Cyberpunk 2077 preloads are live, with an easter egg

Cyberpunk 2077 key art
(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)

Preloads for Cyberpunk 2077 are now live on GOG.com, with Steam and the Epic Games Store to follow at 8 am PT/11 am ET/5pm CET today. The release date is December 10 in CD Projekt's home of Poland but, because it's a simultaneous worldwide release on PC and Stadia, some will technically get it a little early. Also, the game is nine whole pence cheaper on GOG than Steam and Epic if you're in the UK.

Depending on your timezone, Cyberpunk 2077 will unlock at: 4 pm PT on December 9 / 7 pm ET on December 9 / 12 am GMT on December 10 / 8 am CST on December 10. CD Projekt has pushed Cyberpunk 2077 hard on GOG, for the blindingly simple reason that it owns store and therefore keeps 100 percent of the sale price. Regardless of what platform players purchase the game on, even linking it to GOG nets some in-game rewards.

The download comes with an executable file, which got people excited that perhaps CD Projekt Red had somehow screwed-up and released the most-hyped game of recent years early. Trying to play the game this way results in the following screen, as noticed by redditor JMendo02.

Tease screen for preloads of Cyberpunk 2077.

(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)

OK, that's pretty funny. The sense of anticipation is real, and if you want an idea of what to expect here's what we thought after 15 hours in the game. With just a few days to go, time to start preparing.

Rich Stanton

Rich is a games journalist with 15 years' experience, beginning his career on Edge magazine before working for a wide range of outlets, including Ars Technica, Eurogamer, GamesRadar+, Gamespot, the Guardian, IGN, the New Statesman, Polygon, and Vice. He was the editor of Kotaku UK, the UK arm of Kotaku, for three years before joining PC Gamer. He is the author of a Brief History of Video Games, a full history of the medium, which the Midwest Book Review described as "[a] must-read for serious minded game historians and curious video game connoisseurs alike."