Before I tell you my thoughts on whether Cyberpunk 2077 is worth playing, let’s first get a couple of disclaimers out of the way.

I freely admit that I have never yet had the pleasure of playing any of the other titles in the Cyberpunk franchise. I am also a bit more forgiving than your typical game reviewer—which is one reason why I never felt completely comfortable in my video game journalist shoes back in the day. 

I am also a sucker for games that let me pet cats.

That being said, before writing this post, I made a point of taking off my rose-colored glasses to really dig down deep for the truth. And the truth is this: despite all of its flaws, despite all of the mistakes that were made both prior to and following its launch, my answer is still yes. Cyberpunk 2077 is worth playing, and I don’t regret a single cent or second I spent on it.

‘Cyberpunk 2077’ Isn’t Perfect, But It’s Not Irredeemable

By now, you’d have to have been living under a rock not to hear at least a whisper of the various controversies and complaints surrounding CD Projekt Red’s latest release. I won’t get into them here—because frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn—but I will say that it’s completely understandable if what you’ve heard so far has got you pretty hesitant to pick up this particular title.

I played Cyberpunk 2077 on PS4, and yes, it was buggy, especially at first. I, too, was shocked by my character’s reflection in mirrors, which appeared at times to be bald, naked, or just plain nonexistent. I, too, was haunted by creepy glitches like flailing phantom limbs sticking up from the ground and the unsettling sensation of being teleported inside another person’s body. I, too, experienced my share of crashes and other sundry disappointments. 

And yet. And yet.

There’s something special about Cyberpunk 2077, if you’re willing to set aside all the hype and broken promises and take it for what it is and could become, rather than what everyone thought or said it should have been. 

What Makes ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ Worth Playing

It’s no Ghost of Tsushima (oh my gods, what a beautiful game) and it’s certainly no Witcher 3 (but honestly, it shouldn’t try to be, anyway). But what Cyberpunk 2077 actually is, in its heart of hearts, is a game with a story to tell, a world to explore, and at least a few characters worth getting to know. Here are just a few of my personal (spoiler-free) highlights.

The Cast

Okay, yes, you caught me. I’m a fan of Keanu Reeves. And now, I’m a fan of Johnny Silverhand—not just because he is Keanu, but because Keanu plays him so well. Silverhand could have easily been a cardboard cutout rockerboy with no depth or redeeming qualities. Instead, he keeps V on her toes (since I was a female V, I will be using the female pronoun here to keep things simple) by constantly questioning her motives, her choices, and her beliefs. It’s also a real treat to watch the way he and V play off of each other, butting heads constantly while all the while growing gradually closer (in more ways than one).

But Silverhand isn’t the only star of the show. Memorable supporting characters like sweet, esoteric Misty Olszewski, braindance wizard Judy Alvarez, and Goro Takemura, master of hilarious stoicism—just to name a few—are all brought stunningly to life with some great writing and the help of a pretty talented main cast.

Especially in a story-driven RPG like Cyberpunk 2077, everything comes down to whether or not the characters make you care. And I did. It is precisely because I cared so much about my favorite characters—V among them—that I kept braving crash screens and insane glitches to come back for more. 

I even hit the pause button on Ghost of Tsushima to play through this game. If that’s not love, I don’t know what is.

Compelling Side-Quests

I have mixed feelings about the main story. Although overall I quite enjoyed it, some of the finales felt a little lackluster (I’m looking at you, “Temperance” ending) and some moments admittedly fell a little flat, either due to dialogue or (more often) a distracting glitch.

But Cyberpunk 2077, like many RPGs, is more about the journey than the destination, with much more playtime invested in side-missions and open-world incidents than the main plot. And I am fine with that, because some of these “Side Jobs” provide some of the most compelling content in the entire game.

Missions not to miss:

• Anything character-specific, even if you don’t plan to (or can’t) romance said character. River’s story, “The Hunt,” is perhaps the creepiest and most upsetting mission in the game, and “Chippin’ In” provides some welcome character development for Silverhand and Rogue—and leads up to one of the most emotional beats in the game.
• “Epistrophy / Don’t Lose Your Mind,” which quickly turns what seems like a boring old fetch quest into a thrilling exploration of identity and consciousness
• “Sinnerman,” if you’re really into the darker, seedier side of Night City, or if you enjoy a good philosophical debate with horrific results
• Funerary missions like “Heroes,” which give you the option of taking a moment to really mourn a beloved character’s death properly (though sadly, I did not have this option for all of my favorite characters who died)
• Most of the “Cyberpsycho” missions, each of which has its own little gruesome backstory

Bonus: Okay, this one’s not that immersive or emotionally impactful (in fact, it’s over pretty quickly), but if you’re as into literary references as I am, you’ll get a kick out of “Raymond Chandler Evening,” too.

Night City Secrets

Cyberpunk 2077’s Night City is incredibly detailed and rife with disturbing secrets and delightful easter eggs. One of my favorite things to see in any game is an element of discovery—something that makes the experience feel that much more unique to the player, even if it’s only an illusion.

Once you embark on a mission in an RPG, you almost always know what the next step is, thanks to a combination of dialogue cues, mission markers, and journal entries. The real magic moment, for me, is often what comes before that—that chance encounter where you turn left instead of right, and find a surprise waiting for you.

Sometimes this surprise is a hidden mission, like “Machine Gun.” But even little things like recognizing the face of one of your favorite developers in the crowd, or coming across an all-too-familiar name in the columbarium? These moments are priceless, in part because they are so easily overlooked (like tears in rain)—the high possibility that you may never have had them at all makes them all the more precious.

I won’t spoil any specific ones here, but there are plenty to find for those with the patience to look.

Who Should Play ‘Cyberpunk 2077’? (And When?)

If you’re easily dissuaded by lingering bugs and crashes, if you expect nothing less than an ultra-real cinematic experience in 4K, or if you get really hung up on the differences between how a game is advertised versus how it actually plays… is Cyberpunk 2077 worth playing? Probably not.

But if you’re a fan of Blade Runner and other cyberpunk stories, or if you’re just a fan of a decent story with memorable characters and subplots—or even if you just really like killing virtual enemies in creative ways, Cyberpunk 2077 is definitely worth a play…

…with one caveat. If you don’t already own the game, or haven’t played far into it yet, wait a little longer and pick it up after the upcoming re-release, which—so CD Projekt Red has promised—will right many of the initial launch’s wrongs and deliver something a little bit closer to the ambitious masterpiece they (and we) originally hoped for.

If you’re not the patient type, though, or just too involved now to call it quits for the time being, go ahead and play it now. It’ll still deliver a pretty impactful narrative experience–the memories of which, for me at least, won’t likely fade away anytime soon.

Kim Berkley is a fantasy author and narrative designer, and the creator behind interactive narrative experiences such as The Harbinger’s Head, a fantasy/horror IF game set in a mythical version of 19th century Ireland. It’s not exactly a cyberpunk dystopia, but if you’re into facing off with faerie creatures as well as facing your own mortality, it might just be the game for you.