By Cyberpunk 2077 has been undeniably impressive for some time, yet it still seems like the developer CD Projekt Red is discovering fresh ways to improve the game’s redemption narrative years following its unprecedented, catastrophic release. The most recent instance is Cyberpunk’s introduction to the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog, occurring just under five years after Sony completely removed the title from the PlayStation Store and provided refunds to anyone who had purchased it, given its poor state.
In a recent PlayStation blog entry, Sony‘s Adam Michel, head of game services content, brings this unique storyline full circle. The PlayStation Plus Game Catalog lineup for July 2025 features:
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Abiotic Factor
- Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden
- Bluey: The Videogame
- Planet Zoo
- Risk of Rain 2
- Tropico 6
- New World: Aeternum
- And for Premium subscribers: Twisted Metal 3 and 4
Significantly, this does not encompass Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, the expansion that substantially reworked and enhanced the RPG while introducing some of CDPR’s finest narrative content ever. Instead, as part of the PlayStation Plus 15th anniversary celebrations, Phantom Liberty will be available at a 30% discount to PS Plus members until July 23. And if you’re planning to explore Cyberpunk, please experience Phantom Liberty.
With a nod to Risk of Rain 2, one of the top roguelike titles of all time, and Abiotic Factor, celebrated by many as one of the finest survival titles in recent years, I primarily want to highlight Cyberpunk 2077 from this collection. It conveniently stands out as the largest title amongst the group – the flagship offering for this month’s selection – and evokes thoughts of an intriguing time capsule.
Retrieving Sony’s remarks from the era when Cyberpunk 2077 was undeniably Not Good, the publisher stated: “SIE aims to guarantee a high level of customer satisfaction, hence we will commence offering a full refund for all players who have acquired Cyberpunk 2077 via PlayStation Store. SIE will also be removing Cyberpunk 2077 from PlayStation Store until further notice.” This followed a surge of complaints and refund demands which had evidently escalated so significantly that Sony chose to disengage entirely.
CDPR acknowledged this in its own statement at that point, asserting, in what remains one of the most notable and scathing ‘uh oh’ title card announcements from a game studio, that “a decision was made to momentarily halt digital distribution of Cyberpunk 2077 on PlayStation Store.” More harshly, the studio appended: “To our knowledge, starting today, anyone who is not inclined to wait for updates and desires to refund their digital copy of the game can do so by submitting a request.”
During investor call discussions in the same timeframe, CD Projekt VP Michal Nowakowski remarked: “The expense of patching the game is trivial [compared] to what we have at stake at this moment, so there is no doubt about it. We certainly wish to rectify the game, we promised our players, and we will do everything possible to fulfill that commitment.”
After five tumultuous years, it’s simple to forget and challenging to emphasize just how terrible this situation was. An RPG giant cast aside by one of the major platforms in gaming. And I’m not mentioning this to reproach CDPR. The studio conceded its failure, and it has corrected its game and much more. I merely find this PS Plus connection too poignant to overlook.
Fast forward to the present and CDPR continues to enhance Cyberpunk 2077. The studio is emulating Terraria with a succession of final, ultimate, final patches, having recently postponing update 2.3 to “ensure we’re satisfied with it.”
Simultaneously, a sequel to Cyberpunk 2077 is actively in progress – we’re temporarily referring to it as Cyberpunk 2 – and CDPR is also diligently working on The Witcher 4, along with numerous other initiatives.