Cyberpunk 2077 is more than a little rough on the base PS4 and Xbox One

Cyberpunk 2077 releases across PS4, Xbox One, PC and Google Stadia today and it seems base versions of consoles aren’t handling the RPG very well. 

It’s no big surprise, given the PS4 and Xbox One first launched in 2013, with their technical specifications falling behind what is required to truly help Cyberpunk 2077 shine. 

That being said, the game has been heavily marketed for those platforms, so you’d hope the experience would be rather impressive in terms of visuals and performance. Sadly, that doesn’t appear to be the case for some users, if recent videos are to be believed. 

Related: How long is Cyberpunk 2077?

This is Cyberpunk 2077 – PS4 version 1.00. Resolution is literally below 720p and the game takes 20 seconds to load in textures. Inexcusable. Unfathomable. Unplayable. pic.twitter.com/AZ2OPTnkdL

— Michael Does Life (@MichaelDoesLife) December 9, 2020

The above video is running Version 1.00 of Cyberpunk 2077 on PS4, and it’s struggling to reach a Full HD resolution alongside other notable issues such as performance struggles and textures failing to load in even when the player is up close and personal to such structures in Night City. It’s a bit hard to watch if we’re being honest. 

IGN has released 11 minutes of the game running on Xbox One, showcasing a perfectly playable experience, yet one which is dominated by a blurry image, texture pop-in and other issues which certainly take away from the glorious splendour of Night City. The game is absolutely gorgeous, it just seems these older consoles aren’t capable of doing it justice.

Related: Cyberpunk 2077 Music Guide 

The day one patch has improved upon many of the issues seen above, but if you want to experience Cyberpunk 2077 to its fullest, you’ll need to either play on PC or wait until the dedicated next-gen patch arrives in 2021. PS4 Pro and Xbox One X fare much better, and the experience is great across PS5 and Xbox Series X – I said as much in my 4/5 review:

“I’ve now had time to test Cyberpunk 2077 across PS5 and Xbox Series X via backward compatibility. The next-gen upgrade isn’t set to arrive until 2021, yet the current experience across both platforms is surprisingly impressive. While it doesn’t hold a candle to its PC counterpart, those hoping to immerse themselves in Night City on console likely won’t be disappointed.”

Eurogamer has also posted its findings of the PS4 version of Cyberpunk 2077, and it’s not pretty: “Cyberpunk 2077 on PS4 looks very blurry, running between 720p and 900p resolution, and the framerate for any driving around the big city areas is constantly at around 20. While some indoor battles run well at 30fps, they can drop to 25fps. Framerate drops are one thing, but there’s also hitching – big hiccups in the action where a new object or texture needs to load in. This can make it a challenge to shoot or drive.”

I’d personally recommend playing on PS4 Pro or Xbox One X if you can, since the overall experience of Cyberpunk 2077 on the base consoles comes with so many compromises to what is a beautiful and nuanced game at its heart. There’s a big chance that the situation will improve massively in the coming weeks and months, and we’ll be sure to keep you updated.