How much playtime does Cyberpunk 2077 offer? This question is haunting the net. We have already played through the game and answer: It is complicated.
In the comments under messages to Cyberpunk 2077 one sees again and again fans, who want to take themselves extra for playing through vacation. So the question arises: How long do I need for Cyberpunk 2077? Does the playing time turn out to be exorbitantly high?
I have played the game extensively and I can tell you clearly: The answer is complicated. The length of the game already turned out to be one of the big sticking points in our test for Cyberpunk 2077. Because if you really want to, you can play through CD Projekt Epos in under 30 hours. But you should not do that under any circumstances.
How much playtime does Cyberpunk 2077 offer?
Those who slavishly follow the main story will reach the finale of Cyberpunk 2077 in under 30 hours. I was in 25 hours before the last mission, but I really put my foot down for the test. The final itself takes about two hours, so I could have finished after 27 hours. But that would have been a pretty stupid idea.
Cyberpunk 2077 works differently than many open world games. The game is much more modular. “Modular” means in this case: There are no clinically separate main and side quests, but the side quests sometimes have a drastic effect on the main story. A side quest lasting several hours, for example, unlocks a completely new final mission that is completely different from the other showdowns.
If you only play the main story in Cyberpunk 2077, you miss an essential part of the gaming experience. However, if you take the side missions with you, the playing time almost doubles.
The play times in detail
- 25 to 30 hours: Only finish the main quest and leave secondary tasks to a large extent.
- 50 to 60 hours: In addition to the main quest, take the main story side missions and a little bit of stuff around.
- About 90 hours: Who really wants to experience all quests and open world activities in Night City, can submit the vacation application with a clear conscience. These open-world
- activities include dozens of small crimes where you can take out gang members and experience a little mini story.
- About 100 hours: You want to soak up all the notes, TV reports and side conversations in the game world. “Immersive Playthrough” is what you would call it in New German.
How high is the replay value?
We found seven different endings during testing. Not all of them are equally drastically different, but still substantial. And unlike, for example, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, you don’t select from all ends at the end. Instead, Cyberpunk 2077 observes your behavior throughout the campaign.
This of course increases the replay value significantly. A single playthrough is not enough to experience all paths of the story (and to follow all romances). Cyberpunk 2077 is not The Witcher 2, so you won’t miss a third of the game if you choose person X instead of Y. But the comparison to The Witcher 3 fits: Your actions may cause certain characters and stories to disappear from the game earlier. And you may not be able to play certain quests at all.
At least two game runs should be enough if you want to experience the whole picture of Cyberpunk 2077.
What are the effects of the three “Life Paths”?
In the character editor of Cyberpunk 2077 you can choose the background story of your main character V right at the beginning. Three so-called “Life Paths” are available for selection:
Nomad: You come from the desert and are familiar with the faction battles and life beyond Night City.
Street Kid: You come from the street and know how to behave in the gutter and the underworld to keep your head above water.
Corporate: You start out as an employee in the powerful Arasaka Megacorp and can use the corporate spokesperson to make suits dance to your tune.
Depending on the chosen path of life, V can express itself differently in dialogues on certain topics. No receptionist in a corporate building will ever be able to fool a corporate V, whereas a nomadic V is fluent in the language of the desert. However, these dialog options are almost always “flavor”. They give the conversations a slightly different note without really having a mechanical effect.
However, there are a few quests that are only available for the respective life path. So if you want to experience 100 percent Cyberpunk 2077, there is no way around the third playthrough. But the second and third playthrough is worth it mainly because of the quest decisions and stories, less because of the “Life Paths”. You shouldn’t have false expectations.
