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Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world game that unfurls itself outwards from one central point: Night City. The city’s evocative name speaks volumes to its aesthetic – undeniably a central selling point for the game. But, Night City’s ambition has perhaps stepped too far for the hardware it appears on. Cyberpunk 2077’s spotty performance on last-generation consoles has proved to be nothing if not controversial, which may be one of many reasons you’re looking for games like Cyberpunk 2077 to explore.
CD Projekt’s newest release, despite production and release issues, has undoubtedly revitalised interest in the “cyberpunk” games as a whole. Noticeably, it has given rise to discussion of the genre’s themes, aesthetics, and futuristic cityscapes.
Maybe you are waiting for the next Cyberpunk 2077 patch notes before purchasing. Perhaps you have already blitzed through the main campaign and are desperate for more. Whatever the case may be, here are the 10 best games that like Cyberpunk 2077, which aim to bring back that sense of awe we once had investigating Bladerunner’s sullied streets.
Cloudpunk
This one is not just on the list because it has “punk” in the title. Cloudpunk is an open-ended, story-based indie exploration game that has the protagonist Rania traverse the immense, sprawling verticality of Nivalis.
Rania has chosen an interesting evening for their first job at the semi-legal Cloudpunk delivery service: this is the night everything changes in Nivalis. Stripping away the combat and customisation mechanics present in 2077, Cloudpunk is a brilliant exercise in tone and aesthetics. The gorgeously rendered voxels of Nivalis are a joy to behold (even if, like me, you are an awful driver).
Cloudpunk establishes the scale of places like Nivalis and Night City by having you move by foot and hovercar across its towering heights. If you found yourself basking in Night City’s ambience on evening drives, Cloudpunk might be the game for you.
Available on Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC
Ghostrunner
Cloudpunk cuts back the combat and high-octane encounters present in games like 2077. Ghostrunner does the opposite. Rather than being an exercise in atmosphere or slow reveals of visual splendour, Ghostrunner gives you the cybernetic-augmentation power fantasy only available to 2077’s highest level characters.
It feels amazing. You might have seen the terrifying Cyberpunk 2077 mantis blades in action throughout Cyberpunk 2077. In a similar vein, Ghostrunner gives you a monomolecular katana – a blade of synthetic metal grafted to your very being – from the start.
Ghostrunner presents a potent blend of Sekiro-level sword fighting, Cyberpunk 2077’s vibrant neon hues and parkour in the vein of Mirror’s Edge. It plays as an immersive, adrenaline-fuelled climb up the beautifully, brutally realised Dharma Tower city.
Available on Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC
Observer: System Redux
Like Ghostrunner and Cyberpunk 2077, Observer is another game from a Polish developer: Bloober Team. Observer takes a much slower, more forensic pace than both these titles.
Observer is a cyberpunk detective thriller that puts you in the shoes of Daniel Lazarski, neural investigator in 2084 Krakow. Cyberpunk 2077 makes no secret of its celebrity cameos, and Observer is voiced by none other than Rutger Hauer (of Bladerunner fame).
Using the Dream Eater mainframe, Lazarski dives into the memories of deceased criminals and victims to solve crimes. Likewise, Observer fully takes the plunge into the theme of human integration with machine networks. If you are a fan of some of 2077’s delving into crime and mystery in the speculative future, then this might be the game for you. Be aware though, the deeper you dive into the dead memories of Observer, the more your character’s may fade. Like tears in rain.
Available on Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC
Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst
2008’s Mirror’s Edge revolutionised momentum and travel in a first-person perspective. While its sequel is perhaps not as critically well regarded, it does allow its players unfettered access to Glass, a beautifully realised citadel of the future.
The parkour of Mirror’s Edge is brought straight into Catalyst, alongside a much more refined combat system which allows you to bring your refined free running abilities into the fray.
This game contrasts Cyberpunk 2077’s vision of a seedy city of the future with clean, cutting lines of marble-white. The sense of verticality, brutality, and corruption, however, stays the same.
Some players have also uncovered a jumping bug in 2077 which catapults you around the map, perhaps making it more similar to Mirror’s Edge in mechanics than anticipated.
Available on PS4, Xbox One, PC
Fallout 4
“Fallout?” you cry, “but isn’t that the series with cities built on old-world nukes? Isn’t Bing Crosby on the soundtrack?” While you would be entirely correct on all those points, there are still reasons to recommend Fallout 4 to the Cyberpunk 2077 fan.
The game offers a vast selection of incredibly compelling side stories, witty environmental storytelling, and a great set of perk-based progression mechanics. This accompanies some stunningly vibrant environs like the patchwork steel Diamond City – all set against the meticulously drawn setting of apocalypse-future atompunk Boston.
Fallout 4 also features a central storyline focussing on Synths. These ideas of artificial intelligence and mechanised humanity are core themes of cyberpunk fiction and appear throughout 2077.
Fallout 4’s gameplay, visuals, its focus on first-person action, and attempts at total tonal immersion resemble Cyberpunk 2077 more than you might expect.
Available on PS4, Xbox One, PC
Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition
There is a reason that the aesthetic trappings of most cyberpunk media seem to be lifted from Hong Kong: in real life the city’s highest illuminated echelons bear imposing shadows down upon the neon-flecked city streets below.
While set in a more contemporary time, Sleeping Dogs traverses the city of Hong Kong as a complete open world.
The action-oriented, open-ended design choices make it an easy recommendation to anyone interested in 2077’s gameplay, aesthetic trappings and high-octane exploration. Expect immersion into every nook and cranny of Hong Kong (you can even do karaoke) and a narratively evolving city, one built on the decisions you, the player, make.
Available on PS4, Xbox One, PC
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Any game like Cyberpunk 2077 owes its dues to the grandfather of cyberpunk video game RPGs: Deus Ex. Originally released in the year 2000, the game innovated in several areas – most notably in how it set problems, not solutions, and allowed players to choose exactly how they approached them.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is the most recent entry in this prestigious series. While not as innovative as its predecessor, it brings similar design sensibilities onto more contemporary hardware.
As the cybernetically enhanced double agent Adam Jensen, you explore the bustling near-future city of Prague in a first-person action RPG that still respects the stealth game history of developer Eidos Montréal.
Deus Ex’s Prague mirrors Night City in a way: filled with tiny illustrative side missions that really bring it to life. Like 2077, Mankind Divided received some criticism for its shorter story, but the attention paid to its setting and gameplay still left audiences enraptured.
Available on PS4, Xbox One, PC
Shadowrun: Hong Kong
If you are interested in further exploring the roleplaying elements of 2077, then look no further than this classic entry into the cyberpunk RPG genre. Cyberpunk 2077 and Shadowrun: Hong Kong share an incredibly similar DNA: the tabletop roleplaying games Shadowrun and Cyberpunk 2020. Released at the end of the 1980s, the rich lore developed in each TTRPG carries onto the respective video games.
Shadowrun: Hong Kong blends magic, mystery, and the mechanized mega-city of Hong Kong into an incredibly open isometric RPG.
Like 2077, you run through a futuristic gig economy with jobs of increasing difficulty and complexity, making your mark in a Hong Kong that shifts and morphs around your actions. It has a strongly developed set of factions too, alongside a richly developed set of hacking and net-running mechanics reminiscent of 2077’s Voodoo Boys.
Available on PC
E.Y.E. Divine Cybermancy
Do you like Cyberpunk’s synthetically enhanced combat? Ever wanted to finish a katana duel, perform a 50-foot horizontal leap to the other side of the map and spawn 12 copies of yourself behind your next foe? Ever wondered what happens when a locked door hacks you back?
This where the list gets weird. E.Y.E Divine Cybermancy takes the action RPG element of 2077 and pushes it to its conceptual limits. This bizarre, intricate, and often overwhelming game is far from user friendly.
Once you push past the steep learning curve, E.Y.E delivers a level of depth and customisation in an open-ended cyberpunk RPG-shooter. NPCs with detailed arcs and lore roam the game’s E.Y.E. Temple, their storylines evolving around you. This central hub blends traditional genre aesthetics with a theological spin that makes it stand out among its peers.
Available on PC
Watch Dogs: Legion
The fate of neo-future London hangs in the balance of this open world, systems-led third person action-adventure title. Missions in Legion contain a consistent variety of solutions, ranging from all-out gunfights to high pressure stealth/hacking sections.
While Cyberpunk 2077 has you meet a large cast of well-drawn NPCs on your quest as V, Watch Dogs: Legion has you literally walk in their shoes.
Normal people can be recruited into your cause at any point in the game, adding a potentially unlimited number of active layers to your solutions. There are real consequences at play here, though, as any normal person recruited can
(and often will) be killed in combat.
When these people die, they stay dead, and cannot be reused. While Night City might morph and progress based on your roleplay choices, Legion uses its new, innovative mechanic to actively reshape London’s population based on how you play.
Available on PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Google Stadia, Amazon Luna, PC
