The next-gen upgrades for Cyberpunk 2077 will come in phases

You don't need to wait until next year to visit Night City on your new console.

Cyberpunk 2077 doesn't release for the Xbox Series X or PS5 until 2021, but if you've been lucky enough to be able to buy one of the next-gen consoles, you don't have to wait to play the masterpiece. Both consoles are backwards compatible, meaning you can buy the Xbox One or PS4 versions when the game launches on December 10 and play them on your new console.

For best performance, you'll want to take advantrage of the Cyberpunk 2077 next-gen upgrade. CD Projekt RED will be releasing a day one patch in the interim, which offers next-gen performance improvements to the game if it's played on an Xbox Series X or PS5. These are expected to align with other boosts for older games by improving the visuals, frame rates, and load times. When you boot up the game for the first time, your console will automatically download and install the patch.

Cyberpunk 2077's full next-gen update releases in 2021

A more serious update will be available next year when the Xbox Series X and PS5 versions of the game are released. This one should replicate the performance of the next-gen games and will be fully optimized for those systems rather than just boosting the performance of the Xbox One and PS4 versions. It's also assumed that features like ray tracing will also be included.

CD Projekt Red has promised that this update will be provided for free to everyone, even if you haven't already been playing it on a PS5 or Xbox One X, so you don't have to stress out if you haven't bought the new consoles yet. You'll even be able to transfer your save data over so you won't lose progress on the massive game.

If you're moving the game from PS4 to PS5, you'll need to use the PlayStation Plus Cloud Service, a USB drive, or the PS5's Data Transfer. Xbox users will have an easier time thanks to the Xbox Smart Delivery feature which automatically syncs all data via the cloud.

Welcome to Night City

Cyberpunk 2077

$60 at Amazon (Xbox & PS4) $60 at Microsoft (Xbox)

Modify yourself.

The developers of The Witcher have turned their attention from fantasy to science fiction with Cyberpunk 2077. Play as a cyborg mercenary searching for immortality by fighting gangs and powerful corporations.