Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty explores treachery in Dogtown

Cyberpunk 2077 took players on a breathtaking ride through the futuristic Night City. While the game's main setting was filled with danger and excitement, there's another piece of the city that has yet to be explored. Phantom Liberty, which is being billed as Cyberpunk 2077's one and only expansion, will take players to Dogtown. On top of being one of the only unexplored regions in Night City, it also has the distinction of being its most dangerous.

Phantom Liberty continues the story of V, who is still in contact with netrunner Songbird. In mid-briefing, Space Shuttle One (containing both Songbird and President Rosalind Myers) is shot down by a missile strike and lands in the middle of the violent Dogtown. For our demo at Summer Game Fest, V was tasked with charging into Dogtown and rescuing President Myers before Colonel Hansen's hostile forces could swarm on her location.

As President Myers holds a fire hydrant on a downed V, the tone for Phantom Liberty is set. Can anybody be trusted? CD Projekt RED isn't giving answers and notes that player decisions will mean more than ever for V and their allies. Interestingly, this was where the demo ended. One of the main draws for Phantom Liberty is the new character Solomon Reed, played by Idris Elba. He was noticeably absent during our demo but is expected to play a major role in the story.

The atmosphere within Dogtown stands out immediately. There's a firefight around nearly every corner. The terrain and layout feel completely foreign. Survival means not only dominating foes in straightforward shootouts, it means exercising stealth tactics. While many of the typical Cyberpunk 2077 weaponry will be available, V will also have access to new weapons, vehicles, and a whole new Relic skill tree. The Relic skill tree can further mold V for numerous play styles built for battle, stealth, hacking, and more.

As promised earlier this year, CD Projekt RED had plenty to show off for Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty. Look for the expansion to arrive on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S on September 26. Keep it on Shacknews for more from this big gaming weekend, including from today's Xbox Games Showcase.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?