Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty is adding new PC system requirements, and heads up: You’ll need an SSD
If you’re still using a hard disk drive, now would probably be a good time to upgrade.
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What you need to know
One of the biggest upcoming releases teased during the Not-E3 weekend was Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, the one and only story DLC coming to CD Projekt RED’s 2020 action RPG. Though positioned as an expansion, previews indicate that it’s more accurate to treat Phantom Liberty as a massive overhaul to the completeCyberpunk 2077experience, with a great deal of fundamental changes, additions, and quality of life improvements included in the package.
With that context in mind, it doesn’t surprise me that the developers are raising Cyberpunk 2077’s system requirements on PC, with the changes slated to go live in 90 days — about two weeks from Phantom Liberty’s September 26 release date. Something that I didn’t see coming, though, was an end to the game’s support for hard disk drives (HDDs). Once Cyberpunk 2077 is updated with the new requirements, faster solid-state drives (SSDs) will be listed as required instead of recommended.
“One of the changes is the choice to stop supporting HDDs for the minimum requirements,” wrote CD Projekt RED in anofficial blog post. “SSDs offer faster loading times, improved streaming, and better overall performance when compared to HDDs.”
While Cyberpunk 2077 is the second game to list an SSD as a requirement —Starfield, Bethesda’s massive upcoming sci-fi RPG, also needs one according to its Steam Store page — it’s the first to sunset HDD support completely.
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Notably, the developers went on to say that the game will technically still be playable with the original minimum required specs. However, active support for those requirements will be cancelled once the new ones are live, and CD Projekt RED will cease testing further updates with those components.
As for why the game’s requirements are changing, the studio says that the updated ones are more current, take newer components into account, and target resolutions of either 1080p or 4K. The new minimum requirements are specifically intended to “better represent the minimum PC configuration required to run the game at 1080p,” with the developers explaining that refreshing them “is an important part of the game improvement process.”
The good news is that getting your hands on a speedy SSD with lots of storage is more affordable than its ever been, especially with how often models from a year or two ago go on sale. At the time of writing, for example, you can pick up the excellent1TB Samsung 980 Pro SSDfor just $60 thanks to a 25% discount. Why not treat yourself to significantly improved loading speeds?
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In the section below, we’ve listed all of Cyberpunk 2077’s official new minimum, recommended, and ultra specs, both for ray traced and non-ray traced gameplay.
Samsung 980 PRO 1TB SSD |$79.99$59.99 at Amazon
Need a new SSD to install Cyberpunk 2077 and its Phantom Liberty expansion on? This fantastic SSD from Samsung is on sale for 25% off at the moment, so now is a great time to upgrade.
Cyberpunk 2077: New PC system requirements
Here’s the complete list of Cyberpunk 2077’s new system requirements. If you’re an existing player, we recommend comparing them withthe game’s original requirementsand seeing if you need some upgrades.
No ray tracing
Minimum (1080p, 30 FPS, Low preset)
Recommended (1080p, 60 FPS, High preset)
Ultra (2160p, 60 FPS, Ultra preset)
Ray tracing enabled
Minimum (1080p, 30 FPS, Low ray tracing preset)
Recommended (1080p, 60 FPS, Ultra ray tracing preset)
Ultra (2160p, 60 FPS, Overdrive ray tracing preset)
CD Projekt RED’sCyberpunk 2077 had quite a rough start when it launched in 2020, but since then, the game’s been patched and updated frequently. The Phantom Liberty DLC is set to further transform the experience with new content and features when it releases on September 26, and may cement it as one of thebest PC gamesfor action RPG fans.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
The next era of Cyberpunk 2077 is coming to Xbox and PC, and it’s absolutely massive. There’s a whole new world of content to explore in this upcoming expansion, and you can preorder it now.
Preorder from:Microsoft (Bundle)|Microsoft (Standalone)|Steam (PC)
Brendan Lowry is a Windows Central writer and Oakland University graduate with a burning passion for video games, of which he’s been an avid fan since childhood. He’s been writing for Team WC since the summer of 2017, and you’ll find him doing news, editorials, reviews, and general coverage on everything gaming, Xbox, and Windows PC. His favorite game of all time is probably NieR: Automata, though Elden Ring, Fallout: New Vegas, and Team Fortress 2 are in the running, too. When he’s not writing or gaming, there’s a good chance he’s either watching an interesting new movie or TV show or actually going outside for once.Follow him on X(Twitter).
