Cyberpunk 2077 Mods That Fix the Game’s Biggest Problems

Cyberpunk 2077 is the experience that refuses to die. The game was released in a buggy and broken state, falling dismally short of the quality fans had expected from the studio behind The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. However, CD Projekt Red has stuck with Cyberpunk 2077. Update after update, patch after patch, the game slowly improved until it was in the state it should have been released in. And then Cyberpunk: Edgerunners took the internet by storm and reinvigorated interest in the source material. Now, several months before the release of Cyberpunk 2077’s DLC, Phantom Liberty, interest in Cyberpunk 2077 is surging. It’s almost as if the game goes through cycles. Or maybe sales bring out intrigued gamers.

To be fair, Cyberpunk 2077 is barely recognizable from the glitchy, unoptimized disappointment that was released onto PCs and consoles in 2020. CD Projekt RED has added ray tracing, improved NPC civilian behavior, and so much more. However, while these changes let the positive qualities of Cyberpunk 2077 shine through, the game is still far from perfect, and possibly even far from the game many initially fell in love with thanks to that E3 2018 preview. But that’s where mods come in.

While Cyberpunk 2077 is available on modern consoles, PC gamers have a distinct advantage because they can download and install fan-made patches and additions that change the game. Many add player-made missions or improve game textures, while others fix problems the studio has yet to address or patch in cut content. Here are some of the best mods you should consider downloading.

Best Cyberpunk 2077 Performance Mods

General Optimization

As its name suggests, this mod, developed by romelsalwi, provides optimization tweaks that change Cyberpunk 2077’s .ini files. The mod changes autosave timing, alters threads allocation and crowd AI, and increases volume fog detail. The result gives players smoother and higher framerates, which is a must for any PC gaming experience.

Unlock Hidden Settings

The mod’s full name is quite the mouthful, but it accurately sums up all of its functions. Developed by srgamerio, this program lets players access every setting Cyberpunk 2077 “hides” from most players. These include FOV sliders, mouse sensitivity, zoom sensitivity, and resolution scale. Not only can these alterations change how Cyberpunk 2077 looks and feels, but they can also make the game run better if you know what you’re doing.

Best Cyberpunk 2077 Combat Mods

Drone Companions

Early in Cyberpunk 2077, players have to retrieve a Militech MT0D12 drone (better known as a Flathead). Early into the game’s development, the robot was supposed to serve as a combat companion, but in the final product, it is nothing more than a mission McGuffin. While modders have yet to add the Flathead back into the game, they have produced the next best thing.

The Drone Companions mod, developed by Scissors, lets players equip a new Operating System, the TechDeck. Once slotted in, players can craft, customize, and send drones out to fight. These robots come in a variety of forms and rarities, from hoverbots to walking tank mechs. These drones are meant to serve as disposable backup and are perfect for players who are disappointed Cyberpunk 2077 didn’t ship with a robot companion at their beck and call.

Lifepath Bonuses and Gang-Corp Traits

Every player’s adventure in Cyberpunk 2077 starts with them picking a Lifepath: Did V grow up a Nomad, Street Kid, or Corpo? But aside from the opening mission and some random dialogue choices, these have no impact on gameplay. Likewise, Night City is full of enemies associated with different gangs and organizations, but these are just cosmetic since they generally fight the same way. Thankfully, the Lifepath Bonuses and Gang-Corp Traits mod tries to change all that.

Essentially, Lifepath bonuses and Gang-Corp Traits are two mods in one. The first part, Lifepath Bonuses, makes the player’s chosen lifepath truly matter because it increases the amount of damage affiliated enemies take and deal. Players also receive a lot less Street Cred from fighting groups with similar backgrounds as V.

The second and more robust part of the mod is the Gang-Corp traits portion. As its name suggests, this mod gives different enemy groups traits that fit with their theme. For instance, since Maelstrom members replace most of their skulls with cybernetics, they are resistant to headshots and can detect players faster. The Kang Tao. meanwhile, specialize in jamming smartguns and homing grenades. If players want a more dynamic challenge that forces them to think about who they fight, how they fight, and when they fight, this mod is for them.

SDO – Scissors Difficulty Options

Like many titles, Cyberpunk 2077 just can’t nail the difficulty curve. Partway through the game, players become overpowered, and not even the legendary Adam Smasher can stop them. Without a mod, Cyberpunk 2077 can’t keep up with its players.

The SDO – Scissors Difficulty Options mod, developed by Scissors (duh) adds a ton of options that players can tweak and tailor to create their preferred difficulty balance. For instance, SDO can hide enemies on the minimap, spawn more special enemies (who are tougher than normal and can also heal), and even let opponents break out of V’s grapple.

If players think Cyberpunk 2077 is lacking in one difficulty department, they can just flip the switch on the relevant option. However, if you want a true Night City challenge, you can toggle all the options. The choice is yours.

Best Cyberpunk 2077 Vehicle Mods

Better Vehicle Handling

When Cyberpunk 2077 shipped, the game’s vehicle handling was a point of contention. CD Projekt Red tried to fix the issue in later patches, but it never felt quite right. The Better Vehicle Handling mod, created by RB, is a simple .ini file that makes cars and bikes less frustrating to handle. Simple as that. For instance, the Yaiba Kusanagi CT-3X doesn’t slide around like crazy when trying to handbrake turn while breaking the speed limit. Try this mod if you can’t get a feel for the game’s vehicles.

Vehicle Combat

One of the Cyberpunk 2077 E3 2018 gameplay trailer’s highlights featured a high-speed chase through Night City. It was short, sweet, and seemingly dynamic. Vehicular gunfights in the retail version are much more on-rails unless you install the right mod.

Vehicle Combat, developed once again by Scissors, reworks the driving system by letting players aim and fire guns while driving. This mod also turns every vehicle into an effective battering ram. Moreover, Vehicle Combat also gives Cyberpunk 2077’s Police system a facelift. NPCs and certain enemies can call the cops, who arrive in cars and can give chase. Plus, once the player’s wanted level is maxed out, the NCPD’s MaxTac units will arrive instead, complete with several new varieties unavailable in the base game.

While Vehicle Combat requires some other mods to work, including Cyber Engine Tweaks, Redscript, and Native Settings UI, it gives Cyberpunk 2077 that high-octane spice it was missing. 

Best Cyberpunk 2077 Immersion Mods

Metro System

Cyberpunk 2077’s E3 2018 trailer kickstarted the game’s hype train, and the futuristic monorail in the video helped pull that train along. CD Projekt RED promised a living, breathing world, and a working metro system would have helped solidify that promise. After all, numerous entries in the Grand Theft Auto franchise have working trains. However, Cyberpunk 2077 shipped without working monorails, and CD Projekt RED has no plans to patch them in. But that’s where modders come in.

The Metro System mod, coded by keanuWheeze, adds 19 fully functioning train stations, complete with a monorail car you can sit and watch Night City go by. These stations were built by hand and are fully explorable. Sure, using fast travel kiosks is faster, but they don’t immerse you in the game’s vistas and skyline quite as much as this mod. 

Romanced Enhanced

As is tradition in many games these days, Cyberpunk 2077 lets players romance one of four NPCs. However, those relationships soon get stuck in a rut. They’re not broken or anything (unless the game bugs out), but most of them just don’t lead to anything substantial. That’s where this mod comes in.

The user Deceptious created four separate mods, one for each romance option (i.e., Kerry, River, Panam, and Judy. These add some much-needed life to each character and let players hug, kiss, and chat with their selected significant other. Romanced Enhanced mods still don’t give these NPCs a schedule, but at least they do more than just sit at a wall all day. Now if only Deceptious could find a way to bundle all four mods into one.

Best Cyberpunk 2077 Quality of Life Mods

No Intro Videos

This mod, developed by DJ_Kovrik, does exactly what its title advertises: remove Cyberpunk 2077’s intro videos. No more sitting through these prelude clips or mashing every button on your controller or keyboard to skip them; just install No Intro Videos, and you can get into the action much faster. 

In-World Navigation

Cyberpunk 2077 has over 100 sq km of explorable space, and that doesn’t even take into account all its vertical real estate. In other words, Cyberpunk 2077 is HUGE, and its navigation system is kind of outdated. The game needs to get with the times.

Jack Humbert’s In-World Navigation mod is quite simple. All it does is add a line of holographic arrows that players can follow to their quest and point of interest destination. That’s it, but that’s all it needs to do.