Welcome to EXPlay, (Explain & Play) the review series where we care not for scores, but tell it how it is when it comes to every game we get our hands on, all whilst including some lengthy gameplay, to give you, the reader, the chance to form your own impressions and views while reading and watching.
In this explanatory review, we’re covering Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition by developer, CD Projekt RED:
Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition (Nintendo Switch 2)
Developed by CD Projekt RED, Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition is an action RPG based on the Cyberpunk tabletop game series created by Mike Pondsmith. It was originally released back in 2020, as something of a hot mess, but a lot has happened in the last five years. The game has improved immensely, and as of June 5, 2025, it can now be enjoyed on the Nintendo Switch 2.Â
Set in the fictional setting of Night City, the best and quickest way to sum up Cyberpunk 2077 is to imagine Grand Theft Auto crossed with Watchdogs and made with a cyberpunk aesthetic. If you have played either one of those series, you will know outright what kind of game Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition is and how it plays. However, don’t worry, as this is a review, we will cover the game’s gameplay and features in detail, rather than solely focusing on its visual performance. So, let’s dive right into the story.
As a megacity, located in the Free State of North California, Night City is a place of dreams, nightmares, and opportunity for those crazy enough to seize them. Between corporate warfare, a corrupt government, gang violence and the NCPD, gunfights and shrewd manipulation are a daily occurrence in Night City, and protagonist V is just one of the many people who call Night City, looking to make a name for themself. V, of course, is a nickname, as the protagonist’s first name will depend on the gender you choose for the main character. (You can also design your character, however you wish, genitals included, from the available options.)
Should you choose to play as a male, V is Vincent and in the English version of the game, voiced by Gavin Drea. If you choose female, however, V is short for Valerie and Valerie is voiced by Cherami Leigh. (Then, of course, there’s Keanu Reeves voicing Johnny Silverhand, whose likeness is based on Keanu Reeves.) V is a mercenary, and players can pick their desired background story for them from the available options: Nomad, Streetkid or Corpo.
Cyberpunk 2077Â begins with V returning to town, and, during a job that goes wrong, makes an acquaintance with Jackie Welles. The two quickly become good friends and partners, with a montage showing their exploits together, but the game is still just starting. Life may be good, but what was meant to be their ticket to the big time is a job that goes horribly wrong , treachery is afoot and now V must contend with Johnny Silverhand. Neither party is all too happy about the arrangement, but that’s just a bitter pill they’re going to have to swallow if V wishes to come out of the other side swinging.
As for the gameplay, being the first-person, open world, action role-playing game that it is, players are free to explore Night City at their leisure, playing through the various acts that make up the game’s main story, or completing side jobs, mini missions where the requirements for their completion, differ. Being a mercenary, V can wield a variety of weapons, such as handguns, shotguns, sniper rifles and assault rifles and when not shooting at enemies, you can also sprint, dodge, slide and take cover when needed. But, when all else fails, you can either go mano y mano and fight enemies with your bare hands, or you can remember this is a futuristic game and cyberware is a thing.
By visiting ripperdocs, V, as long as they have enough Eurodollars, can purchase all manner of cybernetic upgrades that can increase their hacking skills, natural attributes or just speed up loading times. Weapons can also be upgraded, and, depending on your preferred style of play, it is possible to complete Cyberpunk 2077 without killing anyone, as non-lethal weapons, take-downs and cyberware is a thing. You can also opt to take advantage of the game’s censorship option to cut out all nudity and make this 18-rated game, less 18-rated.
Other areas V can be improved is via the game’s five attributes, Body, Reflexes, Technical Ability, Intelligence and Cool. How many points you allocate to each attribute will enable you to learn new skills and perform certain actions when playing through the game and interacting with others. For example, if you improve V’s Body, you can pry open a door that wouldn’t previously open. Naturally, though, those skills we mentioned, by improving your attributes, you can gain access to more skills, but skill points are needed to unlock them. There is also a sixth attribute called Relic, but that is only available during the Phantom Liberty expansion.
When not running, gunning or undertaking missions, players are free to explore the multiple regions that make up Night City (City Centre, Heywood, Pacifica, Santo Domingo, Watson, Westbrook, to name a few), along with the Badlands, which is on the outskirts of Night City. V has an apartment in Watson, but players with enough Euro Dollars to spend can purchase up to four apartments across Night City and purchase new vehicles. Sure, you can always steal any vehicle that takes your fancy, but it’s also nice owning them too, being able to summon them to your location at any time you need a lift and don’t want to solely rely on fast travel points.
But, in all seriousness, if you have never played Cyberpunk 2077 before, expect a lot of great surprises. V’s delivery of jokes and insults couldn’t be more well-timed. There is a mission that will have you shoot up flamingo yard decorations, deal with runaway cars with daddy issues, with one making a joke that therapists hate cars because they don’t have mothers. My personal favourite, however, must be the target range missions where V must down a shot before shooting at targets across multiple rounds, with V getting progressively drunker.
Furthermore, regarding driving, as cool as it is zooming around Night City in first-person, doing so can make certain vehicles a little harder to control. So, it’s great that CD Projekt RED allows you to change the camera mode during driving, to switch things up to third-person. I’m not saying I don’t enjoy mowing down gangbangers, but it feels a lot better knowing I did it purposefully, rather than accidentally.
But what about console-specific features? Well, other than HD Rumble 2, which is to be expected on the Nintendo Switch 2, one of the main new features is mouse support. Whether you choose to hook up an external mouse or use the Right Joy-Con 2, mouse support is here and while we prefer playing with a Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, the mouse functionality is smooth and a worthwhile alternative for those who prefer playing with a mouse, but you will have to enable it to use it.
There is also touchscreen support, so when playing in Handheld or Tabletop mode, players can press on the LCD screen of their Nintendo Switch 2 to interact with the game menus, map and even the inventory. Another feature that can be enabled is Motion Patterns. With this, players can hold a Joy-Con 2 in each hand and conduct a variety of motion controls to use items, attack, and even dodge. Then, last but certainly not least, Gyroscope Mode.
Should you long for a more immersive experience, with Gyroscope mode you can rotate the Joy-Con to adjust your aiming and maximise your precision. And just in case you don’t feel like starting from scratch, cross-play is available so those who initially played on the likes of PC, will be able to play their save file on the Nintendo Switch 2 and swap between them whenever you wish.
Graphically, there can be no denying how good Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition looks on Nintendo Switch 2. Night City has been brilliantly adapted to Nintendo’s latest console. Does it look better than the PC version? No, but it doesn’t look far off, and to have a game, any game, look this good, play this good on the go, it’s a sacrifice worth making, and it looks even better when played on a 4K TV. Let’s not forget, the Phantom Liberty expansion wasn’t available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, due to how taxing it could be and despite having to make some adjustments, Phantom Liberty is available on Nintendo Switch 2.
Something else you can do to boost the visual output is by playing in Quality mode. By sacrificing some fps, players can have a slightly more enriching experience thanks to docked play targeting 1080p with DLSS 30 fps. Whereas, Performance mode sustains 40 fps whether you’re playing on a TV or in handheld. Still, let us be clear. In Quality mode, while docked the game does target 1090p, it fluctuates between 720p to 1080p and then in Handheld mode, it ranges from 450p – 810p via DLSS at a consistent rate of 30 fps. Performance mode on the other hand, when in Handheld mode, manages 360p to 720p, but thanks to DLSS, is restructured to 720p.
As for how these things can affect Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, when playing in Quality mode, reflections in mirrors look clear, whereas in Performance mode, they take a hit. But, having said that, Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition for Nintendo Switch 2, has been optimised better for Pop-ins than the PS4 version of the game. It features the same texture quality as PS5 and has multiple instances where it surpasses the Xbox Series S version of the game graphically, and, while outdoor shadows are something of a step backwards, interior settings are an improvement. But, for the sake of repetition, Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition looks good, plays good, and feels good being on a Nintendo console. Phantom Liberty takes a hit and tests the new platform’s limitations, but it’s still playable and highly enjoyable.
Cyberpunk 2077’s redemption story is one for the record books. It went from being one of the buggiest games at launch, to various patches that greatly improved the experience and turned it into one of the must-play RPG’s of this decade. From its storytelling to world building and the characters that fill this world, there’s plenty here to keep coming back to. Especially when you pick up the Ultimate Edition, as it includes the brilliant Phantom Liberty expansion.
To have a game such as Cyberpunk 2077 and all its content, playable in handheld no less, and still look this good, CD Projekt RED have pulled off the magical feat of the century. (They must have learned a thing or two from Geralt and Yennifer when working on the Witcher games.) The Nintendo Switch 2 version is already a must-have in its own right, but the added fact that you can have the entire game on a physical cartridge, with no downloads required, as CD Projekt RED refused to go down the Game Key Card or digital download route, is all the better.
So, what are you waiting for? Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition isn’t going to purchase itself for you and add it to your collection. Of course, the real question is, now that we know the Nintendo Switch 2 can support Cyberpunk 2077, can it support the eventual Cyberpunk 2 game that’s been in development since 2022? Only time will tell.Â
Game Specifications:
Developer: CD Projekt RED
Publisher: CD Projekt
Platform: Nintendo Switch 2 (Physical)
Genre: Action, Role-playing, Shooting
No. of Players:Â 1 (Single System)
Release Date:Â June 5, 2025
Price:Â $69.99
File Size: 59.4 GB
Nintendo.com Listing
