Is Cyberpunk 2077 Worth It in 2026?
Steam's Cyberpunk Fest runs from August 3 through August 10, and Cyberpunk 2077 is once again one of the standout deals of the week. If you have been circling this game on your wishlist for years, waiting for a sign that it finally lives up to the hype, this sale is a reasonable excuse to stop waiting and find out what the hype is really about.
Is Cyberpunk 2077 Worth Getting in 2026? The Short Answer
Yes. Cyberpunk 2077 is definitely worth playing in 2026, and the case is stronger now than at almost any point since launch. The Cyberpunk 2077 base game is currently $17.99 during Steam Cyberpunk Fest, and the Ultimate Edition, which bundles the base game with the Phantom Liberty expansion, has dropped as low as the low thirties. For a game this size, with this much content, that price point makes the decision an easy one for most players.
Why 2026 Is Different From Launch
Cyberpunk 2077 launched in December 2020 to a firestorm of criticism over bugs, missing features, and a version of the game that barely ran on last-generation consoles. It was so bad that stores pulled it from their inventory. That reputation followed the game for years, and it is still the first thing many people mention when the title comes up. What often gets left out of that conversation is how much has changed since then.
CD Projekt Red has now marked the game as feature-complete. Update 2.0 overhauled the skill tree, police response, and vehicle combat from the ground up, addressing complaints that dated back to launch. Update 2.1 finalized the metro system, radio functionality, and a set of romance-focused hangout events that gave companions more depth outside of the main story. The most recent update, 2.3, rounds out Cyberpunk 2077’s redemption arc, refining combat feel and adding polish across systems that were already strong.
The studio has since shifted its primary development focus to Project Orion, the next entry in the Cyberpunk franchise, which confirms that Cyberpunk 2077 has reached its final form. No further expansions are planned. What you buy today is the complete, finished vision of Night City, not a work in progress.
What You Actually Get
The story puts you in the boots of V, a mercenary navigating and surviving corporate power struggles, gang warfare, and a body slowly being overwritten by a rogue AI construct. The open world spans six distinct districts, each with its own visual identity, faction presence, and side content. Play your way with combat combines gunplay, melee, and hacking into a flexible system that allows you to experiment and develop your own playstyle. And with the skill tree overhaul from Update 2.0, practically every build from Lucy’s Netrunner Build to David’s Sandy Build, is viable.
Phantom Liberty, the game's only paid expansion, adds the district of Dogtown and a spy-thriller storyline featuring Idris Elba as Solomon Reed. It shifts the tone from street-level survival to international espionage, and it is widely considered some of the strongest writing CD Projekt Red has produced. If you are buying in during this sale, springing for the Ultimate Edition to include Phantom Liberty is worth the extra cost.
Visually, the game holds up well against anything currently on the market. Ray tracing and path tracing options push the lighting and reflections far beyond what the game looked like at launch, and Night City remains one of the most densely detailed open worlds in gaming.
Cyberpunk 2077 has completed one of the more dramatic turnarounds in modern gaming, moving from a launch disaster to a genuinely recommended open-world RPG. With the game now feature-complete, all major systems overhauled, and Steam Cyberpunk Fest pricing bringing the Ultimate Edition down to some of its lowest levels ever, 2026 is a strong time to finally visit Night City. Whether you skipped it at launch or fell off after a rough first impression, this sale is worth taking seriously.
FAQ
Is Cyberpunk 2077 still buggy in 2026? No. Update 2.0 and its follow-ups addressed the vast majority of the launch-era bugs and stability issues. The game now runs smoothly on current hardware, and most of the complaints tied to the 2020 release no longer apply. But, like most games out, there are still a few bugs and hiccups.
Should I buy the base game or the Ultimate Edition? If you can afford the difference, the Ultimate Edition is the better buy. It includes Phantom Liberty, which many players and critics consider the strongest content in the game, alongside every major update released since launch.
Do I need to play Phantom Liberty to enjoy the base game? No. Phantom Liberty is optional and becomes available partway through the main story, but it is not required to finish or enjoy Cyberpunk 2077's core campaign.
Will there be more Cyberpunk 2077 content after 2026? No further expansions are planned. CD Projekt Red has shifted development to Project Orion, the next mainline entry in the franchise, meaning Cyberpunk 2077 is now considered feature-complete.
How long does it take to beat Cyberpunk 2077? The main story runs roughly 25 to 30 hours. Players who explore side jobs, gigs, and Phantom Liberty's added content can expect 60 hours or more for a fuller playthrough.
For more Cyberpunk 2077 guides, including build breakdowns and quest walkthroughs, visit our Cyberpunk 2077 Guides hub at GNL Magazine.
