Say what you will about Cyberpunk 2077, but Night City does have a certain allure to it. In spite of being a buggy mess upon release, the folks over at CDPR have done a great job when it comes to the map design. Intricately designed streets bustling with life or the abandoned estates of Pacifica, Night City is alive. On the other hand, there are some areas just not worth exploring. This is due to the mundane design elements with a copy and paste approach. Or they're just plain boring.
What follows is a look at some of the best areas in Night City and some which don't deserve your attention.
10 Best: Pacifica
A place which once housed the wealthiest people of Night City but has now become an abandoned district, overrun by The Voodoo Boys. A walk through Pacifica will get players to marvel at the stark contrast between then and now. Violence on every corner and broken down estates define the once glorious residential district. Located towards the south-east of Night City, Pacifica is not a place players should put off for later.
9 Worst: Kabuki
It's highly likely that players are already bored with this place as it is unlocked right from the beginning. Kabuki is a sub-district of Watson that has an indiscriminate amount of population and that's it. Cyberpunk 2077's abysmal AI design makes things worse. The NPCs walk like zombies and do nothing interesting. The area could have been really great but as of now, it seems that CDPR wanted to mush everything in this sub-district. It's better to explore other areas such as Japan Town.
8 Best: Corpo Plaza
Corpo Plaza will leave players awestruck due to its sheer magnitude. The towering buildings coupled with extensive police surveillance is enough to give players a sense of dread. Despite the number of people walking around, the area feels hostile and unnerving. People staring at screens of different sizes really push home the idea of a dark future.
Players are advised to refrain from illegal activities while free-roaming here because the law enforcement is extremely potent at Corpo Plaza.
7 Worst: Northside Docks
The Northside area follows a rinse and repeat design philosophy taken from other video games featuring an urban landscape. This is especially true when it comes to the Northside Docks. There are almost no unique aspects to it that could equate it to Night City. The warehouses are lazily designed with typical fences and no unique features. The only thing which makes it stand out are the monks draped in saffron robes. All in all, Northside Docks offers nothing unique to players and is only worth visiting because of a Cyberpsycho mission.
6 Best: Downtown
Located in the City Center, Downtown is one of the newest areas of Night City. It's a world of its own, mainly due to the fact that it was built up from scratch after the holocaust. The area shows no signs of anything which happened before. The place is overrun with varying types of NPCs and has a luxurious vibe to it. It's easy to get lost just looking at the upscale apartment buildings and restaurants dotting Downtown. Advertising is rampant, and players will get to witness the poster designs by CD Projekt Red.
5 Worst: Badlands
Now, hear us out. There isn't any dearth of video games that are set in a deserted post-apocalyptic wasteland. Does Cyberpunk 2077 add anything in terms of map design when it comes to the Badlands? No. Players who've spent time playing Avalanche Studios' 2015 game- Mad Max, will find almost no difference when it comes to the overall atmosphere. This is true for any other game set in a similar environment. Players may initially like the Badlands because they hold the promise of undiscovered treasures. But all these promises are empty. The Badlands are not worth the time investment.
4 Best: Japantown
Japantown is the perfect amalgamation of all things we love about Night City. It is vibrant, violent, and vicious. Every player should take some time out and take in the sights of Japantown. The fancy pubs and restaurants with glowing neon signs make the place look as beautiful at night as well as the day. Players will observe how the crowd changes as the day gets older. Corpos flood the streets at night, looking for thrills and frills.
The tourists are quickly replaced by the Tiger Claws gang.
3 Worst: Jig Jig Street
Better known as the Red Light District of Night city, Jig Jig Street has nothing else to offer players except the "promise" of a good time. With the same neon lighting that players would find anywhere else in Night City, time spent at Jig Jig Street is time wasted. Players can opt to explore Downtown or the Corpo Plaza for a much better experience. Again, some players may be bored of it already as it is unlocked quite early on.
2 Best: North Oak
The newest and crime-free residential district of Night City is home to people with the largest coffers. The place is riddled with private security so players should keep this in mind when exploring North Oak.
The lavish estates provide a stark contrast to the otherwise crime ravaged Night City.
1 Worst: Arroyo
The Arroyo sub-district is a part of Santo Domingo in Night City. The unfinished buildings and warehouses are mostly housed with gang members willing to kill you on sight. This alone makes it a difficult area to explore. After a point, the unfinished buildings do tend to get monotonous and players will quickly get bored of them. Time is better spent exploring the better-designed parts of Night City which do have a lot of history to them.