Three years. Three years we waited for this moment: to see Cyberpunk 2077 become the game it should have been from day one. With Phantom Liberty and the 2.1 patch, CD Projekt RED is not just repairing — it is rebuilding. And it calls in Idris Elba to lead the orchestra.
TL;DR: Phantom Liberty is the expansion that redeems Cyberpunk 2077’s disastrous launch. A new vertical district (Dogtown), a massive gameplay overhaul, a movie-grade cast. Final score: 9.0/10.
Our verdict
CD Projekt RED does not just bolt an add-on onto Night City. The studio rethinks the fundamentals and adds Dogtown, a vertical, dense, militarized district that changes the very way you play Cyberpunk. This is the expansion we wanted to see from launch.
What we love
- Dogtown, a vertical and dense district, more claustrophobic than Night City — a brand-new playground.
- Idris Elba as Solomon Reed, an outstanding vocal performance that adds weight to every scene.
- The skill tree overhaul, cleaner, sharper, making builds feel truly distinct.
- Police and cyberware, fully reworked: the wanted system finally feels like a real threat.
What still stumbles
Cyberpunk remains a demanding RPG on hardware, and some side quests still show their age. A few visual bugs linger in dense zones, and ultra ray tracing stays a luxury for recent rigs.
Patch 2.1, as crucial as the expansion
The 2.1 patch is arguably CDPR’s most ambitious update since Witcher 3 Next-Gen. It touches combat, AI, driving, a working metro, the radios. It is free, it is massive, and it is what truly transforms the base experience.
“Phantom Liberty does not erase Cyberpunk’s past. It redefines it, in the spirit of No Man’s Sky before it.”
Who it is for
For those who gave up, this is the moment. For those who loved the first run, this is mandatory. For newcomers, this is the best time to step into Night City.
Final verdict
Exemplary expansion, foundational patch. Score: 9.0/10, label Recommended.
Also on HIK Gaming: our GTA VI review, our Hades II review and the Elden Ring 2 announcement.