The upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty expansion, dubbed a “spy-thriller” by developer CD Projekt Red, promises to drop you in a brand-new part of Night City. As V, a Cyberpunk for hire, we’ll be spying around & fighting military forces along with our new buddy, FIA Agent Solomon Reed, played by Idris Elba.
We first saw the expansion during The Game Awards 2022, but there’s still so much we don’t know about this upcoming RPG game expansion. Judging by CD Projekt Red’s past games, there’s a good chance Phantom Liberty will redeem Cyberpunk 2077 after its rather shaky start, with the potential for the game to end up on our best PC games list by the end of the year. Here’s everything we know about Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty so far.
Phantom Liberty release date
The Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty release date is set for September 26, 2023. Phantom Liberty is exclusive to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S players.
Unlike Cyberpunk 2077, this expansion won’t be released on PS4 and Xbox One. Furthermore, Phantom Liberty is being sold as DLC, not as a free update, so you’ll have to buy it if you wish to play it.
Phantom Liberty playtest
The next time people can play some of Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty will be at the Xbox booths on the GamesCom 2023 show floor. Members of the press previously had the chance to go hands-on with Phantom Liberty at Summer Games Fest 2023. The general consensus is that Phantom Liberty improves on everything Cyberpunk 2077 wanted to be at launch.
Phantom Liberty trailers
In the first Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty trailer we hear V repeating an oath to “faithfully serve the New United States of America”. Suggesting that V is about to start a new gig as a government agent. Or perhaps V is privately employed by the mysterious woman shown at 0:28, who seems to be dictating the oath. Possessing that ‘powerful person’ aura, this mystery woman is likely to be a high-profile politician. As some Cyberpunk 2077 fans have suggested online. She may be none other than the President of the NUSA, Rosalind Myers.
Near the end of the trailer, we see a second mysterious woman standing atop a stadium while a plane comes crashing down. Based on the red glitching effect, she’s probably an Engram, a digital copy of a person’s consciousness.
Interestingly, not everyone on Team V seems to be on board with the NUSA alliance. Near the end of the first Phantom Liberty trailer, a male voice warns V that taking the oath is “a bad idea.” Wait a minute… doesn’t that voice sound familiar? That’s right; Keanu Reeves returns as our favorite Engram Rockerboy, Johnny Silverhand. In the second Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty trailer, we hear him complaining about politicians and the military while the camera reveals a colorful new area called ‘Dogtown.’
Reeves won’t be the only famous actor appearing in Phantom Liberty, as the second teaser also introduces us to Solomon Reed, an FIA Agent played by Idris Elba. Given that ‘FIA’ probably stands for ‘Federal Intelligence Agency,’ it’s safe to assume that Solomon is a professional secret agent. In this brief teaser, Solomon suggests his goal is to establish peace. His method of operation? Burning Dogtown to the ground.
In the official trailer released during Summer Games Fest 2023. The developers broke down some elements you may have missed the first time. In this 15-minute video, you can look at some of the new mechanics in the game. As well as some of the new weapons you can expect to use in Dogtown.
Phantom Liberty setting and story
The first Phantom Liberty trailer shows a massive stadium. Which suggests that at least part of the DLC takes place in the Pacifica District, in the southwestern corner of the Cyberpunk 2077 map. It also shows a glimpse of a greenhouse which could be the Biotechnica Flats. Don’t expect too many familiar locations. Though as CD Project Red has promised that most of the Phantom Liberty DLC. That’s will take place in a brand-new part of Night City. As shown in the second teaser, Dogtown will undoubtedly become an important location.
Judging by the previews at Summer Games Fest, it appears Phantom Liberty begins right as Cyberpunk 2077 ends. With V wondering how to get Johnny Silverhand out of their brain. Just as they’re working out a solution, an opportunity appears to bring V to Dogtown.
Phantom Liberty gameplay
Not much is known about new Phantom Liberty gameplay elements, but we should probably expect to discover a fresh arsenal of weapons and Cyberwar. Based on a sequence of three short combat clips from the first teaser. Which includes a new whip a shotgun & katana.
A CDPR spokesperson also confirmed that “budget-wise, Phantom Liberty will be the biggest expansion in CDPR’s history” but said that “game-scope-related details will be revealed at a later time.”
In what could be another glimpse of a new gameplay element. The second trailer shows a Ripperdoc placing a cybernetic faceplate on V. As the DLC is centered around the espionage theme, this may be a disguise as part of the storyline. However, if the faceplate somehow grants new abilities, it could be more than that.
Phantom Liberty news
In July 2023, CD Projekt Red confirmed it’s laying off 100 staff members, equating to about 9% of its workforce. These changes will occur by March 2024, several months after the confirmed Phantom Liberty release date.
As part of a YouTube comment, CD Projekt Red confirmed that Phantom Liberty is the only major expansion planned for Cyberpunk 2077. Then again, if Phantom Liberty proves to be a major success, you never know what happens next.
The Phantom Liberty DLC adds a new radio station to the game, Growl FM, dedicated to music made by fans. As part of a community contest during Fall 2022, musically gifted players could enter their original Cyberpunk-inspired songs to be featured.
That’s everything you need to know about Phantom Liberty so far. If you haven’t played the cyberpunk game in a while. Give our Cyberpunk 2077 mods guide a read to learn how to enhance your experience.
If you’re looking to give CDPR’s RPG a graphical edge on PC, you’ll be pleased to know Cyberpunk 2077 path tracing is coming. Not only will it bring film-like rendering to PC. But the publisher says it’s working with Nvidia to bring the tech to mainstream users.