CD Projekt recommends starting a new game when Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.0 drops: 'starting fresh will enhance your overall gameplay experience'

(Image credit: CD Projekt)

Cyberpunk 2077 is getting a mammoth-sized update, titled Update 2.0, tomorrow, September 21, and it promises to be a bit of a game changer. A police revamp, a progression overhaul, a new cybernetics system, vehicular combat, DLSS 3.5—it's vast, and thankfully separate from the Phantom Liberty expansion due next week, so you'll get all of this for free. With so many changes, the developer is naturally recommending that you experience it all on a fresh save, starting a new game rather than continuing an existing one.

It's entirely possible to just carry on with an old save, but making a new character will ease you into all of the big changes, most notably the skill system, which might be a bit jarring if you have to rebuild an existing character. "Due to the number of changes, starting fresh will enhance your overall gameplay experience," reads the tweet from CD Projekt Red.

Hey, chooms! While you'll be able to continue the game with your current character on an existing save, we recommend starting a new game after @CyberpunkGame Update 2.0. Due to the number of changes, starting fresh will enhance your overall gameplay experience! pic.twitter.com/rqdokahhAgSeptember 19, 2023

We recommended the same thing last month. Building up V from a nobody to a legend is going to be so much more satisfying, and while the story and quests remain the same, the starting experience will still feel pretty new, so why not start right at the beginning? Besides, the prologues and first act are great, and it means you get to hang out with your BFF Jackie again.

Starting fresh won't put Phantom Liberty too far out of reach, either. Once you've completed the Arasaka heist you'll be able to follow the main quest to Pacifica, which won't take long if you focus on it rather than diving into other quests and gigs, and it's there that you'll be able to dive into the expansion. Since that's not out until September 25, you'll have a few days to spend in 2.0 before you can access it anyway.

Since this is the last big update for Cyberpunk 2077, and Phantom Liberty will be the sole expansion, you might as well play through the whole thing in its entirety. For me at least, it's been wonderful to return to my familiar haunts with new skills, perks and cyberware. I always liked Cyberpunk, even when it was a buggy mess, but this is proving to be much closer to the game I wanted it to be.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.