Skip to main content

Cyberpunk 2077 Night City Wire Episode 3: PC requirements revealed

With a pair of major next-generation console updates, it’s been a busy week of video game news. But it’s not over, thanks to Cyberpunk 2077.

Recommended Videos

With the third installment of its livesteam series, Night City Wire, studio CD Projekt Red offered up all-new Cyberpunk 2077 details. And with a focus on the game’s gangs and musical score, Episode 3 shed more light on what players can expect in one of the year’s most anticipated launches.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Cyberpunk 2077 is currently slated to launch on November 19 to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia. We haven’t heard from CD Projekt Red since Microsoft and Sony announced their Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 launch dates, so there’s still no word on when the game will launch on next-generation hardware.

Either way, CD Projekt Red had plenty to say in Cyberpunk 2077 Night City Wire Episode 3. Read on to see all the announcements.

The Night City tour

CD Projekt Red kicked off the livestream with a “tour” of Night City, the game’s sprawling setting. The clip showed a variety of locations around the city, including a night club, a studio broadcast, and an area where homeless denizens of the city live. It also dissected how bad the crime is around Night City.

Those looking for a place to learn more about Night City, the clip said, can visit a website called NightCity.love. And yes, it’s a real website with information on history and transportation, and plenty of insight into the city’s districts.

Ultimately, the look at Night City was meant to showcase how diverse the city is, complete with a variety of different areas to explore and people to meet, CD Projekt Red said. The studio called it the “most complex” thing it’s ever worked on in a game.

The gangs of Night City

There are a variety of gangs in Night City, all vying for power. One, called Maelstrom, appears to be a particularly violent gang and bridges the gap between human and machine. Another, called the Valentinos, care about “honor,” but they also have a “punishment for every occasion,” according to the studio.

Sixth Street is another gang that seems to war with the Valentinos. And the Voodoo Boys were thought to be an “urban myth” but are feared. The Animals are called the “craziest” of the gangs, according to the clip. They’re often “hired muscle” that others might use.

Tyger Claws work in the black market and don’t like those who “ask questions.” The Moxs appears to be an all-female gang and talk about “community and solidarity.” The same goes for Nomads. The Aldecados care about “family,” according to the clip. That’s not too much to go on, but sheds some light on what may drive them.

According to CD Projekt Red, the gangs rule Night City and have the most weaponry and power throughout the city. Players will encounter them throughout the game and will sometimes hire players. However, players won’t be able to join a gang. Instead, players will be aligned with the Afterlife, a group that often gets the best jobs from gangs.

Depending on the gang, players will be able to choose different cars, weapons, and clothing.

PC requirements

Windows 10 or Windows 7 64-bit software will be required to run Cyberpunk 2077 on the PC. CD Projekt Red also said that the game will need DirectX 12 and an Intel Core i5-3570K or AMD FX-8310 CPU or better to run. On the memory front, expect to need 8GB and have an Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 3GB or AMD Radeon RX470 or better on the graphics side.

Cyberpunk 2077 will require 70GB of storage space.

To run the game at its best, players should prepare to have a Windows 10 PC running an Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 3 processor or better. Additionally, CD Projekt Red recommends 12GB of RAM and either an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 with 6GB of memory or an AMD Radeon R9 Fury.

The mods

CD Projekt Red next turned to computer mods, created by fans in anticipation of the game’s launch. The mods were all designed based on what fans have seen so far from the game. CD Projekt Red plans to announce the winning mod design in the coming weeks and will make it available in a charity auction.

A look back

Interested in seeing what CD Projekt Red announced in the previous Cyberpunk 2077 Night City Wire episodes? Here’s some of Digital Trends’ coverage.

Don Reisinger
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Don Reisinger is a freelance technology, video game, and entertainment journalist. He has been writing about the world of…
Why I kept coming back to Final Fantasy XIV in 2024
A character sits on a "fatter cat" mount

The MMO genre is overflowing with titles vying for the attention of anyone willing to invest significant portions of their time in a single game. There are no doubt plenty of killer choices you can make based on what type of combat, endgame, and payment model you prefer, ensuring that you'll almost certainly find one that fits you just right. I've been investing off and on in the genre for over two decades, with thousands of hours poured into everything from old, niche titles like Silkroad Online (which I just learned somehow still exists) to worldwide successes like World of Warcraft and Guild Wars.

In recent years, though, I find myself disappointed in various aspects of many popular MMOs, whether it's an overwhelming focus on endgame raiding, too much PVP-centric content, or unfriendly communities that make me cringe when I even glance at the chat. None of that is a problem when I return to Final Fantasy XIV. I somehow feel at peace each time I load up Square Enix's long-running MMO, and it's becoming harder and harder for me to want to venture elsewhere.

Read more
The Witcher 4 dev has a plan to avoid another Cyberpunk 2077 disaster launch
A wolf head with glowing red eyes in the snow.

Future CD Projekt Red games will hopefully avoid the fate that befell Cyberpunk 2077 at launch thanks to changes in the studio's development process, according to a company executive.

CDPR is working on a number of projects, including multiple games in The Witcher universe. It recently announced that Project Polaris -- which many people are referring to as The Witcher 4, although that hasn't been confirmed -- had entered "full-scale production." We don't know much of anything about this new game, but it'll use Unreal Engine 5 instead of the proprietary REDengine. Future projects will also utilize the Epic Games-owned engine.

Read more
The PlayStation Portal is finally worth buying
A Pulse Elite, DualSense, and PlayStation Portal sit on a table.

Whether you're looking at the base PlayStation 5 or the Pro model, investing in a current-gen machine hasn't gotten any cheaper since launch. While sales for Sony's newest console are by no means bad, there are still a large number of players out there who are either sticking with their PS4s or simply holding off on buying hardware entirely. Sadly, $450 is the lowest admission price (excluding the rare discount or buying secondhand), and it is not an insignificant amount of money for most people.

The PlayStation Portal was originally launched as an accessory to the PS5, much to the chagrin of those who were hoping for the next iteration of the PlayStation Vita. It isn't quite the dedicated PlayStation handheld we wanted, but it might be the closest thing we get. Thanks to a fresh update, this $200 device has transformed into a no-brainer entry point to the PlayStation ecosystem that doesn't break the bank, and I can easily recommend to almost anyone.
Step through the portal
At launch, the PlayStation Portal was fairly limited in functionality. It would allow you to play your PS5 games remotely so long as both were connected to the internet. That kept it from truly competing with devices like the Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch, which could function completely independently. That has all changed with the latest firmware update. Now, the Portal can stream a selection of PS5 games directly from the cloud via the internet -- no PS5 required. While the update to the Portal doesn't fully take it off the leash -- you're still tethered to a Wi-Fi connection -- it does create the perfect on-ramp for new players.

Read more