The 17 months since Cyberpunk 2077’s initial launch have been a tumultuous time for the much-anticipated RPG, with bugs, performance issues, and missing content leaving a sour taste in the mouths of many players. However, since this troubled launch, the developers at CD Projekt Red have been hard at work to improve the game.
Indeed, 2022 has been a great year for the neon-soaked RPG, with the massive patch 1.5 releasing two months ago. With this patch came a slew of new updates, including improved graphics on console, better AI, new quests, and better combat. However, while the game has improved greatly in recent months, PC players can still benefit from some impressive mods that enhance the post-patch experience.
10 Car Modification Shop
Patch 1.5 saw Cyberpunk 2077’s vehicles receive a number of improvements to their handling, making driving in Night City an altogether more enjoyable experience. The Car Modification Shop adds a whole new layer on top of this.
Through this mod, players can upgrade each of the game's unique vehicles, adding improvements to speed, handling, or durability. While this does not come with any aesthetic changes, each vehicle feels brand new when fully upgraded, allowing players to experience Night City’s roads in a new way.
9 Vehicle Combat
Following on from this vehicular theme, the Vehicle Combat mod adds just that, letting players engage in ranged battles from the driver's seat of a car or bike. This is a feature that remains missing from the vanilla game after patch 1.5 and one adds an impressive amount of immersion to Night City.
On top of adding vehicle combat, this mod also gives enemy NPCs, including the police, the ability to call in allies that can drive. This means players can be mid-combat and a group of enemies can appear while attacking from their cars, something sorely missing from the base game.
8 Metro System
Throughout Cyberpunk’s map, there are several metro stations that are inaccessible to players, pointing at a feature that has been stripped from the base game. With the Metro System mod, players can now immersively travel throughout Night City.
While presently not fully animated, this mod adds a layer of immersion to the Cyberpunk 2077 experience. Simply approach one of the 19 stations across the game’s map and enter a metro car. From here, players can easily and immersively travel across the map.
7 JB - Third Person Mod
Several months prior to the release of Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red announced that the game would not include a third-person point of view, a feature that was originally meant to be in the game. While patch 1.5 adds dozens of new features, a third-person mode remains missing.
With this mod, players can experience the new additions of patch 1.5 from a completely different perspective. Notably, with this mod players can see all the changes they have made to V thanks to the combination of this mod and the new appearance customization added in patch 1.5.
6 Appearance Change Unlocker
Patch 1.5 added the ability for players to approach the mirror in V’s apartment and change their hair, makeup, piercings, and tattoos. However, while these changes were welcome, many players wanted the ability to completely overhaul V’s appearance.
Enter the Appearance Change Unlocker, a mod that allows players to change everything about V, from their voice to their facial structure, something that is surely a welcome addition in a game all about style.
5 StreetStyle - Immersive Fashion System
Style over substance is a tagline plastered over the original Cyberpunk tabletop game. This mod allows players to achieve both. With StreetStyle Immersive Fashion, each piece of clothing the player equips comes with its own stat bonuses.
Equip a new jacket, and players may get a boost in intelligence that helps in future dialogue checks. On top of this, each piece of equipment now has one of the four Styles of Night City: Entropism, Kitsch, Neomilitarism, and Neokitsch.
4 Lifepath Bonuses And Gang-Corp Traits
A key complaint at Cyberpunk’s launch was a lack of differentiation between the game’s enemy NPCs. Much of the game’s combat felt the same no matter who players fought. This was improved in patch 1.5, with additions to NPC AI and crowds.
However, with this mod, each enemy group in the game will react differently to V depending on which Lifepath players chose at the start of the game. Pick Streetkid, and Night City’s gangs may be weak to V’s attacks, Corpo and players can easily hack into Arasaka soldiers' cyberware. Ultimately, this exciting mod adds another layer to the AI changes made in patch 1.5.
3 AI Netrunners Enhanced
This mod existed long before patch 1.5, an update that saw many of the issues regarding Netrunners in the game fixed, but it still offers a variety of new options for players who want an improved Netrunner experience.
This mod adds 10 new hacks that AI enemy Netrunners can perform, from contagion to slowed movement. Indeed, with these additions, this mod compounds the improvements made in patch 1.5, adding even more to the Cyberpunk experience.
2 Bladerunner 2077
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The aesthetic of Cyberpunk 2077 is heavily rooted in the media that inspired it. One of these influences is undoubtedly Blade Runner. This mod then transforms Night City into a world closely resembling the famed film franchise.
Specifically, Bladerunner 2077 changes the ads throughout Night City, matching them to the Blade Runner movies. With this new aesthetic, the mod allows for an interesting refresh post patch 1.5.
1 Limited HUD
Patch 1.5 did a number of things to further improve CD Projekt Red’s product, but overall it improved immersion for players. From adding romance options to new houses and better crowd AI, everything was to this end. The Limited HUD mod works towards the same goal.
A simple addition, this mod allows for the removal of the HUD when out of combat, making exploring Night City a more realistic and immersive experience for players on PC.