Performance Cyberpunk 2077 got worse after last update!

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty has garnered recognition as the game that players had yearned for back in 2020, bringing to fruition CD Projekt Red’s vision of Night City. Accompanied by the version 2.0 update, Phantom Liberty introduces significant changes to the game, spanning alterations in combat and RPG mechanics to the behaviors of non-playable characters within the game world. Nevertheless, it has not been without its share of issues.

Since its release on September 26, the console experience, particularly on the Xbox Series S, has proven to be less than optimal. Numerous players have reported that the game’s performance appears to have regressed, a development likely attributable to the extensive changes introduced. Complaints have surfaced, encompassing game crashes and difficulties associated with loading save files, even following the latest patch aimed at addressing these concerns.

Having had the opportunity to experience Phantom Liberty on the Xbox Series S, one can confidently assert that the game exhibited more favorable performance prior to the implementation of the version 2.0 update. This outcome is unsurprising, given the introduction of additional content, and has contributed to the reemergence of performance-related issues reminiscent of version 1.0. Among the problems reported are protracted loading times for textures, resulting in inadvertent collisions with invisible objects, and an inability to load specific save files. Furthermore, the game’s framerate appears to have encountered challenges, particularly in the Dogtown locale.

These concerns are not exclusive to the Xbox Series S, as a number of players have documented similar issues on Xbox Series X and even on the PlayStation 5 (PS5). The PS5 user base, in particular,
had previously contended with save file corruption problems, and while a patch was deployed to address this issue, it was unable to restore the corrupted save files. Both console platforms seem to exhibit difficulties in detecting the presence of Phantom Liberty, leading to an inability to load save files created subsequent to commencing the expansion.

Xbox users have encountered their own set of issues, including graphical glitches, such as anomalies in the player character’s skin textures. Additionally, instances have arisen where non-playable characters appear suspended in the air, potentially linked to rendering problems of the objects upon which they are meant to be seated. Another concern involves occasional misrendering of V’s attire, a problem that usually resolves itself upon accessing the inventory screen.

In light of these persistent issues, CD Projekt Red still has work to do in order to restore Phantom Liberty to the level of polish exhibited by the base game prior to the version 2.0 update. While the game continues to receive support, even in the absence of another expansion, players are hopeful that these issues will be addressed in the near future.