Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty's biggest changes will also come to the base game

UPDATE 4/9/23: CD Projekt Red has clarified which of Cyberpunk 2077's new features will be available as part of the base game's upcoming update, and which will be exclusive to its expansion Phantom Liberty.

Cyberpunk 2077's base game is set to receive a major update soon. This free update will include an revamped police system and more, for all players on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 and PC versions of the game. Meanwhile, its expansion Phantom Liberty will receive the same perks as the base game, but with a number of extra bells and whistles.

CDPR has shed more light on exactly which of the new features will be available as part of the free update, and which are exclusive to Phantom Liberty. These are as follows:

Included in Cyberpunk 2077's free update 2.0

• Redesigned skill trees and perks
• Revamped cyberware and new capacity system
• Vehicle combat and car chases
• Combat AI improvements
• New police system
• UI and UX improvements
• Loot, items and crafting changes
• New radio stations (including Community Radio Station Growl FM)

Phantom Liberty exclusives

• Dogtown - a dangerous new district
• Brand-new storyline and characters
• New quests, gigs, boss fights, and more
• Vehicle missions and air drops - endless dynamic events
• All new Relic skill tree and abilities
• 100+ new items - weapons, cyberware, cars, and fashion
• Vehicle missile launchers
• Level cap increased to 60

The original story continues below.

ORIGINAL 23/8/23: Several years after it first launched, Cyberpunk 2077 is getting an update so impressive, it feels like we are about to see the game's true potential, as it was promised many moons ago, finally realised.

As part of Gamescom Opening Night Live, developer CD Projekt Red unveiled a brand new teaser for its upcoming DLC - Phantom Liberty - which releases next month. Known as the 'New Ways to Play' trailer, it gave us a taste of what's in store for Cyberpunk 2077's future.

The trailer gave us a closer look at some new weapons that will be introduced in the Phantom Liberty expansion, such as the Rasetsu sniper rifle and the Grit handgun. It also showed off redesigned cyberware, perks, the Relic skill tree, new vehicles (including vehicle combat, which will see players able to shoot out of the car while driving and the ability to "quickhack" enemies on the road), and a new police system.

This police system, CDPR has said, will see a more realistic reaction from the NCPD, with the boys in blue now able to set up roadblocks and the like.

While some of the above remains exclusive to Phantom Liberty, CDPR is not skimping on its base game offerings. Following the reveal of this trailer, the developer announced the redesigned skill trees, overhauled police system and vehicle combat will all be included in Cyberpunk 2077's 2.0 update (which will be a free update for Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 and PC versions of the game).

I won't continue to fawn too much, but I will say that it all looked incredibly slick. Cyberpunk 2077 was a game that promised so much ahead of its release in 2020, but sadly buckled under its own weight. Its launch was riddled with bugs and issues, and became infamous for its rocky state. However, it now seems that we are about to see the version of the game we had envisioned all that time ago.

While CDPR has been making great strides already in fixing Cyberpunk 2077, this really feels like this is going to be a true 'turning the corner' moment in the game's history, and I am looking forward to hearing more.

For more on Gamescom Opening Night Live, you can check out our round up here.