Lauren spends most of her time dead in League of Legends, or equally as dead in Valorant. Don’t ask her about Vampire: The Masquerade.
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Cyberpunk 2077 is the very definition of a success story. It’s no secret that its launch wasn’t great; bugs were popping up left, right, and center, and highly anticipated features like the Metro were nowhere in sight. In the year of our Lord 2026, that would spell disaster: blinking red SteamDB numbers, cries of ‘ha ha dead game.’ Yet Cyberpunk 2077 – and CDPR by proxy – persisted.
The Cyberpunk redemption arc is unique: most single-player games come and go within a couple of weeks, but people – myself included – wanted Cyberpunk to be what it was supposed to be. It’s gone on to etch itself into the public consciousness as a game that simply required some extra time; a diamond in the rough that became The Hope Diamond. Time is a (phantom) liberty that’s afforded to so few videogames these days, but Cyberpunk 2077 proves that it can make all the difference.
Coming into 2026, however, Cyberpunk 2077 is effectively a completed product. Sure, CDPR drops the odd update out of the blue, but all in all, V’s adventures in Night City are over – for now, at least. All eyes are on the franchise’s next installment; on Edgerunners Season 2 and the shiny new TCG. As we look to the future of one of the greatest stories ever told, I caught up with Lead Quest Designer Sarah Gruemmer to reminisce on the series’ dystopian past. The primary question? Why should you play Cyberpunk 2077 in 2026?
With the game being feature-complete, I asked Greummer if she’s happy with the final state of the game and if there’s anything she’d have added. “Never ask a designer this question!” she responds, jokingly. “There’s always something to add, isn’t there? Given infinite time and chance, I’m positive I’ll always be able to think of something I’d love to include. Looking at what the game is right now, though, I really love all the improvements we made and how much they’ve added to the experience. I think it’s in a very nice place and anyone who picks it up now can have a really fantastic time.”
When I ask if there’s anything she’d like to implement in the next game, she doesn’t go into specifics, but notes that “when you design and work on something, you’re always thinking about what can be done next, what could we do more, those kinds of things. It just comes as a natural part of the creation process. But how that all ends up coming together doesn’t take shape instantly. So, we’ll see!” No sneaky insights into what to expect with Cyberpunk 2, sorry, but you can’t blame a girl for trying.
Night City is more gorgeous and immersive than ever.
Sarah Greummer, Lead Quest Designer
This begs the question, then: why should players pick up Cyberpunk in 2026? The reasons are seemingly endless: the world, the branching narrative, Phantom Liberty, Idris Elba and Keanu Reeves. I ask Greummer for her thoughts; a loaded question.
“[There are] many, many reasons,” she muses. “Night City is more gorgeous and immersive than ever, and there are many places you can play it now, too, thanks to all the support we give to the game.
“Then, the story, characters, and atmosphere of the game are all still relevant, and I think will be for a while. So for anyone who wants to get lost in an open world that offers a ton of player choice in terms of playstyle and – six years after launch – still has stories to discover, you’re going to find something in there for you.”
It’s something I’d agree with. Having initially bounced off of Cyberpunk due to the sheer scale of its content, I revisited it at the tail end of 2025, and again in 2026. Phantom Liberty remains one of the best pieces of videogame DLC that I’ve ever played, and in some ways I’ve found myself preferring it to the base experience. If Cyberpunk 2077 itself is a ten, Phantom Liberty is an eleven.
As a tabletop savant and avid roleplayer, however, the real standout for me is just how well CDPR translates Mike Pondsmith’s vicious, dog-eat-dog world into a virtual experience. Night City feels lived in; its characters aren’t always likable – despite their physical inhumanity, they’re so very human. As a narrative experience, Cyberpunk is hard to beat; it deserves its place amid titans like GTA, Fallout, and even CDPR’s own The Witcher. It’s a seminal part of videogame history, even if it took some time to get there.
“It makes me wildly happy and proud that players have connected with the gameplay so much, especially knowing how many people stuck with the game after launch and saw it evolve over time,” Greummer says. “They saw the potential and kept coming back for more; I’m really grateful they did.”
Cyberpunk, then, is the success story. In a world where videogames don’t get second chances, Cyberpunk proves that redemption is possible. It shows that community love and passion can get things done; that when a developer listens and works tirelessly to deliver an experience, people respond positively to it. Cyberpunk is a neon beacon in a merciless world; a reminder that you can do it if you try.