CD Projekt Red has provided an update to the PC system requirements for Cyberpunk 2077 ahead of the launch of the substantial Phantom Liberty expansion. The changes, as announced on Steam, are aimed at aligning the requirements with more current standards, considering that the expansion is releasing nearly three years after the base game. The new specifications target a resolution output of either 1080p or 4k.

Although Phantom Liberty is a paid DLC it’s not a requirement to play; it will come with a significant patch, version 1.7, that will overhaul many of the mechanics in the base game. Consequently, the PC version will become more demanding.

CD Projekt Red specifically highlighted its decision to support only SSDs moving forward. The company stated, "One of the changes is the choice to stop supporting HDDs for the minimum requirements. SSDs offer faster loading times, improved streaming, and better overall performance when compared to HDDs."

CD Projekt Red clarified that the game will still function on previous minimum requirements but stated it would discontinue active support for them and no longer test the game on those setups.

The updated minimum requirements will include an Intel Core i7-6700 or AMD Ryzen 5 1600 processor, 12GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon RX 580 graphics card. On the other hand, the recommended settings will necessitate an Intel Core i7-12700 or AMD Ryzen 7 7800 processor, 16GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Super or AMD Radeon RX 5700 graphics card.

While Phantom Liberty is set to launch on September 26, CD Projekt Red has not provided a specific release date for version 1.7. However, the company confirmed that it will be released no earlier than September 9.

CD Projekt Red stated, "The changes to the minimum requirements are a reflection of our new standard of requirements, which we believe better represent the minimum PC configuration required to run the game at 1080p while maintaining an average of 30 FPS at low preset. The reason for making these changes is that updating the requirements is an important part of the game improvement process and of enhancing and adding new features."

The release date for Phantom Liberty, along with a new trailer, was unveiled during the Xbox Games Showcase on June 11, marking the beginning of an eventful Summer of Gaming for fans.