Will Cyberpunk 2077 have multiplayer?

is cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer — (Image credit: CD Projekt)

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Does Cyberpunk 2077 have multiplayer? The answer is: Not yet, but it will. The multiplayer component wasn't ready for Cyberpunk 2077's singleplayer launch, but it will be free for anyone who owns the game when it’s eventually released. Just don't expect that to be soon. It might not even happen in 2021.

CD Projekt has barely talked about the multiplayer in the lead up to Cyberpunk 2077's singleplayer launch, other than to say recently that the studio will be “treating your money with respect." That line was in response to the news that, while microtransactions aren't present in the singleplayer game that released this week, there will be some kind of microtransactions in the Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer release.

Otherwise, though, it's anyone's guess what CD Projekt is working on, although there have been little hints over the years. Below is everything else we've learned so far about Cyberpunk 2077's multiplayer, and what it could look like when it arrives:

Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer release date

During a Q&A call with investors back in January, CD Projekt hinted that it’s unlikely multiplayer will be ready until 2022. The game was due to launch in September then, and the studio’s publishing head Michal Nowakowski said that "2021 appears unlikely as a release date for the Cyberpunk multiplayer.”

Obviously, Cyberpunk was delayed a few times after that, so the multiplayer could be even further off than before.

It's clear singleplayer is the immediate focus for CD Projekt, with the developer stressing Cyberpunk won’t get multiplayer until the campaign receives several free and paid DLC updates. If you’ve been daydreaming of heated Night City deathmatches, you’re going to be twiddling your thumbs for some time.

Why will Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer be like?

When multiplayer does finally arrive, expect something big—potentially ‘GTA Online’ big. During the same investor call, Nowakowski referred to Cyberpunk’s multiplayer as a “triple-A release”, hinting it is a major standalone companion piece to the main game, not a small mode.

Exactly what form will Cyberpunk’s multiplayer take? That’s still a mystery. We do know CD Projekt hired Canadian developer Digital Scapes to help with multiplayer. Previously, the studio worked on Dying Light’s Be The Zombie PvP mode. The fact that an outside team has been enlisted to help with multiplayer suggests this is a large project.

does cyberpunk 2077 have multiplayer — (Image credit: CD Projekt)

Considering guns feature substantially in Cyberpunk 2077’s campaign, we wouldn’t be shocked if its multiplayer offered some form of PvP deathmatch. Vehicles also play a crucial role in traversing the labyrinthine Night City and the surrounding Badlands, so perhaps you might be treated to some online races.

Will CD Projekt try to create a multiplayer mode of the size and scope of a GTA or Red Dead Online? Those are lofty targets to shoot for, but the early signs are that the studio is working on an ambitious multiplayer mode. Just prepare for a long wait before we know anything more.