Do not buy this game for base PS4! I preordered Cyberpunk hoping that I would have a PS5 buy now. Like most people I don't and it's borderline impossible to get one, so I decided to load it up on my PS4.

Its hard finding a normal looking texture. The resolution is so bad I couldn't make it two hours, and usually I prefer performance over graphics. I could barely see objects in the environment that I could interact with. There is pop-in on every character model.

I have a headache after playing for two hours and I doubt I'll be playing anymore unless there is a significant patch.

They advertised this game to work on base consoles of last gen., so I honestly feel lied to. Am I overreacting to this? Sony doesn't allow refunds so I'm kinda screwed, but yeah, don't buy this for PS4

That still sounds like it’s working, even if not well, kinda like Control. It sucks, but I also knew that base console versions would be downgraded the most, cause those things are seven years old and weren’t that powerful to begin with. I can only wonder how unplayable they would be, if the game had stuck to it’s original release date.

I made it through Control, and that game never gave me a headache. I'll eventually play Cyberpunk on the PS5 (hopefully), but I really think CD Projekt Red should've stated something that addressed Cyberpunk's performance on the base PS4 (I don't know how it runs on Xbox One).

Yeah I agree with you that this shouldn't be too much of a surprise though.

I agree that its a huge bummer that these companies can get away with having a game be playable by the letter of the law while in reality it's far from an acceptable experience. I was already feeling the repercussions of half step consoles on a base PS4 back when AC: Origins would start massively dropping frames whenever I was in bigger fights or if lord forbid there was fire involved and Control was the ultimate example of "known; shippable" of this past generation.

There would need to be some mass class action lawsuit made where "technically playable" is no longer an acceptable level of quality when charging full price for your product. Especially since Sony made a big deal at the time of the fact that there would be quality control in order to ensure that players weren't getting a worse experience on a non Pro PS4 but I suppose that only applied to first party titles.

Sorry to hear that. I always thought that they should have canceled the last gen versions because everything I've seen of game throughout the marketing period looked like something that should not be running on last gen hardware and the biggest tip off were the console footage clips CDPR put out.

Even their cherry picked footage of those versions looked suspect at best so hearing about how borked these ended up being honestly isn't a surprise for me.

I want to see footage of this game running on base 8th gen consoles. There's no way it's good, but I'm curious to know just how bad it is for myself.

I watched the intro as played on a base PS4 and while it looks like it is definitely being forced to run on something it is absolutely not designed for I wouldn't call it unplayable. If it was all that I had I think I would manage just fine?

Ive had 5 crashes in 3 hours of gameplay, the game looks like it’s running in 720p, characters are doing the Mass Effect texture pop in thing. It’s unplayable.

Feels like it was pretty clear they were not wanting base console footage to get out there pre-release when they did everything they could to keep review channels from having access to console performance.

I've heard a range of issues reported from crashes to graphical issues enough to where it sounds like this is probably something to avoid if you are on an original base console. Maybe a consideration too if you're on the upgrade. Sounds like PS5 and xbox series x have been okay if not held back by the actual compatibility release for those not being out yet.

Basically, if you're on console, do thorough research before buying. It's not one to just buy on a whim or you may run into a state that isn't up to your own definition of playable.

Here's some example shenanigans from a console user (not me) for anyone who wants a few laughs.

https://m.imgur.com/a/zNp7y0D

X1X here. Ran okay but Def buggy. Very confused on the patch situation. Havent gotten anything other than the preload.

@xgreyfox357: I don't have the tweet, but the devs clarified that consoles preload with the patch I believe. You're likely playing the day 1 version already. You can always check the patch version if you want to be sure though.

@mezza: Thanks!

yeah- as someone who was on the fence for purchasing for a ps4 slim (non-pro)- i appreciate the heads up. i can wait on this one until i end up with a ps5 or pc upgrade.

the weirdest excuse is "what do you expect playing a 2020 game on consoles from 2013"

this games first trailer was in like 2013 or 14. it was specifically designed for 2013 consoles because that's all that existed and even if they knew all along it'd be a next-next-gen game first and foremost how could sony or ms given them accurate plans for future systems that far in advance? how would theyve known ray tracing would be the hot new thing that determines if a game has "killer app" graphics? and surely if Ps5/xsx was the main platform, wouldnt those versions be out first, and the make-good down-ports (done by the band of brothers team or whatever) months later... like the 360 versions of Titanfall and destiny(?) etc.??? Look how amazing GTAV looks on these systems without having to run at 540p with PS2 textures. Or Doom.

its one thing if a type of game-changing genre was invented like Battle Royals after the ps4/x1 were specked. But a story driven single player fps with rpg elements? even though fallout 4 was as buggy as this game ten times over, it still looked great.

@lilnatureboyx: Definitely one of the more ridiculous sentences I've seen from some people. I laughed when I saw people spreading it last night. The "why are you playing a next gen game on old gen" defenses would feel more valid if I could walk out and buy a next gen copy of the game to be honest. As it stands people are only going to see old gen copies of this "next gen" game on the shelf.

I mean given the dev I would have expected that the target would be PCs with the eventual focus on whatever the next gen solutions would have been. With the older consoles firmly as a "we'll see how it goes".

I dunno, I don't make games.

Unfortunately this game and maybe even the developer themselves have attracted some of the worst kinds of people to defend it. I don’t really look at Twitter anymore but I peeked at Alex’s recent tweet where he quote tweeted a video someone took of a base PS4 running it. It’s truly bad in a way that feels totally unacceptable. Scrolling down through replies it was nothing but “well it’ll patch” and “well the Witcher was bad at release too” as if these are acceptable or even realistic excuses. Considering how much crunch it went through, how many delays it faced, and how many other titles moved to get out of its way it doesn’t even look like something you could slap an early access sticker on.

Edit: Here’s the tweet referenced. https://twitter.com/alex_navarro/status/1336844291801571328?s=20

Yeah Twitter is a shit show...like always.

Even though I expected this be shit on last Gen hardware because of how this studio is usually PC first with their ambitions, it is still very much their fault for not axing or at the very least delaying the last Gen versions.

@efesell: Thats really what they should have done. They got too ambitious I think. Instead it was marketed for PC and the old gen consoles and next gen is firmly in the "we'll release a free upgrade later" camp. No reason for anyone to think that old gen shouldn't be at a baseline playable state when the only way to play it on next gen consoles is through backwards compatibility.

They really should have just been upfront and axed or delayed consoles but they tried to have their cake and eat it too. They didn't want to give up the larger share of the established console market even if it means releasing a game that doesn't quite run up to snuff on them.

@xgreyfox357: I have been looking for a new patch as well.

The fact that it runs like shit on a PS4 is crappy and the fact that the next gen upgrade is not due until next year is crappy. I expect more from CDPR, we waited 6 or 7 years for this game another 3-6 months so that PS5 and Series X/S owners can get the best version possible at launch would of been acceptable (for me at least). I don't know what they could of done with last gen console versions aside from the obvious answer of scraping them a year ago.

It is so far beyond just running poorly. Folks comparing it to Control or Witcher 3 are off base. This isn't just a performance compromise, this looks like graphical errors and malfunctioning hardware. It's unacceptable. Platforms should be fucking embarrassed they let it pass certification like this and CDPR owes folks who bought it for those platforms a refund and an apology.

Base PS4 here. It's certainly playable, framerate is decent even unless you're driving. It does look very blurry and low-res, encountered a few crashes but the autosaves were good each time. Load times are surprisingly okay (much better than AC:Valhalla though that game looks way better than this one) Turning off all the graphical effects makes it look slightly better. It's gonna be to each their own on whether or not you'll find it acceptable, but footage should be out there for you to look at and make your own call. The only thing I've found kind of a bummer is that I'll probably finish it on this PS4 before getting a machine that can run it far, far better.

The least they could do is price the PS4/XB1 version at $40 and then charge $20 extra if you want the upgrade for PS5/XSX down the road.

@hatking: Not sure how cert works, but is it possible Sony and/or Microsoft failed them back in Sept/Oct and that forced the delay that happened after it went gold? Would make sense given the state of what we're seeing right now, assuming it was worse before that delay.

I'm playing on a PS4 Pro and it's been...playable at least. Granted that I've only played a hour and change of it. This game is justifying my reasoning to look for a PS5 this weekend though.

...I hate to admit that this thread made me recant all my previous big talk about waiting for a PS5 and I purchased the game...

Having never played a game like this other than Outer Worlds which ran pretty well, and as someone who was always jealous of the glitches people would post to IGN’s GTA3 forums twenty years ago...

I kinda just want a piece of that jank. I’m sorry, me. I failed you.

@mezza: I assume they had a conditional pass with the stipulation of a day one patch, thus the weird three week delay in November. Conjecture: they probably ran tight on time, realized they couldn't deliver that patch on that release date, and gave themselves a few weeks with the December 10th release. Certification is a weird thing, but big games can sort of get away with more because nobody is going to tell CDPR they can't put Cyberpunk on their platform. You see this with Bethesda too. Games with massive appeal can throw their weight around a bit, while smaller games have to play by the rules. I would bet money that Cyberpunk got some special treatment here, and I would win that bet.

For those curious about how the game performs on the previous gen. It isn't great and as John mentioned a few times, the performance is reminiscent of the end of the 360/PS3 era. Patches may fix things but be aware that the game is extremely blurry running at 720p and the temporal AA actually makes it appear even blurrier all the while running at less than 30fps and can drop as low as 15fps (maybe lower) in heavy scenes. The PS4 Pro fairs slightly better with a higher resolution and frame rate but the quality of assets is exactly the same. Tom mentioned that the base PS4 version also crashed for him many times and the only way to resolve the issue was by performing a full reboot of the PS4.

Never thought I'd say this, but: Stadia is a pretty damn good option this time. Seriously.

Control is worse because of the load times. Cyberpunk runs badly but at least you're playing the game. In Control you're staring at the load screen half the time

It certainly sucks for people that have to play on last gen consoles, and it was lousy business practices for CDPR to mislead people, but I, for one, am glad that they didn't dumb down the game to make it work well on last gen. Frankly, I'd have prefered them not release it for last gen at all, so that the devs would be free to use the full power of the new hardware, but this was probably the next best outcome. The game is better (on current gen) for it.

@nevergameover: is it though? I know there’s an enormous marketing machine behind this title but current hubbub about how bad it is currently would surely have some impact on future sales. 60$ is a lot of money for some folks and I think it’s way shitty to just throw the consoles they always planned to be on under the bus. I can’t imagine there will be the same scale of reception when it properly launches on next gen hardware, people would theoretically have other things to care about at that point.

The Cyberpunk performance on base consoles reminds me a lot of the last generation’s late releases. Remember Far Cry 3 on PS3?

It may also be worth remembering that the base PS4/X1 were pretty underpowered even at launch. Seven years ago.

I wonder if we’ll ever see System Requirements style labeling on consoles any time soon.

”Minimum Requirements - Xbox One / Recommended - Xbox Series X”

I am starting to wonder the decision to release this on last gen. I’m playing on base PS4, and it’s actually quitr devious how the game holds together in the opening/prologue part, but once you get Johnny the game falls apart hard and fast. It feels like a roll of the dice if the game will randomly crash or using the UI will cause the game to freeze. There has been times I was driving and the car comes to a complete stop because I get a phone call, and I literally lose control until the call is finished. Such a shame. I feel like there is a good game somewhere here, instead I get this weird fever dream experience of a game.

This sounds like Xenoblade 2 levels of bad resolution. Was one of the major reasons I stopped playing that game, so I can definitely sympathise with those disappointed here.

Yep, I've been playing on Stadia for over 24h now and it has been great. I only have base PS4 and a PC with 970 so this was my best option before I get a PS5 maybe months from now.

Kind of makes me think about the PS5 as well, but Sony singleplayer exclusives are totally my jam, so I need to pick one up at some point.

@zaccheus: That does actually sound like a pretty good idea. I would have to try Stadia out because I was looking at prices of new video cards and components and I think I might be done with PC upgrades for a while. Would be nice to be able to play the game with Ray Tracing and all the other options turned up to max. I'm worried about the latency though.

TL;DR: You have until Dec 21st to request a refund from CDPR if your digital or brick and mortar retailer don’t refund you. (Console only)

@zaccheus: I don't know if this is a Stadia-only issue but I've had numerous combat encounters where using a grenade removes my ability to reload guns or heal. Just something to be aware of.

@humanity: Stadia hardware does not currently support ray tracing. As far as latency is concerned, it's surprisingly not an issue for me in most games. Sometimes Destiny 2 chugs in the Tower though.

I've messed with stadia and when it's stable it works great, though it rarely for me is stable. Also wireless control issues is a huge pain with Stadia staying connected for me. If i have issues with Steam World Quest, a rather basic RPG/ card battler there is no way I will be able to properly play Cyberpunk and not have issues. I get over 400Mbps and Stadia just has nothing but issues depending on what time of day it is, and if the Stadia controller is plugged in or not.

After the better part of a decade, and all the hype, I wish I could say that I am surprised by this turn out. However, between not showing performance on PS4 and XboxOne and the refunds only going till December 21st I think this is an all around scummy launch. If it doesn't work they shouldn't sell it.

@ry_ry: Yah I actually decided to sign up for a free trial since it's so fast and easy to check it out. The most graphically intense game they had in their library was Hitman 2 so I loaded that up and played through a level for about an hour. I have over 25mbit connection, hooked up directly from router/modem to my PC tower. First thing I noticed is that already even the menus and opening logos were kind of fuzzy as if the resolution has been greatly downscaled. There are no video options to speak of that you can tweak but thats understandable. The performance was what I would classify as alright. Latency wasn't an issue, I felt like my character was doing everything I was asking him to do and didn't notice much delay if any. The game felt like it was going back and forth between 40-50 FPS maybe less. On top of that the overall graphical fidelity seemed like everything was set to medium. Once I was done with the level and exited the browser window I did notice that according to Stadia I didn't have a "green" connection - it was only "fair" which might explain why everything kind of looked like Netflix before it buffers fully.

I went through their auto-troubleshooter but it was incredibly basic and didn't immediately tell me why I was getting a shoddy connection and at that point I didn't have the time or desire to troubleshoot this any further. So just based on this experience I don't think I would necessarily want to play Cyberpunk or any other game that is supposed to look great through Stadia. I think the entire premise of the system for a person like myself is that I just fire it up and it works. I don't mind waiting even a few minutes for the game to buffer and establish a proper "link" or whatever but if it's going to have issues all the time then it's not for me. I can see a more casual gamer that doesn't really care about graphics all that much having a decent time with it though.

@humanity: you’ve absolutely nailed it. most everything you’re gonna play is basically medium settings on a PC. and while it works it isn’t gonna replace your in home hardware but it’s a good fall back for having fun on our ultra thin MacBooks and Chromebooks

@ry_ry: I can definitely see that being a cool addition or fall back option. For instance today I had downtime at work, but I'm already using my PC to dial into my remote desktop at the office but I was able to boot up Stadia on the second monitor to try all this out while my primary monitor still had Skype and Outlook open and ready in case anything came in. It's pretty seamless the way it works and thats a just plus. I just assumed the promise was that you're going to be playing games on the highest settings with the best hardware out there - especially since they advertise 4K/ HDR.

I'll be curious to see how things go with the next gen PS5/Xbox Series X version.

This release was on a much larger scale, comparatively. But I very much remember hitting that point where games were simultaneously released on PS3/PS4 and 360/XB1...and the last gen version was straight up unplayable. I can't remember, for the life of me, if that stuff was mitigated by owning both versions with one purchase, ie: buying the last gen version and therefore owning the PS3 and PS4 version.

So can anyone who has played this game on PS4 comment on how shitty it is? I dont really have a horse in this race but long story short I can choose between a FREE copy of Cyberpunk, Valhala, Squadron or Legion as part of a loyalty program reward thing.

Consensus is that Cyberpunk 2077 sucks for PS4... but what if your copy was FREEEEEEE

I've zero interest in Legion so that makes that choice easy!

@junkerman: Valhalla runs well on PS4 at least.

@junkerman: Hmmm. Not sure if it matters, but I think Cyberpunk 2077 and Valhalla both come with free PS5 versions outright, I think. Valhalla already has a next gen version, but the next gen PS5 version for Cyberpunk is supposed to come out next year.

Maybe. I guess now that it was delisted maybe that might not happen? Maybe? Shit, I don't know.

So, that might be worth noting in the equation, maybe.