If you haven’t been following Cyberpunk 2077‘s slow redemptive journey, it may come as a surprise to learn that the game has come a really, really long way since the disaster it was at launch. In fact, its 1.5 patch, released back in February of this year, made the game not just playable, but actually pretty enjoyable. I’d even go so far as to say that the 1.5 release was the state the game should have been in before a 1.0 launch. Of course, we cannot turn back time, so this is the world we now live in.
Today, the game’s next iteration arrives in the form of the Edgerunners update, or patch 1.6. For those not in the know, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is a Netflix-exclusive anime series set in the Cyberpunk universe (premiering on September 13), so the fact that this update shares its name with the streaming series is important to note.
It seems that CD Projekt Red is attempting to maintain consistency between the two properties by approaching this from two angles. First, they’ve been working closely with the team at Studio Trigger to make sure the anime feels like it’s set in the same city as the game. Second, CDPR is bringing features from the TV series into the game.
CD Projekt Red was actually kind of vague about this aspect of the update, with just this tasty morsel in a press release:
Added some secrets related to the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime series to be discovered in Night City, including new equipment and new Photo Mode features.
There’s also the addition of a new arcade game called Roach Race. Yes, this is a pixel-art endless-runner game in which you race Roach from the Witcher series. Roach Race is playable at arcade cabinets around Night City, but it’s also available as a free app for iOS and Android devices.
Additionally, there’s a smattering of new gigs (three in total) and weapons (six melee and six ranged), as well as the ability to cross-save between consoles, though there are some regional restrictions, and the PC and console versions are not compatible with each other. If you want a broader explanation of the cross-save feature, here’s CDPR’s FAQ about it.
Oh, and you can now bring Nibbles the cat into Photo Mode.
Perhaps the biggest change of all, however, has less to do with the anime series and more to do with the fact that fans have been asking for this since… well, since the game was playable, I guess. That change is the new Wardrobe feature, which allows you to save cosmetic outfits to wear while keeping the stats from the armor you’re actually wearing. If you’re a World of Warcraft player, this is similar to the Transmog system; if you’re a Final Fantasy XIV player, this is similar to the Glamour system.
Ultimately, this seems like a less-substantial update than 1.5, but it just reveals that CDPR is nowhere near done with the game. In fact, Cyberpunk 2077 is gearing up for its first major expansion, Phantom Liberty, so Night City just keeps getting brighter for those of us who actually play this thing.
If you want to learn more about the update, check out this 44-minute-long livestream:
