Cyberpunk 2077 News Roundup: All The New Gameplay Details We Learned

The next-generation may be on the horizon but the current crop of hardware still has a lot of life left in it and some exciting upcoming games to look forward to. Chief among them is Cyberpunk 2077, an ambitious open-world RPG developed by CD Projekt Red, the studio behind The Witcher 3. The game's existence has been known for some time now, but details about its intricacies are rare, and gameplay videos are even rarer.

However, on August 30, CD Projekt Red showed off the game publicly. The demo it debuted to viewers was very similar to the one shown at Gamescom and E3, behind-closed-doors, but it was still valuable to those that weren't able to attend the show and get time with it. More valuable, however, was the extended conversation the game's developers had following the gameplay demo.

During this, CD Projekt Red's developers discussed everything from the design of Night City, where the game takes place, to how it is approach sidequest design, tweaks its making to customization, and what life paths will be available to players at the start of the game. If that wasn't enough, they went even deeper to explore the variety of guns in the game, how weapon customization works, what the Netrunner class can do, and more.

The entire deep-dive can be watched in the video above, but we've also collected all the major news stories and placed them in a handy list below. If you just want the information in quick-hits, take a look below and you'll get a quick overview of what's important and, if you want to learn more, you can read the associated article. By the time you're done, you'll be all caught up.

Cyberpunk 2077 will allow players to pick a life path at the start of the game but, as CD Projekt Red likes to emphasize, these aren't set in stone. Instead, the actions you take and the decisions you make will dictate how your character develops over the course of the game. Details on Cyberpunks 2077's various life paths, as well as character creation, were discussed at length during the stream.

If you're the kind of person that likes to seize opportunities to complete missions in a more creative way, the Netrunner class may be the one for you. During the deep-dive stream, CD Projekt Red explored some of what the Netrunner can do and, from what we can tell, the class is very suited to making mischief. This is because it can hack things, and since almost everything in Night City has some kind of computer chip and an internet connection attached to it, that creates ample opportunity to have some fun. Alternatively, Cyberpunk 2077's Netrunner class has abilities and weapons that also accommodate brute force, as do most other classes.

Following the success of The Witcher 3, a game that had incredibly strong sidequests alongside the compelling main path, CD Projekt Red tasked a group of people to dedicate themselves specifically to giving players extra activities to complete. As discussed in the stream, these are all intended to give players interesting ways to explore and engage with the world and its characters.

If you're wondering how exactly you'll undertake the sidequests that team at CD Projekt Red is putting together, that was also covered. While The Witcher 3 had you get extra missions from boards and occasional NPCs, Cyberpunk 2077 has designated quest-givers called Fixers.

Night City is not going to be as big as the world of The Witcher but CD Projekt Red has said it will be more densely packed. That means a lot of consideration needs to be put into how its constructed and, to ensure that it's done in a way that feels believable and organic, real city planners are working on Cyberpunk 2077 and Night City.

One of the most exciting tidbits of information mentioned during the deep-dive is that CD Projekt Red is thinking about how players can equip items to make their character look cool without having to sacrifice any attributes and stats that are tied to items. We all have been in the situation where we've got to pick between items that are pleasing on the eye versus functional ones that'll improve our performance--that's the kind of dilemma the studio wants to minimize. This is something many other modern RPGs are also doing so it's exciting to learn Cyperbunk 2077 will get rid of that annoying little RPG foible.

Modifying yourself will be key to your success in Night City and, during the deep-dive stream--CD Projekt Red's developers provided an overview of what cyberware is and how it will change up the gameplay. Whether you plan to barrel through environments like a tank or strike swiftly like a cyber ninja, you'll need to use these tools, so here's how cyberware will impact Cyberpunk 2077's gameplay.

As previously mentioned, freedom to approach each situation how you want is a core part of the Cyberpunk 2077 experience. That means that, should you want to keep your hands clean, the game will enable non-lethal playthroughs. Of course, Night City can be a lawless and hostile place at times, so in many instances, you may be drawn into a battle you didn't start. However, CD Projekt Red indicated that, even in these situations, players will be able to choose if they want to kill or preserve the sanctity of their non-lethal Cyberpunk 2077 playstyle.

If you decide that shooting your way through all of your problems is more your flavor, there will be plenty of options available to you. Weaponry in Cyberpunk 2077 comes in three distinct types in the game: smart guns, tech weapons, and power weapons. The first of the three empowers players by doing all the hard work, their bullets will track targets and hit the mark every time. Tech weapons, meanwhile, have extra capabilities such as being able to pierce through cover or bounce bullets off surfaces--handy. Power weapons are, well, exactly what they sound like.

It's not just guns that are available to players, there are also interesting tools like the nanowire. Ostensibly used by Netrunners to hack from a distance, it can also be put to use as a deadly whip, slashing away at unsuspecting foes. Not just that, but you can also slice and dice targets--that's how deadly it is.

Another area where players have choice is in playstyle. Again, CD Projekt Red made it abundantly clear that these styles aren't rigid, as abilities can be mixed and matched to make a character that feels more in line with what the player wants. The baseline starting points of Cyberpunk 2077's playstyles are the Netrunner, the Solo, and the Techie, however.

Mike Pondsmith, the mind behind the universe that Cyberpunk 2077 is based on, also appeared during the deep-dive stream. Pondsmith discussed two of the game's key gangs, the Voodoo Boys and the Animals. Both are vying for power in Pacifica, a district within Night City. Each one has its own unique origin, style, ways of life, culture, and impact on the world.

Like CD Projekt Red's previous games, there are tons of ways to customize your character in Cyberpunk 2077 to suit your liking. This level of personalization stretches into the game's various gun types, which you can customize quite extensively. When it comes to customizing guns, there are two significant ways: cosmetically and statistically. In addition, your handling of guns visibly improves the more you use them.