Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 is a first-person action RPG set in Night City, a huge American metropolis run by corporations, gangs, and technology that reaches directly into the human body. The player takes on the role of a mercenary known as V, who ends up with someone else's personality recorded in their head after a job gone wrong, and with time running out. From there the story unfolds around identity, dying, and what's left of a person afterward, filled out by extensive side stories that often outshine the main plot.

Character building rests on five attributes, each tied to skill trees for shooting, melee combat, stealth, technical skills, and hacking. Cybernetic implants form a separate layer of equipment and fundamentally change how you play, from slowed-down time and hidden blades to quickhacks that let you disable enemy weapons or turn enemies against each other. Night City is densely built and vertical, with distinct districts that differ in architecture and residents alike, and driving, racing, and exploration hold it all together. Decisions in quests often carry delayed consequences, and the game has several markedly different endings.

The launch was troubled, as the game shipped in a state that didn't match expectations, especially on older consoles, and even on PC it was plagued by bugs. A long series of patches followed, along with a major update that overhauled skills, police behavior, and enemy AI, so today's version is a substantially different game from the original release. Technically it ranks among the best, especially thanks to its lighting, reflections, and neon night-time atmosphere, but it demands serious hardware. The music blends electronic sounds, rock, and fictional radio stations with their own in-game bands. Today, Cyberpunk 2077 is seen as an example of a game that repaired its reputation only after years of work, and as an open world it stands among the best-built cities in the genre.