Developer CD Projekt Red had been riding a wave of good will and adoration thanks to the tremendous success and high standing of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The studio's next project, Cyberpunk 2077, was announced even prior to The Witcher 3's release, and had an excruciatingly long, eight year wait until the release fiasco finally transpired. A confluence of multiple factors resulted in the game's notorious launch, and the entire ordeal will likely be analyzed and discussed for years to come. Regardless, once the dust had settled, CD Projekt Red made a public commitment to fixing Cyberpunk 2077, a process that has lasted more than a year, which is in and of itself yet another indicator that the game was not ready to be released when it was.

Related: Cyberpunk 2077 1.5 Patch Available Now With Dozens Of New Features

Given a stable release, Cyberpunk 2077 could've been a GOTY contender, and this most recent update appears to do a lot in realizing its potential. That said, anyone considering giving the game a chance should keep expectations in check, because the pre-release hype morphed the idea of Cyberpunk 2077 into something it's not. Many expected a cyberpunk Grand Theft Auto experience with RPG elements, but despite its open world, 2077 is actually a rather linear RPG with mild immersive sim elements. The gorgeous game world, at the center of which is Night City, primarily provides set dressing for the game to take place in, and offers a staging ground for the myriad of side activities, which can all be approached in a number of different ways.

What Cyberpunk 2077's New Update Actually Changed

Most notably, the long-awaited next-gen (technically current-gen) update has released after it leaked ahead of the official Cyberpunk 2077 announcement. Pictured above is a brief rundown of the platform-specific features added in the 1.5 update, originally provided by CD Projekt Red in the patch notes on the Cyberpunk website. All current-gen consoles have received improvements to visuals which were already present on PC, and the PS5 and Xbox Series X now have the option for local shadows to be ray traced at the expense of frame rate. The PS5 version also comes with DualSense and 3D Audio . Unfortunately for the Xbox Series S, the game is locked at 30fps with a dynamic resolution targeting 1440p, with no other fidelity options.

Across all versions of Cyberpunk 2077, additional content has been added. Although there's potential for Cyberpunk 2077's DLCs to sur The Witcher 3's, most of the additions in the 1.5 update only expand on features already in the game. For instance, the appearance of the player character, V, can now be altered after the initial character creation - a feature that has been heavily requested since launch. There are also four new apartments that can be rented in Night City, and V's original in Megabuilding H10 can now be customized. Other added content includes new weaponry and attachments, and additional poses to use in Photo Mode.

The rest of the update is dedicated to system improvements and even more bug fixes. AI has gotten some upgrades in a variety of departments, including new combat behaviors, improved crowd reactions, and more responsive vehicle traffic. Various aspects of gameplay have also undergone changes, such as tweaks to combat (which previously required a Cyberpunk 2077 combat rebalancing mod), a reworking of the in-game economy, and improvements to Cyberware, Quickhacking, Perks, and quests.

Did The 1.5 Update Make Cyberpunk 2077 Worth Playing?

The answer to whether or not Cyberpunk 2077 is worth playing after this latest update is obviously subjective, but the game is in a much better state than it was at launch. It is not completely devoid of bugs (no modern game ever is) and players may still experience the odd crash, but CD Projekt Red has incrementally turned it into a game that isn't a complete technical disaster. Those hoping for an open world sandbox experience may still be disappointed, though. As previously mentioned, the frequently touted GTA comparisons are misrepresentative of how the game actually plays. Cyberpunk 2077 excels in its character driven storytelling and general world building. Those who were soured on the game from a purely technical standpoint may now find that Cyberpunk 2077 deserves a second chance.

Related: How to Update PS4 Cyberpunk 2077 to PS5 Version

The writing in Cyberpunk 2077 is generally high quality, making a play through worth it for the main story and side quests. Just like The Witcher 3, the main cast of characters and the overarching plot are engaging, but the game's many other personalities and minor storylines are similarly compelling. Surrounding this core is a number of other activities known as Gigs that can be fun distractions at best, and repetitive annoyances at worst. Luckily Gigs are entirely optional, and the 1.5 update even introduces a system that gives them to the player more gradually, which will in turn reduce the inundation of phone calls players used to experience from all of Night City's fixers.

Outside of actual objectives, including those from Cyberpunk 2077's easily missed hidden quests, the game world is genuinely fun to explore. A variety of interesting vehicles can be purchased, buildings can be climbed and jumped between, and loot and secrets are hidden all over Night City and the surrounding desert. Especially on PC and current-gen consoles, where the crowd and traffic densities are maximized, Night City has a very impressive urban sprawl. Players can also approach the game from many different angles thanks to decent character build variety, crafting and upgrade systems, and a diverse arsenal of weaponry and cybernetic upgrades. Cyberpunk 2077 may not be for everyone, and it's certainly not the game that was promised in its early promotional period years ago, but the 1.5 update has helped make it a game much more worthy of time than it was when it first launched.

Next: Cyberpunk 2077: Future DLC Could Explore The Ghost City Of Busan

Source: CD Projekt Red/Cyberpunk