Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty - What We Know So Far

The rough history of "Cyberpunk 2077" is well-documented. Once one of the most hyped up games in recent memory, CD Projekt's futuristic action-RPG was marred by glitches when it first launched in December 2020, an obvious byproduct of the game being rushed to market in an unfinished state after multiple delays. The launch was so bad, in fact, that PlayStation booted "Cyberpunk 2077" from its online store only a week after its release due to its countless bugs and many of its players demanding a refund. The game wouldn't return until June 2021. Despite its notoriously horrendous launch, "Cyberpunk 2077" would be given a litany of bug-fixing patches that practically made it a brand new game after its release and has gained a cult following that has demanded more content — namely story-based DLC — be added to the game.

The main story in "Cyberpunk 2077" follows a player-created character named V who has ambitious dreams of conquering the criminal underworld in Night City. Unfortunately, it doesn't go to plan. As a result of botching a job to steal a highly coveted biochip from the villainous corporation Arasaka, the biochip becomes stuck in V's head. But this isn't any ordinary biochip — on it is the engram of Johnny Silverhand, a deceased Night City legend known for fronting the punk band Samurai and being an anti-corporate rebel. Together, they plan on taking down Arasaka and liberating V from the chip. Now, the next chapter of their story is told in the new story DLC, "Phantom Liberty."

After months of speculation, it was finally revealed on Sept. 6, 2022 that "Cyberpunk 2077" would be receiving its first story-based DLC expansion called "Phantom Liberty." The announcement came hours after it was revealed that the game would be receiving its 1.6 Edgerunners patch, which coincided with the "Cyberpunk 2077: Edgerunners" anime series being released on Netflix. However, while many seem to be happy with the announcement for "Phantom Liberty," it will be some time before players can get their hands on it — and even then, only some of the game's player base will be able to enjoy it.

As it stands, "Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty" is scheduled for a 2023 release. Outside of that vague release window, no specifics have been given. Also, "Phantom Liberty" will be a next-gen exclusive. According to its official teaser trailer, "Phantom Liberty" will be released on the Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, PC, and Google Stadia. This omits previous gen consoles such as the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, which the game is also available on. Some have been critical of the decision to only release the DLC on the next-gen platforms, especially given all the trouble old-gen users have had with the game since launch.

The teaser trailer for "Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty" was released on Sept. 6, 2022. In contrast with past looks at the bright lights of Night City, the teaser shows a much darker and grittier view of the industrial sections of the city while retaining the game's signature cyberpunk aesthetic. As the trailer rolls, the voice of the female V — played by Cherami Leigh — can be heard pledging her allegiance to the New United States of America. The voice of Johnny Silverhand — played by Keanu Reeves — can be heard towards the end of the trailer telling V that her oath to the NUSA wasn't the right choice.

According to The Gamer, previous leaks regarding the first story-based DLC for "Cyberpunk 2077" said that neither V or Silverhand would be involved, and that it would instead be based around a new story featuring new characters. However, the teaser trailer for "Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty" puts these rumors to bed, as both seem to be the central figures in this new story. The official Twitter profile for The Game Awards tweeted about the return of Keanu Reeves to "Cyberpunk 2077" and while many of the subsequent comments revolved around whether or not the game is in a playable state these days, others celebrated Reeves' return as one of the central figures in the game.

Being a story-based DLC, "Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty" isn't likely to make wholesale changes to the core gameplay of the base game. For the few who haven't already experienced "Cyberpunk 2077," it's a first-person action RPG that revolves around combat, skill trees, and hacking gameplay elements. That's not to say, however, that "Phantom Liberty" won't change the way you can play the game. As with other big updates "Cyberpunk 2077" has had in the past — such as the recent "Edgerunners" update — it's likely that "Phantom Liberty" will launch with an assortment of new weapons, gadgets, and other trinkets that players can toy around with.

In the trailer, many of the more traditional "Cyberpunk 2077" weapons — such as Monowire Blades and high powered shotguns — make an appearance. There are brief glimpses into what missions might be like in "Phantom Liberty" as well. In one shot of the trailer, a deceased man in a suit can be seen atop a seal for the President of the New United States of America. In another, V can be seen sneaking up on an unsuspecting enemy sentry. Given the political nature of the storyline in the DLC, this could imply that there will be assassination missions in "Phantom Liberty," but fans will have to wait to know for sure.