It's an understatement to say that Cyberpunk 2077 got off to a rocky start, but the game has steadily improved over the last few years and has genuinely earned a spot on my top 10 RPGs of all time. Now the fires are out; the game is finally set to receive its first significant expansion, Phantom Liberty. According to CD Projekt Red, the new DLC is expected to delve deeper into the futuristic world of Night City, offering players an immersive spy-thriller experience with a star-studded cast and exciting new gameplay mechanics.

Although the official release date for Phantom Liberty has yet to be confirmed, rumours suggest that the expansion will hit sometime in August 2023. Phantom Liberty will be available for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X - perhaps unsurprisingly, CD Projekt Red has phased out support for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, opting to leverage the enhanced capabilities of the latest gaming hardware, which suffered from significant performance problems when the game initially launched.

As for the pricing, the expansion will be a paid DLC, with an estimated cost of €29.99 ($34.99). This price point has raised eyebrows, considering it exceeds the combined cost of all the DLC released for CD Projekt's arguably more successful title, The Witcher 3. I'm just hoping the development time and price point will reflect in the final product's quality; frankly, I'm hyped for fresh adventures in Night City.

Phantom Liberty introduces new characters to the Cyberpunk 2077 universe, including Idris Elba as Solomon Reed, an FIA Agent, and the return of Keanu Reeves as Johnny Silverhand. The expansion's setting is rumoured to be an all-new district within Night City, possibly the Pacifica Combat Zone. This dangerous and heavily fortified area, isolated from the rest of Pacifica, presents players with unique challenges and exciting gameplay opportunities. Infiltration and espionage will be critical components of the expansion.

In addition to the expanded storyline, players can tune in to the all-new radio station, 89.7 Growl FM. This station will feature tracks submitted by players and hosted by the enigmatic DJ ASH, voiced by Sasha Grey. Time has also been spent on improving core mechanics, such as the much-maligned police AI and vehicle-to-vehicle combat, which will be very welcome if they can pull it off.

While CD Projekt Red strives to perfect the Phantom Liberty expansion, the studio is concurrently working on the highly anticipated The Witcher 4: Polaris. It's not quite done with the Cyberpunk IP just yet, though, as a new game called Cyberpunk Orion is also in the works. Not stopping there, CD Projekt also has a unique IP, tentatively titled Project Hadar, in the conceptual phase of development.