Today, CD Projekt RED announced that a free Cyberpunk 2077 trial will be available for a limited time later this week on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S|X consoles.
From March 28th at 8 AM Pacific Time to March 31st at 11:59 PM Pacific Time, gamers will be able to enjoy up to five hours of unrestricted gameplay without having to pay anything, including the respective console's subscription.
This is, of course, the latest version of Cyberpunk 2077 that shipped alongside the Phantom Liberty expansion, featuring big 2.0 gameplay overhauls and new features such as redesigned skill trees and perks, vehicle combat, a new police system, and more. Players will also be able to experience Update 2.1, which introduced a fully functional metro system, the ability to listen to in-game radio stations outside of vehicles via the radio port, new vehicles, and more. Those who find themselves enthralled by Night City will be able to have their progress seamlessly carried over to the full game, should they decide to purchase it.
Here's an excerpt from my review of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, detailing the aforementioned 2.0 improvements you'll find in the trial:
No longer will the police spawn out of thin air; you'll now find NCPD officers realistically patrolling the streets, appearing more often in the most luxurious districts. If you break the law, such as mowing down pedestrians or even crashing at high speed into other cars, and eyewitnesses are present, you'll hear the police reporting the crime via radio and starting a search. The minimap will then alert you of nearby NCPD patrols that need to be avoided for a while to get clear of the search.
Vehicle combat is also now implemented in a GTA-like fashion. While driving, players can draw a weapon (a pistol or revolver, mind you, as holding the wheel while wielding a shotgun doesn't really seem practical) and shoot. By default, the game locks you onto targets, though unlocking the aim and moving the crosshair wherever you want is possible. It's not necessarily the most effective way of dispatching enemies, though; I find that getting out of the car and doing it the old-fashioned way gets the job done better and faster.
That changes a bit if you can get your hands on vehicles equipped with mounted weaponry introduced with the Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty expansion. Two weapon types are available: miniguns, either strapped to the side or bolted to the front of the car, and mini-rocket launchers. Needless to say, both can be absolutely deadly, though aligning the miniguns with your target can be tricky.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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