Cyberpunk 2077 is a broken game. CD Projekt Red may be hard at work on fixing the game, but the modding community has taken up the mantle of not only getting rid of bugs and adding much-requested features, but also completely overhauling the experience. This list will turn the disappointing jankfest that is Cyberpunk 2077 into a game well worth your time.
INTRODUCTION TO CYBERPUNK 2077 MODS
Despite working on one of the most highly anticipated titles of the decade, CD Projekt Red was unable to escape their reputation of releasing buggy, poorly balanced games with the release of Cyberpunk 2077. Key features like vehicle customization remain missing from the game, and game balance is next to non-existent with overpowered handguns, broken crafting mechanics, and skills that saw questionably little playtesting – if they saw any playtesting at all.
These mods serve to improve the overall Cyberpunk 2077 experience, some of which even completely overhaul the way the game is played from the ground up. The only thing missing from this list are those that alter character bodies – you know the kind. The basic game does a fine enough job with those anyway.
Some of the mods on this list will require you to install the Cyber Engine Tweaks mod and the redscript mod, so be sure to grab those first.
Full Gameplay Rebalance
[Link]
If you decide to install any mods at all for Cyberpunk 2077, make it this one. This so-called “Megamod” is a complete overhaul of the game’s combat, leveling, gear, and skill systems.
The biggest change it brings is the removal of level scaling. Now, every character in the game – including the player – do not gain stats as they level up. Effectively, what this means is that level 50 NPCs don’t have 10,000 hitpoints compared to level 1 NPCs. That might sound like a bad thing for an RPG, but removing the scaling allows for much better balance and consistent gameplay, and it also removes the need to only use overpowered weapons like the handcannon to take down enemies with critical hits.
Instead, the mod allows items and cybernetics with constant effects to be useful all throughout the game. Damage values produced by grenades, status effects, quickhacks, and so on remain consistent and won’t suddenly lose their effectiveness due to the way the game scales some abilities but not others.
Furthermore, explosive barrels won’t kill you in a single blast in the endgame, and all those random items with fixed stats that ignored enemy scaling will no longer throw the game balance out of whack. The mod also adds enemy armor with armor-related perks and effects to make them an actual threat. Gone are total immunities (which were too easy to get as mods), and you’re no longer guaranteed critical hits on every shot. Combat’s an actual challenge with this mod. Neat!
Finally, the mod adds a host of improvements to the AI by making it smarter and deadlier. It rebalances some of the too-easy-to-kill story NPCs, and the skills you spend in combat, sneaking and hacking actually matter. The mod also adds way more “deadly” enemies like Netrunners and dudes with Gorilla Arms in the tougher areas of the game. Challenge, therefore, comes in enemy diversity rather than turning every basic thug into a bullet sponge. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Best of all, this mod lets you dress your V up however you want without being forced to wear the ugliest outfits for stat bonuses.
I’d recommend starting a new playthrough after installing the mod for the best experience.
Enhanced Police
[Link]
It’s easier to commit crime in Night City than it is in San Andreas. It’s weird, given how heavily policed the city seems to be (especially in the interactive cutscene after the first mission). Thanks to the Enhanced Police mod, more cops will show up if you commit a crime – and they won’t spawn out of thin air directly in front of you. Committing crimes in a vehicle will also prompt police cars to show up and deploy additional units depending on how much heat you’ve accumulated during your spree.
Advanced Control
[Link]
There’s more than a few things off about Cyberpunk 2077, one of which is the way the game handles its movement. Generally speaking, you’re either crouching or running at the speed of light. Worse still, for a Deus Ex and System Shock 2-inspired game, there’s just no way to lean. And if you’re playing on a keyboard, good luck finding the option to holster your weapon. With Advanced Control, you’ll be able to do all of this with a push of a button – and you’ll also be able to walk at a normal speed, like a normal person.
Additionally, Advanced Control gives you the ability to cycle through your grenades and untrack your active quest.
Wall Hang
[Link]
One of the most disappointing aspects of Cyberpunk 2077 was how it failed to live up to features it showcased in the E3 trailer, one of which was the ability to grip to walls using the Mantis Blade augmentation. The Wall Hang mod by PerfNormBeast lets you do just that. In its current iteration, the mod lets you hang onto the side of any wall by holding the grab key until you let go or jump.
Given that mod allows you to traverse parts of the world that would otherwise be difficult to reach, it can be game breaking in a number of areas you’re not supposed to go to. Certainly, with proper implementation from CD Projekt Red, players would only be able to use the ability on some types of walls and not others – but the mod should be enough to scratch that ninja itch, should you install it.
Unlike Spider-Man, you won’t be able to simply climb up walls, wall run, or perform vertical jumps – but the creator, xuanwu, says it’s in the works.
Cyber Drift
[Link]
This newly released mod brings proper driving mechanics into the game. If the vehicles felt too floaty in the vanilla version of Cyberpunk 2077, that’s because they are. Cyber Drift adds what its creator calls “enhanced vehicle performance for both cars and motorcycles” as its main draw.
This mod provides you better drift control with counter steering, more realistic crowd behaviors (they’ll no longer walk into traffic – at least that’s the idea) and have faster response times in general. Additionally, the mod adds more vehicles and passengers to flesh out the streets of Night City.
Cyber Vehicle Overhaul
[Link]
If you install Cyber Drift, you’ll want to pick up the Cyber Vehicle Overhaul mod as it alters the handling of every individual vehicle with better brakes, suspensions, gearing, top speed, engine, and tire behavior. Its creator E3roKK says that the mod alters every vehicle individually and remains compatible with other tweaks.
No Intro Videos
[Link]
This one’s pretty self-explanatory. It gets rid of all the intro videos so you can immediately launch the game from the main menu without having to sit through a full minute of intros and corporate logos.
Ultra Enhanced Reshade
[Link]
Tired of everything in Cyberpunk 2077 looking green, blurry, and washed out? This ReShade mod gets rid of that swampy look with no performance loss. Sometimes less is more. Though, you should skip it if you’re already running the game on a HDR monitor.
