by theygamesWant to know about the Phantom Liberty release date? The upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 expansion, dubbed a “spy-thriller” by developer CD Projekt Red, promises to drop you in a brand-new part of Night City. As V, a Cyberpunk for hire, we’ll be spying around and fighting military forces along with our new buddy, FIA Agent Solomon Reed, played by Idris Elba.
We had our first glimpse of the expansion during The Game Awards 2022, but there’s still so much we don’t know about this upcoming RPG game. Judging by CD Projekt Red’s past games, there’s a good chance Phantom Liberty ends up on our best PC games list by the end of the ear. Based on the first trailers, here’s everything we know about Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty so far.
Phantom Liberty release date
The Phantom Liberty release date is scheduled to launch in 2023. As stated in the Cyberpunk 2077 DLC announcement post from September 2022, the expansion is set to arrive in 2023. Given that it’s quite a broad time window, we probably shouldn’t expect Phantom Liberty in the early months of the year.
Phantom Liberty is exclusive to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S players. Unlike Cyberpunk 2077, this expansion won’t be released on PS4 and Xbox One. Furthermore, Phantom Liberty is being sold as DLC, not as a free update, so you’ll have to buy it if you wish to play it.
Phantom Liberty trailers
In the first Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty trailer, we hear V repeating an oath to “faithfully serve the New United States of America”, suggesting that V is about to start a new gig as a government agent. Or perhaps V is privately employed by the mysterious woman shown at 0:28, who seems to be the person dictating the oath. Possessing that ‘powerful person’ aura, this mystery woman is likely to be a high-profile politician. As some Cyberpunk 2077 fans have suggested online, she may be none other than the President of the NUSA, Rosalind Myers.
Near the end of the trailer, we see a second mysterious woman standing on top of a stadium while a plane comes crashing down. Based on the red glitching effect, she’s probably an Engram, a digital copy of a person’s consciousness.
Interestingly, not everyone on team V seems to be on board with the NUSA alliance. Near the end of the first Phantom Liberty trailer, a male voice warns V that taking the oath is “a bad idea”. Wait a minute… doesn’t that voice sound familiar? Yes, that’s right; Keanu Reeves returns as our favourite Engram Rockerboy, Johnny Silverhand. In the second Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty trailer, we hear him complaining about politicians and the military while the camera reveals a colourful new area called ‘Dogtown’.
Reeves won’t be the only famous actor making an appearance in Phantom Liberty, as the second teaser also introduces us to Solomon Reed, an FIA Agent played by Idris Elba. Given that ‘FIA’ probably stands for ‘Federal Intelligence Agency’, it’s safe to assume that Solomon is a professional secret agent. In this brief teaser, Solomon suggests that his goal is to establish peace. His method of operation? Burning Dogtown to the ground, apparently.
Phantom Liberty setting and story
The first Phantom Liberty trailer shows a massive stadium, which suggests that at least part of the DLC takes place in the Pacifica District, in the southwestern corner of the Cyberpunk 2077 map. It also shows a glimpse of a greenhouse which could be the Biotechnica Flats. Don’t expect too many familiar locations though, as CD Projekt Red has promised that most of the Phantom Liberty DLC takes place in a brand-new part of Night City. Dogtown, as shown in the second teaser, will no doubt become an important location.
As for the storyline, Militech seems to play a major role. A plane crash is teased in both trailers could potentially be the trigger for a Pacifica purge. Perhaps a high-profile politician was one of the passengers (Rosalind Myers?). Here’s a wild guess: V is semi-forcibly recruited as an undercover agent by an NUSA-politician-gone-rogue, is then sent to find out who crashed that plane, but ends up trying to save Dogtown from a massacre.
Phantom Liberty gameplay
Not much is known about new Phantom Liberty gameplay elements, but we should probably expect to discover a fresh arsenal of weapons and cyberware. Based on a sequence of three short combat clips from the first teaser, which includes a new whip, a shotgun, and katana.
In what could possibly be another glimpse of a new gameplay element, the second trailer shows a Ripperdoc placing a cybernetic faceplate on V. As the DLC is centred around the theme of espionage, this may simply be a disguise as part of the storyline. However, if the faceplate somehow grants any new abilities, it could be more than that.
Phantom Liberty news
As part of a YouTube comment, CD Projekt Red confirmed that Phantom Liberty is the only major expansion planned for Cyberpunk 2077. Then again, if Phantom Liberty proves to be a major success, you never know what happens next.
The Phantom Liberty DLC adds a new radio station to the game, Growl FM, dedicated to music made by fans. As part of a community contest during Fall 2022, musically gifted players could enter their original Cyberpunk-inspired songs for a chance to be featured.
That’s everything you need to know about Phantom Liberty so far. If you haven’t played the cyberpunk game in a while, definitely give our Cyberpunk 2077 mods guide a read to find out how you can enhance your experience.