If you feel like Cyberpunk 2077 is releasing all over again, you’re not alone. There’s a lot of hype building for the release of the Phantom Liberty expansion thanks to all of the post-launch updates and graphics improvements that already put the game in a much better state. However, a recent tweet about increased CPU usage by a lead dev working on the Phantom Liberty update has some players worried about Cyberpunk 2077Â PC requirements yet again.
CD Projekt RED initially received a lot of criticism for the high performance demands of Cyberpunk 2077 on PC. More powerful generations of hardware, a market shift to more accessible prices, and the numerous game patches have alleviated most of the complaints, though.
Check your CPU cooling systems before Phantom Liberty
It’s true that CD Projekt RED just increased the recommended PC hardware requirements yet again for Cyberpunk 2077 for the Phantom Liberty update, but fears are already overblown in most regards. The main differences are that SSDs are now required and you’ll want an enthusiast-grade latest generation graphics card for the RT: Overdrive settings.
The good news is that optimization has been improved for modern high-core-count CPUs, which plenty of gamers have these days. As Filip Perscinski noted in a recent tweet, eight-core CPUs will now benefit and produce better performance thanks to higher utilization. This, in turn, means that your CPU will work harder and closer to its full potential.
Games engines are historically notorious for utilizing a few cores at best and mainly relying on single-threaded performance. It’s difficult to program games across higher core and thread counts, but it is gradually happening with Cyberpunk 2077 already being a good example. The Phantom Liberty update will improve multi-threaded performance further according to Perscinski. This will actually allow the game to run better overall on the CPU end, even on older hardware with higher core counts.
The simplest way to explain this is that games just don’t push CPUs very hard. Typically. Anyone that uses production or professional software that scales utilization across all cores and gobbles power will know better though. We as gamers can actually get away with modest CPU cooling for this reason, whereas other users need to invest in more adequate solutions to get maximum performance and keep things cool and safe. This is why you should take a look at your cooling setup before playing Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty after the update, because you may suddenly find your CPU delivering higher framerates while pumping out some serious heat.
CD Projekt RED just announced the next Night City Wire episode for a peak at what’s new in the expansion, so check that out when it airs later this week. Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty launches September 26 along with a 2.0 game update at a yet-undisclosed date. If you plan to jump back in, or play Cyberpunk 2077 for the first time, check out our extensive guide coverage as you adventure through Night City and the new Dogtown zone.
Follow-up to my previous tweet. My intention was to highlight the need to maintain your cooling systems and check them regularly. Neither Cyberpunk 2077 after 2.0 nor Phantom Liberty will melt your PCs. Game will perform well on recommended hardware. https://t.co/o2lNwZAFle pic.twitter.com/LmBePDfhY5
— Filip PierÅ›ciÅ„ski (@FilipPierciski) September 12, 2023
