected for help. Maybe they'll need relationships built with them to be a true ally for you. Time will tell, I suppose! Hopefully, they’ll be a huge help for V, though.

While certain characters accompany V on certain missions, companions in the traditional open-world RPG sense are absent. You cannot have a character travel with you wherever you go like in Fallout or Elder Scrolls.

1 It Is As Vertical As It Is Horizontal

Via: Venture Beat

A really interesting factor of the game that CD Projekt recently specified is that sometimes, the game will involve traveling up and down, as well as over land. Since this is set in a city, sometimes, a lot of the game will be spread out over the skyscrapers and buildings rather than over the ground. It's a rather cool concept since I’m used to RPGs that mainly take place over vast, sprawling land. Actually, come to think of it, city RPGs aren’t that common in general, so it’s nice to see that the developer is taking full advantage of a potentially rich setting.

Part of what is so impressive about Night City when compared to other open-world games is its density. The map is huge and the metropolitan sections are filled with tiny details most players do not even notice. Only doing the main quest means missing out on the most beautiful parts of the environment.

RELATED: Director Of Cyberpunk 2077 Wants To Remind Everyone The Gameplay Demo Was Still A Work In Progress