Verdict
Cyberpunk 2077’s Nintendo Switch 2 port offers you a new way to play in the form of fluid motion controls, which has quickly become my favorite way to enjoy the combat in Night City. One of the best RPGs of the last decade is right at home on the new console, and I highly recommend both new and old fans give it a try.
Welcome to my Cyberpunk 2077 Switch 2 review, chooms. I've been waiting a very long time to gush over one of my favorite videogames of all time. I have more than 500 hours clocked in Night City across both the PS4 and PS5 versions of the game, completing it numerous times, at least once with each life path, though I certainly spent more time with one than the other two - more on that later.
Everyone and their grandmother knows about Cyberpunk 2077 at this point, following its controversial launch back in December 2020. The controversy didn't come from it being a bad game, more that it had some very questionable performance issues - I should know, it crashed on me every hour without fail, and I racked up 144 hours before moving on to a different game following its release.
With that in mind, it stands to reason that the first thing you want to know about this superb ARPG is whether or not you need to worry about performance issues on the Nintendo Switch 2. It's a valid concern given the beginnings of V's journey, but it thrills me to confirm that there aren't any such problems with this port, minus one minor glitch during a gig (an important prompt took a while to show) and a slightly fuzzy appearance at times. I've spent a lot of time in Night City since last Thursday, making the most out of the code CD Projekt Red kindly gave me. I've taken breaks here and there to play other Switch games, but my Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour review explains what a mistake that was - I should have stayed in NC.
While I'm happy to share my two cents about the game overall, I think it's more important for me to focus on the unique aspects of Cyberpunk 2077's Switch 2 port. Without question, it cements itself as my new go-to platform for the action game, thanks to the motion controls. You read that right, CD Projekt Red knew what it was doing, making the most out of the Switch 2 Joy-Cons by giving you the option to use gyroscope controls.
Typically, me and V go for handguns, shotguns, and netrunning to survive our encounters with Maelstrom, the Valentinos, Araska, and every other faction that's out to get us. While I certainly tested the new motion controls with some guns (it's hella fun), I saw this as an opportunity to go for a build I often overlook in Night City: melee. With baseball bats, knives, katanas, and other blunt objects at my disposal, now seems as good a time as ever to try it.
And you know what? I'm glad I did. The motion controls are a lot of fun, and they work really well. Admittedly, I had some teething issues at first, but the tutorial does a great job of teaching you what to do. In fact, if you don't take the tutorial shard off Jackie at the start of the game, you can't even use the motion controls, so I highly recommend completing it just to give yourself the option later, even if you don't necessarily want to fling your wrist about just yet.
At first, you may think the motion controls are a bit sensitive - I certainly did - but there's an entire section in the game's settings to adjust it to your liking. You can alter the camera's speed and control how often the motion effects are applied. If you want to use melee, you do need to get used to them being permanent, but, trust me, it makes for some chaotic fun. On the other hand, if you prefer guns, you can actually opt to only have the gyroscope controls active while wielding your weapon. Better still, you can limit it to be solely when you aim down sights.
I appreciate having that much freedom to alter the controls, ensuring I get the best possible experience from them. I can honestly say that this has made my first foray into Night City on Nintendo Switch 2 better than I was expecting, which is saying something, considering it was easily one of my most anticipated games for the Switch 2. While many of you were mostly after Mario Kart World, I was ready to walk the path of a merc once more, going on another ride with Johnny Silverhand. It doesn't matter how many times I play, I can't get over hearing Keanu Reeves use such language.
While I'm not the biggest fan of the Switch 2 Joy-Con mouse feature, I take my hat off to CD Projekt Red for implementing it in Cyberpunk and for doing it quite well. It's not my jam, but the mouse is reactive and smooth, so it's likely a good option for those of you who enjoy playing FPS games on PC.
Okay, I've talked about the Switch 2-specific features and how much fun they are, so it's time for me to indulge myself a little and offer my thoughts on the game as a whole - sure, it's been four and half years, but I've been waiting for this. It's my time. Plus, you might not have had the opportunity to experience Cyberpunk 2077 before, especially if you're exclusively a Nintendo console user.
Let's start with the story; while the opening few hours may feel like a little bit of a slog (like The Witcher 3, in a way), once you get through the prologue and into Act 1, things ramp up to 11, and they don't stop. You play as V, a merc who you get to create in your own image. They get the gig of a lifetime, one that's going to take them and their partner, Jackie Wells, to the major leagues. Of course, while people dream big in Night City, very few can actually beat the city, so it's little surprise that things go awry for V, and they end up with a dead corp hater, Johnny Silverhand, in their head.
I'm not big on spoilers, even for a game that's nearly five years old, so I'm reluctant to divulge much more than that regarding the narrative, but I will say that it features a stellar cast that makes your time in Night City even more interesting. Panam, Judy, and River are among my favorites, all three of whom have little stories of their own that are unfolding, and it's up to you whether you help them or not. The clock's ticking, choom, but friends are hard to come by in Night City.
Something that's completely different from its launch in 2020 is the attributes and perks system, and the change is for the better, in all honesty. There are five different attributes you can work on - body, cool, reflexes, technical ability, and intelligence - all of which contribute to a different playstyle. Body, for instance, is all about getting up close and personal with melee weapons, LMGs, or shotguns.
Then, you can earn perk points to unlock various abilities and passives in each attribute. You get the perk points by leveling up your efficiency in five different skills, such as shinobi, solo, and engineer. For example, one of my main attributes is cool, which goes hand in hand with the headshot skill. While it might take a minute to get your head around the system, it works incredibly well once you do.
Of course, the perks and attributes system is the foundation of the combat, which is among the most enjoyable I've experienced in an RPG in recent years, affording you true freedom to do things your way. There's a huge assortment of weapons; like I said, I'm an all-guns blazing kind of girl with handguns and shotguns, plus a sprinkle of assault rifles for a bit of crowd control when the gangoons charge me.
However, I'm also partial to a bit of netrunning, which usually pairs nicely with a quiet approach. If you want to sneak around and pick people off one by one, you can; if you want to do a Kayleigh and watch those bullets fly, you can. If you like to do things as cleanly as possible and in a pacifistic way, you can, depending on the mission. But if that's you, I have to say that's a pretty gonk way to do it - why are you even in Night City?
In a nutshell, Cyberpunk 2077 is already cementing itself as one of the best Switch 2 games, giving you a massive triple-A experience that you can take with you on the go, and as the game runs incredibly well in both docked and handheld, that's not a problem. If you want an action-fueled adventure where everything is on the line, you need to step into V's shoes, and, as a longtime fan, I can honestly say I'm blown away by how good it is on the Nintendo Switch 2, and those motion controls might just make it the best platform to play it on.
If you want to learn more about the new hardware, make sure you check out our Nintendo Switch 2 review. Then, if the motion controls in Cyberpunk 2077 aren't for you, we have a guide to the best Nintendo Switch 2 controllers, and our Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller review explains why it might be the one for you.