How Cyberpunk 2077’s Next-Gen Upgrade Will Work

Like many of the top games of 2020, Cyberpunk 2077 will be playable on both next-gen and current-gen (or is that previous-gen?) consoles. Like many of the top games of 2020, that also means that there’s an understandable amount of confusion regarding how Cyberpunk 2077‘s next-gen upgrades and updates will work.

The good news is that there is an extensive system in place designed to not only help you upgrade your version of Cyberpunk 2077 to its next-gen equivalent but ensure that the game runs as well as possible on next-gen consoles when it is released on December 10. The bad news is that Cyberpunk 2077‘s next-gen upgrade system is somewhat complicated and burdened by a series of currently unanswered questions.

With that in mind, here’s everything we currently know about Cyberpunk 2077‘s next-gen upgrade options.

Buy Cyberpunk 2077 For Any Console on December 10

To make sure that we cover every part of the process, let’s make it clear that there’s no way to get the Cyberpunk 2077 next-gen upgrades and updates if you don’t buy the game for Xbox One, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, or PS5.

The important thing to keep in mind here is that you can buy Cyberpunk 2077 for previous-gen consoles and still receive the eventual next-gen updates. CD Projekt Red has already confirmed that you’ll be able to upgrade the PS4/Xbox One editions of the game to their next-gen equivalents at no extra cost. So if you’re one of the many who still can’t find an Xbox Series X or PS5, you can safely buy the game at launch for whatever console you own.

The First Cyberpunk 2077 Next-Gen Upgrade Will Be Available on Day One

This is where the Cyberpunk 2077 next-gen upgrade plans get a little complicated.

If you play Cyberpunk 2077 on PS5 or Xbox Series X/S (regardless of which console you purchased the game for originally) sometime between December 10th and the near future, you will play a version of the game that has been updated for next-gen consoles. The game will launch with a day one patch designed to offer next-gen improvements.

We don’t know exactly what’s in that day one update, but you can expect the PS5/Xbox Series X versions of Cyberpunk 2077 to benefit from faster load times, improved frame rates, and enhanced visuals right out of the gate. Based on what we’ve heard so far, it sounds like the day one next-gen version of the game will perform similarly to Xbox One or PS4 games running on next-gen consoles via their backward compatibility programs.

A Second Cyberpunk 2077 Next-Gen Upgrade Will Be Released Sometime Later

While Cyberpunk 2077 will always run better on next-gen consoles, we won’t see the game really take advantage of next-gen hardware until sometime later when CD Project Red releases the game’s “true” next-gen update.

Much like the day one next-gen update, we don’t actually know what will be featured in this eventual next-gen update. For that matter, we don’t even know when the update will be released (although all signs currently point to sometime during early 2021).

However, CD Projekt Red has noted that the plan is for this update to take “full advantage of the next-gen hardware” and for it to be released “for free” to anyone with a next-gen copy of the game. Without further details regarding the scope of this update, we’d guess that it will likely not be a full remake of Cyberpunk 2077 for next-gen consoles but rather a finely tuned version of the day one game that will look better, run smoother, and better utilize the consoles’ SSDs.

How Will Cross-Gen Save Transfers Work With the Cyberpunk 2077 Next-Gen Upgrades?

CD Projekt Red has recently confirmed that your PS4 and Xbox One saves can be transferred to next-gen consoles.

However, the process of actually transferring your save from one console to another is going to depend on which next-gen console you own. Xbox Series X/S owners have it easiest as they can simply use Microsoft’s Smart Delivery program to transfer their Xbox One digital copy of Cyberpunk 2077 (and any existing save files) to their next-gen device. Of course, only Xbox Series X owners will be able to run Cyberpunk 2077‘s Xbox One disc.

For PS5 owners, the process will be a little more complicated. If you are a PlayStation Plus subscriber, you can transfer your Cyberpunk 2077 PS4 save files to PS5 via that service’s cloud transfer functions. Otherwise, you’ll have to transfer the game’s data and save files from the PS4 to the PS5 via a wired or wireless data transfer.

Will There Be a Next-Gen Upgrade Available For The PC Version of Cyberpunk 2077?

CD Projekt Red had not officially revealed any plans to release a next-gen upgrade for the PC version of Cyberpunk 2077. However, there’s a good chance that the PC version of Cyberpunk 2077 will essentially be the fully upgraded next-gen edition of the game.

Based on the recently released full system requirements for Cyberpunk 2077 on PC, it seems that those who are able to run the game at its highest settings with ray tracing enabled will be running either the full next-gen version of the game or a version of the game that looks even better than that.

In other words, anyone with a PC powerful enough to run Cyberpunk 2077 at its highest settings will have access to the best looking version of Cyberpunk 2077 on December 10th (at least based on our current expectations of the game’s upcoming performance updates).