Cyberpunk 2077’s Disastrous Launch Was Already 5 Years Ago

It has officially been five years since CD Projekt Red made history with one of the most disastrous game launches of all time in Cyberpunk 2077, followed by undoubtedly the most remarkable comeback. At the time, CD Projekt Red was well-known for its work on The Witcher series, which made Cyberpunk 2077 highly anticipated following the studio’s success with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Unfortunately, after countless delays and setbacks, its launch was one to remember, and not for a good reason.

On December 10, 2020, following three separate delays throughout the year, CD Projekt Red officially released Cyberpunk 2077. The studio’s newest title came five years after The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which itself had a rocky launch. However, Cyberpunk 2077‘s release was far worse. Although the futuristic RPG was playable on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, it did not have a native current-gen version until 2022. As the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were at the end of their life cycle, it meant massive games such as Cyberpunk 2077 required much more optimization.

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Sadly, optimization was the one thing that was severely lacking in Cyberpunk 2077. Inconsistent frame rates, barely hitting 20 FPS for some users, low-resolution textures, bugs, t-posing NPCs, crashes, and more made for a horrendous experience on last-gen consoles. The title was so bad that PlayStation removed it from their storefront and offered customers refunds, no questions asked. It did not return for six months.

Although most studios would have accepted the L and moved on to its next project, CD Projekt Red remained committed to Cyberpunk 2077 and pulled off a comeback comparable to that of No Man’s Sky. Numerous quality-of-life updates and bug fixes helped bring the title to a much better state in the months and years after its release. Once the RPG was of a higher quality, CD Projekt Red then overhauled the title completely with the major 2.0 update, which was accompanied by Phantom Liberty, a massive DLC that added more content and story to Night City.

Cyberpunk 2077 Celebrates Fifth Anniversary

As it is now December 10, 2025, CD Projekt Red is officially celebrating the five-year anniversary of Cyberpunk 2077 with an epic trailer that takes fans back to Night City and asks the question: What would you do differently? The game’s iconic characters, such as Keanu Reeves’ Johnny Silverhand, Jackie, V, Idris Elba’s Solomon Reed, and many more, can be seen throughout the 2-minute and 21-second trailer, before all reuniting at the bar. Although there was speculation that the anniversary would see the release of a new Cyberpunk 2077 update, it looks like CD Projekt Red has no plans to surprise fans in honor of the game’s fifth birthday.

There might not be any new Cyberpunk 2077 content on the way, but the studio isn’t done with the series just yet. In 2022, the CD Projekt Red Boston branch was established, with its primary focus on developing a sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, formerly known as Project Orion and now referred to as Cyberpunk 2. Although the title is still expected to be a few years away, development appears to be going well, as continued updates from the studio have revealed that more and more developers continue to be brought onto the project as time goes by.

For fans eager for more RPGs from CD Projekt Red, you won’t have to wait until the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, as The Witcher 4 is much closer. While there’s still no release date set for the highly anticipated title, it did enter full-scale production back in 2024 and even gave fans a glimpse of what the game may look like via a new tech demo earlier this year. The Witcher 4 will be the first of a brand-new trilogy, which CD Projekt Red says it intends to release in its entirety within a six-year period.

Released

December 10, 2020

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol