In 2026, Cyberpunk 2077 is no longer the glitchy cautionary tale that launched in 2020. It is a polished, densely packed action RPG with a sprawling expansion, Phantom Liberty, bolted onto its side like a chrome arm that actually works. Yet a surprisingly persistent question still buzzes around Night City: should players beat the base game before diving into Phantom Liberty? The short answer is no. The longer, more sarcastic answer is absolutely not, unless they enjoy watching V's story end right before the good part.
The Short Answer: No, Don't Beat The Base Game First
No, players do not need to complete Cyberpunk 2077 before tackling Phantom Liberty. In fact, the recommended path is to start a new character and work through the story with the expansion woven in. Phantom Liberty includes so much additional content, and it revamps so much of the base game, that treating it as a post-game bonus is like putting a rocket engine on a bicycle and calling it a tune-up.
Why would anyone sprint to the credits, watch V's fate get decided, and then try to awkwardly jam a spy thriller into the wreckage? That is not a story order. That is a cry for help. Most of the base game's endings leave V without access to Night City in any meaningful narrative sense. The game may politely rewind players to before the point of no return, but the emotional momentum is gone. V has already stared into the abyss, and Dogtown's neon nightmare feels less like an urgent adventure and more like a chore.
If the goal is to access and complete Phantom Liberty, players should avoid finishing the base game story first. Let V stay hungry. Let V stay messy. Let V stay alive.
Why Finishing The Base Game First Can Backfire
Cyberpunk 2077 is a game about time running out. V has a malfunctioning Relic in their head, a rockstar terrorist offering commentary, and a city that wants them dead in increasingly creative ways. Phantom Liberty adds a new pressure cooker to that mix: Dogtown, a walled district ruled by a warlord and stuffed with spies, liars, and extremely bad ideas.
The expansion is not an epilogue. It is a mid-game detour that can shape V's relationships, gear, and understanding of the larger conspiracy. Starting it after the base game's finale is like arriving at a party after the host has been arrested and the cake has been eaten. Technically, the lights are still on. Practically, the vibe is ruined.
What Phantom Liberty Brings To The Table In 2026
As a full-blown expansion that originally cost $29.99, Phantom Liberty was billed by CD Projekt RED as its biggest content pack to date. In 2026, it is frequently bundled in Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, which means there are even fewer excuses to skip it.
| Feature | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Dogtown | A brand-new district with a walled-off, militarized, morally flexible atmosphere. |
| New story and characters | Songbird, Solomon Reed, President Rosalind Myers, Kurt Hansen, and enough double-crosses to fill a spy convention. |
| Side quests, gigs, boss fights | More reasons to ignore the main quest and get distracted by shiny map icons. |
| Vehicle-based missions, vehicle combat, airdrops | Because Night City's traffic was not chaotic enough already. |
| Relic skill tree | New abilities that make V even more of a walking cybersecurity nightmare. |
| 100+ new weapons, cyberware, vehicles, clothing | Fashion and firepower, because in Night City, looking good while committing crimes is essential. |
| Increased level cap of 60 | More build freedom, more perks, more ways to break the economy. |
| 2.0 overhaul | Police, cyberware, perks, and vehicle combat received major changes alongside the expansion. |
It is a massive amount of new content. Even after the expansion's main story quest is complete, players can keep going for a long while. Dogtown does not run out of problems. It simply invents new ones.
The Best Path Through Night City and Dogtown
So what should a sensible merc do in 2026? The answer depends on how much patience they have and how many times they have already heard Johnny Silverhand complain.
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Start a new character or load a mid-Act 2 save. A fresh V is the cleanest way to experience the revised systems and the expansion together.
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Play through Act 1 and early Act 2. The base game's early hours set up V's relationships, reputation, and general lack of self-preservation.
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Reach the main story mission that triggers the Phantom Liberty call. In most cases, this means progressing until Songbird reaches out after V has done enough main story work.
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Go to Dogtown when the call comes. Do not wait for the credits. The credits are not a doorway. They are a wall.
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Weave Phantom Liberty and the base game together. Do some Dogtown gigs, then return to Night City. Do some Night City gigs, then return to Dogtown. Repeat until V is overleveled and over-caffeinated.
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Keep a manual save before the final mission. This allows players to sample multiple endings without losing their progress or their sanity.
For players who cannot stomach another hour of Watson gigs, CDPR also added a skip option that starts V at a reasonable level and drops them into Dogtown. Is it cheating? Maybe. Is it convenient? Absolutely. Is it going to make purists write angry forum posts? Also absolutely.
Scenario Table: What Should You Do?
| Player Situation | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Never played Cyberpunk 2077 | Start fresh, play to Act 2, then begin Phantom Liberty. |
| Beat the base game years ago | Start a new V or load a pre-final save and continue into Dogtown. |
| Only want the expansion | Use the skip to Phantom Liberty option if available. |
| Want every ending | Keep a manual save before the point of no return and branch from there. |
| Completionist | Weave the expansion into the base game and finish Dogtown before the finale. |
| Here for the fashion | Dogtown has new clothes. That is the entire argument. |
Final Verdict: Dogtown Is Calling
Phantom Liberty is not a victory lap. It is a mid-game expansion that makes Cyberpunk 2077 better, weirder, and more dangerous. In 2026, with years of patches, the Ultimate Edition, and a sequel somewhere on the horizon, there is no good reason to rush the base game's ending before experiencing it.
Let V enjoy Night City a little longer. Let Johnny Silverhand complain about it. Let Dogtown chew on V's cyberware and spit out a spy thriller. After all, what is the point of saving Night City if players never stop to enjoy the view? Or the airdrops? Or the 100 new weapons? Exactly.
So the next time someone asks whether they should beat Cyberpunk 2077 before Phantom Liberty, the answer is simple: no, do not. Start a new V, reach Act 2, and take the call. Dogtown is not going anywhere, but V's story deserves a better order.