Cyberpunk 2077 Delayed Again, New December 10 Release Date Confirmed

Cyberpunk 2077 has been delayed by another three weeks. Its new release date is set for December 10. Following numerous previous delays, it had been set for launch on November 19, but according to a statement from studio execs Adam Badowski and Marcin Iwinski, shipping the game on PS4/Pro, Xbox One/X, and PC, alongside next-gen versions for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and Stadia, has been a challenge, especially under work from home conditions. (You can read our Cyberpunk 2077 review to see what you can expect from the game at launch.)

"Since Cyberpunk 2077 evolved towards almost being a next-gen title somewhere along the way, we need to make sure everything works well and every version runs smoothly," the statement continues. "We're aware it might seem unrealistic when someone says that 21 days can make any difference in such a massive and complex game, but they really do."

Statement From CD Projekt Red On Cyberpunk 2077 Delay

The pair also clarified that recent news that the game had gone gold doesn't mean work on the game was complete, as the team is able to continue refining the experience. The time the studio had allotted to doing this post-certification work is what was miscalculated, thus resulting in the delay. The improvements and tweaks being made in the extra time will be ready and available when the game launches in December.

You can read the full statement from Badowski and Iwinski below.

"Today, we've decided to move the release date of Cyberpunk 2077 by 21 days. The new release date is December 10th. Most likely, there are many emotions and questions in your heads, so, first and foremost, please accept our humble apologies.

The biggest challenge for us right now is shipping the game on current-gen, next-gen, and PC at the same time, which requires us to prepare and test 9 versions of it (Xbox One/X, compatibility on Xbox Series S|X, PS4/Pro, compatibility on PS5, PC, Stadia)...while working from home. Since Cyberpunk 2077 evolved towards almost being a next-gen title somewhere along the way, we need to make sure everything works well and every version runs smoothly. We're aware it might seem unrealistic when someone says that 21 days can make any difference in such a massive and complex game, but they really do.

Some of you might also be wondering what these words mean in light of us saying we achieved gold master some time ago. Passing certification, or 'going gold,' means that the game is ready, can be completed, and has all content in it. But it doesn't mean we stop working on it and raising the quality bar. On the contrary, this is the time where many improvements are being made which will then be distributed via a Day 0 patch. This is the time period we undercalculated.

We feel we have an amazing game on our hands and are willing to make every decision, even the hardest ones, if it ultimately leads to you getting a video game you'll fall in love with."

The Industry and Fans React

The delay--nowhere near the first in Cyberpunk 2077's storied history--has spawned mixed reactions from the game industry and fans. Arc System Works decided to scare its own fans by riffing on CD Project Red's announcement template.

TinyBuild commented on the horror many game developers are probably experiencing after delaying their own game to avoid competing with Cyberpunk 2077 in November.

The official Cyberpunk 2077 Twitter account even took the opportunity to joke about the news, replying to a thread from just yesterday where it had previously promised "full confirmation" that the game would be released in November.

After two previous delays, the studio said in September that Cyberpunk 2077 wouldn't be delayed again, with the November 19 date being the final, cemented release date. CD Projekt Red later instituted mandatory extra work, with studio head Badowski saying the game was nearing completion in his statement confirming the crunch period.

"These last 6 weeks are our final sprint on a project we've all spent much of our lives on," Badowski wrote. "Something we care for deeply. The majority of the team understands that push, especially in light of the fact that we've just sent the game to cert and every day brings us visibly closer to shipping a game we want to be proud of."

According to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, word of the delay was not shared with CDPR staff in advance. Instead, an internal email was reportedly sent out at the same time as the news was shared publicly on Twitter.

As noted in CD Projekt Red's statement on the delay, Cyberpunk 2077 will have a launch-day patch, but it hasn't confirmed what to expect in it. Although the game will be playable on Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, and PlayStation 5, it won't be native to those consoles. CDPR has promised free upgrades are coming for the new consoles, but has not set a release target for those versions.