Cyberpunk 2077 Third-Person Gameplay Leaves Fans Torn

1 day ago 4

Cyberpunk 2077 characters looking toward the viewer

Austin King is the Senior Editor of Gaming at ScreenRant and has been with the site since 2020 with a focus on RPGs and tabletop games. He previously managed content for Geek to Geek Media, and has served as a writer for sites like Nintendad, Geek Fitness, and more.

In addition to his work at ScreenRant, he also hosts the Dragon Quest FM podcast and is the author of several books, including co-writing Nimbus (a #1 bestseller in 2013). His latest is the nonfiction The Dragon Quest Book, available now.

He's written about pop culture, video games, and genre studies over the course of his career. You can find him on BlueSky, X, and at Dragonquestaustin.com

Cyberpunk 2077 is known for a lot of things, but one of the features that may be most important to its DNA is its first-person gameplay, which lets you feel like V as you traverse the open world of Night City and interact with its many denizens. It makes combat more intense, and the story is more immersive since YOU are the main protagonist.

Now, some shared footage of Cyberpunk 2077 in third-person has shown up (again) over on X. There, the post from JaePlayGamez reads, "Cyberpunk 2077 NEEDS a third-person update like Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. Play or Pass??" This has, as expected, launched a pretty large debate over whether CD Projekt Red's RPG deserves third-person gameplay or not.

Cyberpunk 2077 In Third-Person Isn't For Everyone

Understandably, fans were divided on the idea of Cyberpunk 2077 as a third-person game. A few users pointed out why third-person would never work: "My possible controversial opinion is that Cyberpunk 2077 doesn't work in 3rd person. Johnny's appearances, net running, cyberware, combat and being hacked are 1st person experiences. Removing those elements removes part of Vs [sic] unique experience of losing control of their body/mind," wrote Kala Elizabeth.

On the other side of the debate were people like Sky Surfer, who wrote, "I think a 3rd person mode would be wonderful for a second playthrough," which is a good idea to consider. "It should be an option regardless," posted Pixto.

While others simply agreed that third-person was needed, others couldn't decide which side they landed on. "I'm split on this personally," posted SJ, "I do like how much more atmospheric first person is, but I also don't like to spend an hour customizing my character just for me to only ever see her while in photo mode or through specific mirrors (or driving certain vehicles in third person)," which does bring up a valid point.

It'll Probably Never Happen Officially

An over the shoulder shot of Johnny Silverhand walking through Night City in Cyberpunk 2077.

Even if fans can't agree on whether Cyberpunk 2077 needs third-person gameplay, there are mods for third-person that show off just what it would look like. Officially, however, it feels like it'll never happen. The game appears to be done, and with the studio working on Cyberpunk 2, not to mention CD Projekt Red's other big RPG, The Witcher 4, a massive gameplay overhaul like this one doesn't seem likely.

No matter which side of the debate you land on, there's always the possibility that Cyberpunk 2 will have a third-person mode. There are definitely cases to be made for having it be an option, although it's hard to deny the first-person gameplay that's already in Cyberpunk 2077 is pretty great.