Cyberpunk 2077 review in 2026 — after the patches and Phantom Liberty: is it worth renting for a month

Cyberpunk 2077 is a first-person action RPG by CD PROJEKT RED. It came out in December 2020 and instantly became the textbook example of a broken launch: because of its state on last-gen consoles, Sony pulled it from the PlayStation Store and refunded buyers. Almost six years later, the studio has reworked progression, combat and the police, released the paid Phantom Liberty expansion, and shipped its last big update, 2.3, in summer 2025.

Below is a spoiler-free review: what the game is like now, what it gets praised and criticised for, how long it takes, and whether renting it for a month makes sense.

Account rental · SteamCyberpunk 2077from 70 грнRent

What the game is now

You play V, a mercenary in Night City, a huge city run by corporations. After a heist goes wrong, a digital copy of the rocker-rebel Johnny Silverhand ends up in V's head, and the main story is about getting rid of him before he overwrites you. How you play is up to you: gunplay, melee, hacking through cyberware or stealth. Dialogue choices change your relationships with characters and the ending.

What the updates changed:

• 2.0 (21 September 2023, free). A new skill tree, reworked cyberware and armour, a new police system with pursuits, shooting from vehicles and changed enemy AI.
• Phantom Liberty (26 September 2023, paid expansion). A spy thriller in the new Dogtown district, Idris Elba as agent Solomon Reed, a sixth attribute (Relic) and a new ending for the main game.
• 2.1 (December 2023). A working metro and new scenes with romance partners.
• 2.2 (late 2024) and 2.3 (17 July 2025). More car and photo mode customisation, AutoDrive, four new vehicles, FSR 4 and XeSS 2 support. Hotfix 2.31 came later.

We found no bigger updates after that: the studio has moved on to the sequel, codenamed Orion.

Scores and reviews

Launch scores (PC) varied: IGN 9/10, Game Informer 9/10, PC Gamer 78/100, GameSpot 7/10. For Phantom Liberty, GameSpot gave 10/10, IGN 9/10 and PC Gamer 87/100.

The major outlets did not re-review the game after update 2.0, so their scores describe the 2020 state. Steam player reviews are the more current picture.

What gets praised

• Update 2.0. Reviews from 2023 say it finally removed many old problems and made character builds and combat more interesting.
• Phantom Liberty's story and cast. The spy story and its characters are the most common reason for the high scores, along with the look of Dogtown.
• The city itself. Night City, with its ads, cramped streets and vertical districts, is what even people who disliked the game remember.

What gets criticised

• Repetition. GamerGuides says the moment-to-moment play gets repetitive, and Windows Central feels enemies still lack smarts.
• Bugs haven't fully gone. Even 2023 reviews mention minor glitches.
• Phantom Liberty didn't feel cohesive to everyone. Tom's Guide wrote that the expansion can feel disconnected from the base game, and Attack of the Fanboy thought the free 2.0 update outweighed the paid expansion itself.

How long it takes and whether a month is enough

HowLongToBeat data:

The expansion unlocks roughly two-thirds into the main story, when the netrunner Songbird contacts V. You can play it before the main game's finale.

Phantom Liberty is a separate paid DLC on Steam. Check with support before paying whether it is on the account in your rental.

Ukrainian language, DRM and multiplayer

• Ukrainian is there, but text only: interface and subtitles arrived with update 2.0 in September 2023. There is no Ukrainian voice-over — voices are in English, Polish, Japanese and several other languages. More in Is there Ukrainian in Cyberpunk 2077.
• The game is single-player, with no multiplayer, so an offline rental limits nothing.
• The Steam page lists no third-party DRM, and we found no information about Denuvo in the current version. Still, launch the game once online and then switch Steam to offline mode (see how it works).

PC requirements

OS: Windows 10 64-bit, DirectX 12.

Who it's for and who it isn't

It's for you if you like big story-driven RPGs with choices, a living city and freedom in how you approach missions. And if you once shelved the game because of launch bugs: it is a noticeably different game now.

It's not for you if you expect smart enemies and varied combat from a shooter — that's where the criticism sticks most. Or if a Ukrainian voice-over is a must: there isn't one.

Verdict: is it worth renting for a month

Yes. The base story plus Phantom Liberty fits into a month even at a relaxed pace, and the game in its current state is one worth finishing at least once. If you want to explore Night City fully, with side stories and every ending, take a longer rental.

Sources

• Steam store page — languages, requirements, reviews
• Phantom Liberty on Steam — the expansion, reviews
• Metacritic: Cyberpunk 2077
• Metacritic: Phantom Liberty
• OpenCritic: Phantom Liberty — average score, outlet scores
• Wikipedia: Cyberpunk 2077 — release, updates, launch scores
• VGC: update 2.0
• RPGamer: 2.0 and Phantom Liberty
• RPG Site: update 2.3
• Insider Gaming: the last updates
• GamerGuides: Phantom Liberty review
• Windows Central: Phantom Liberty review
• Tom's Guide: Phantom Liberty review
• HowLongToBeat: Cyberpunk 2077
• HowLongToBeat: Phantom Liberty