Phantom Liberty completes Cyberpunk 2077 redemption arc with big sales numbers

Paul McNally / Last Updated: Jan 5, 2024 / Game / News
image of Cyberpunk 2077

When Cyberpunk 2077 was released all those years ago back when the pandemic was just a microscopic figment of horror writers’ imaginations, it was rounded upon by players and companies alike. The bug-ridden monstrosity always had something though and CD Projekt Red’s determination to finally make it into the game that was promised originally has been respectable. 

Cyberpunk 2077 was already in decent shape before the version 2 patch and Phantom Liberty DLC arrived at the tail-end of 2023, but these two additions finally propelled it into being a great game, with the Phantom Liberty content starring A-lister Idris Elba as well as the original’s Keanu Reeves.

If a question remained of how many gamers this new content could bring back to an aging game we now know the answer with CDPR posting on X that “over five million agents have infiltrated Dogtown”.

The message goes on to thank everybody for the support and ends with a heart emoji, It has been some journey for Cyberpunk devs over the past decade.

Recent games such as The Day Before that have had terrible launches have not managed to ride out the storm as Cyberpunk, and No Man’s Sky have before them. Hello Studios NMS is now recognized as a great space exploration game and Cyberpunk is a must-have in any digital gaming library, whereas the audience was not as willing to forgive the rocky start of The Day Before as it had lost much goodwill in the run-up to its release.

The Phantom Liberty DLC is described by users in the X thread above as “Best gaming expansion ever”, and “insanely great expansion” putting in solid groundwork for the Cyberpunk sequel when it eventually arrives.

In a year of huge games, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty’s five million sales will be seen as extremely satisfying, and a welcome return to form for CD Projekt Red and its previously untarnished reputation with classics such as The Witcher 3 in its portfolio already.

Paul McNally

Gaming Editor

Paul McNally has been around consoles and computers since his parents bought him a Mattel Intellivision in 1980. He has been a prominent games journalist since the 1990s, spending over a decade as editor of popular print-based video games and computer magazines, including a market-leading PlayStation title published by IDG Media. Having spent time as Head of Communications at a professional sports club and working for high-profile charities such as the National Literacy Trust, he returned as Managing Editor in charge of large US-based technology websites in 2020. Paul has written high-end gaming content for GamePro, Official Australian PlayStation Magazine, PlayStation Pro, Amiga Action, Mega Action, ST Action, GQ, Loaded, and the The Mirror. He has also hosted panels at retro-gaming conventions and can regularly be found guesting on gaming podcasts and Twitch shows. He is obsessed with 3D printing and has worked with several major brands in the past to create content Believing that the reader deserves actually to enjoy what they are reading is a big part of Paul’s ethos when it comes to gaming journalism, elevating the sites he works on above the norm. Reach out on X.