Everything we know about multiplayer in Cyberpunk 2077
Does Cyberpunk 2077 have multiplayer? While CD Projekt has chosen to exclusively show off the single-player side of its exciting RPG in the build up to launch, the game will get its own multiplayer mode. Just brace yourself for a long wait.
Multiplayer won’t be ready when Cyberpunk 2077 launches on December 19, but it will be free for anyone who owns the game when it’s eventually released. CD Projekt has barely talked about multiplayer elements in the lead up to launch, but studio president Adam Kicinski has assured gamers the Polish studio will be “treating your money with respect.”
So, while it's bad new for the moment, I'm here to break down everything we know about a Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer mode, and what it could look like when it arrives.
Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer: Everything we know
Sadly, it doesn’t look like Cyberpunk will be getting multiplayer anytime soon. During a Q&A call with investors back in January, the developer hinted that it’s unlikely multiplayer will be ready until 2022. Back when the game was due to launch in September, the studio’s publishing head Michal Nowakowski said delays to the campaign would likely push Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer back even further. “Given the expected release of Cyberpunk 2077 in September, and frankly speaking the series of events which we expect to occur after that date, 2021 appears unlikely as a release date for the Cyberpunk multiplayer.”
It’s clear single player remains the immediate focus for CD Projekt, with the developer stressing Cyberpunk won’t get multiplayer until the campaign receives several free and paid DLC updates. If you’ve been daydreaming of heated Night City deathmatches, you’re going to be twiddling your thumbs for some time.
When multiplayer does finally arrive, expect something big—potentially ‘GTA Online’ big. During the same investor call, Nowakowski referred to Cyberpunk’s multiplayer as a “triple-A release”, hinting it is a major standalone companion piece to the main game, not some throwaway mode.
What form will Cyberpunk’s multiplayer take? That’s still a mystery. We do know CD Projekt hired Canadian developer Digital Scapes to help with multiplayer. Previously, the studio worked on Dying Light’s Be The Zombie PvP mode. The fact an outside team has been enlisted to help with multiplayer suggests this is a seriously large project.
Considering guns feature substantially in Cyberpunk 2077’s campaign, we wouldn’t be shocked if its multiplayer offered some form of PvP deathmatch. Vehicles also play a crucial role in traversing the labyrinthine Night City and the surrounding Badlands, so perhaps you might be treated to some online races.
Will CD Projekt try to create a multiplayer mode of the size and scope of a GTA or Red Dead Online? Those are lofty targets to shoot for, but the early signs are that the studio is working on an ambitious multiplayer mode of significant scale. You’re just going to have to endure one hell of a wait before it arrives.