Consider how many new cyberpunk-inspired projects began popping up afterCyberpunk 2077’s announcement. Sure, CD Project Red certainly didn’t invent the cyberpunk subgenre, as there were plenty of other games before it. At the same time, the upcoming RPG has helped bring cyberpunk games back to the mainstream. In 2020 alone, there’s already several confirmed cyberpunk projects coming to current/next gen consoles and PC.
For a while, it seemed cyberpunk-inspired media had become cliche and eventually phased out of mainstream pop culture for a long time. It’s often argued that cyberpunk as a whole was just a subculture that had its brief moment in the sun before extending beyond its welcome. And with that phasing out meant cyberpunk games were even less likely to be greenlit or developed for that reason. Now, withCyberpunk 2077gaining great traction, a micro-resurgence of the cyberpunk genre has begun in games.
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Height of Cyberpunk Games
Cyberpunk’s massive popularity began in the 80s, as science fiction became a big pop culture hit thanks to many technological advancements during the decade. Techno music, special effects and animation in movies, and even the mainstream adoption of arcades and games in general, all provided a platform for the Cyberpunk craze to blossom. Cyberpunk wouldn’t existwithout movies likeBlade Runnerand wouldn’t have persisted as long as it did without games likeSnatcherorShadowrun. These games helped pave the way for a litany of classic cyberpunk games that kept the subgenre alive in the burgeoning new medium of games.
From there, games likeSystem Shockand laterDeux Exwould further prove that cyberpunk would continue to live on in the not-so-niche activity of playing video games. Many 90s cyberpunk games like the aforementioned examples were some of the most influential games ever made, and paved the way for many other genres of games moving forward. Games from a variety of developers in the future would take inspiration from cyberpunk worlds,like howFinal Fantasy 7’s Midgaremphasized dystopia in its overall structure and design. But, while cyberpunk continued to lend inspiration to various other genres, devoted cyberpunk-specific games became less popular over time.
2077 Was a Catalyst For More Cyberpunk
Higher profile game developers/publishers tend to make waves when it announces or released a new game to fans. In this particular case, CD Projekt Red has influenced a great resurgence in cyberpunk-inspired games being developed from various sides of the industry. CD Projekt Red, responsible for developing the massively popularWitcherRPG series, started developingCyberpunk 2077as a love letter to theCyberpunk 2020tabletop gameit’s based on. The game was announced all the way back in 2012, and was long thought to be in development limbo until the game got its first gameplay trailer in 2018. Considering the massive hype surrounding2077, many other cyberpunk games in the meantime scored a lot of love as a result of CD Projekt Red’s upcoming game.
That’s not to say it was the only reason why any cyberpunk games became popular, but it certainly helped immensely. Pop culture in general hadn’t really cared for cyberpunk media for a long time, and it very much became the niche subculture it began as many decades ago. Some gamesshone brighter than others likeMirror’s Edgeand the.hackseries, but those games had various other aspects that were far more impactful on the games' success compared to their cyberpunk-inspired stories. That being said, plenty of fantastic cyberpunk games came as a result ofCyberpunk 2077’s announcement.
Low Life and High Tech is Back
Even in 2020, there are several cyberpunk projects slated for releasebefore, after, and aroundCyberpunk 2077’s official release. These games aren’t going to suffer in comparison to2077despite being aesthetically and narratively similar. In fact, in many cases these games will benefit fromCyberpunk 2077’s massive popularity, and serve to prove that cyberpunk media has reached another peak in popularity. At least for games, cyberpunk is incredibly hot right now, with all sorts of games serving up their own interpretations of the subgenre. At the very leastCyberpunk 2077played a pivotal role of reminding players what the cyberpunk genre was all about.
Outside ofCyberpunk 2077, there are a ton of promisingcyberpunk-inspired games likeGhostrunnercoming soon. Even if2077will be a landmark video game experience worthy of everyone’s time, the game has brought to light several other projects worth playing as well.
Cyberpunk 2077releases July 14, 2025 for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One
