Cyberpunk 2077: A Sequel or Based on Shadowrun?

Cyberpunk 2077 is a standalone game in itself, but the unknown fact is that it is based on the tabletop Cyberpunk game. Even some elements borrowed from Shadowrun are an ode to the source.

Cyberpunk 2077 will put you in the shoes of V, a mercenary making their way through Night City. The main element is customization; you can create your V version, be it male or female.

The story and attention to detail are what the developers are focusing on, but it means that Cyberpunk is a sequel to a previous title. Do I need to play those games before I can grasp what goes on in Cyberpunk 2077?

1. Is Cyberpunk 2077 Sequel to Cyberpunk 2020 and Red?

The Cyberpunk series is a pen and paper-based tabletop RPG game written by Mike Pondsmith. Cyberpunk 2020 and Red are the fourth and third edition of the same series. Mike was a consultant in the development of Cyberpunk 2077 and created an extension of the original cyberpunk universe.

Cyberpunk 2077 follows the universe created in Cyberpunk 2020 and Cyberpunk Red, a tabletop RPG game created by Mike Pondsmith. It is a continuation and sequel to the world created in the Cyberpunk series.

This in no way means that Cyberpunk 2077 will follow the story from the tabletop game; rather, Cyberpunk 2077 would be a standalone game on its own. CD Projekt Red has drawn the concepts from different similar universes, all of which contribute towards the game’s lore.

2. CyberPunk Based On Shadowrun?

Shadowrun is also a tabletop RPG game released a year later than the cyberpunk series.

Cyberpunk 2077 shares some elements with Shadowrun, like the netrunners being the counterpart to Shadowrun’s deckers. Still, the Shadowrun universe is quite different and larger in a sense. It also encompasses fantasy into the lore.

Cyberpunk 2077 is not based on Shadowrun. Cyberpunk 2077 has some common mechanics to Shadowrun, but the two are not the same. Shadowrun includes fantasy and mythical items that Cyberpunk 2077 does not.

Aside from sharing similarities from Shadowrun, the designers at CDPR drew a lot of inspiration from the universe of Blade Runner. Night City, for its most part, borrows heavily from Blade Runner.

Mike also incorporated themes from William Gibson (Neuromancer) and Phillip K Dick (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?).

Cyberpunk 2077 seems to have a huge amount of lore, which made me wonder if I should play these tabletop RPG games and read the books before picking up the new title. Didn’t want to be left looking ignorant now, would I?

3. Do You Need to Play The Tabletop Games before Starting Cyberpunk 2077?

In short, Cyberpunk 2077 is purely a standalone game and needs you to have no further knowledge about past events in the universe. You can enjoy the game even when you don’t have any information about the Cyberpunk world.

The tabletop games and books are there if you want to dive into the cyberpunk universe after you play the game. If you enjoy dissecting the characters and the story, you are in for a treat as there is no game lore shortage. This might even be the fact why the game took so many years to produce.

4. Why Did Cyberpunk 2077 Take 7 Years to Set a Release Date?

It is not a surprise that AAA games take a long time to develop; many top-notch games have taken a similar time in their development cycle. Even the Ghost of Tsushima took six years of development.

CD Projekt Red’s commitment to delivering a polished and final product rather than a rushed game is something that takes them longer to deliver. In my opinion, a game should take as long as it needs to deliver a stable and polished product in the end. I hate nothing more than a game that is clearly in development rushed out as a final release.

Cyberpunk 2077 will be tried and tested to the last details to deliver an optimized game to players on day one. CDPR has a reputation that they want to maintain and thus don’t want to rush the release.

CDPR started from scratch with the IP and has built great lore and a universe for Cyberpunk 2077. The wait will be well worth it, as they aim to deliver while ironing out the last bits. Cross-generational support will be something to look out for, too, as the game is built centered around the same.

5. Cyberpunk 2077 System Requirements

	Minimum Specs	Recommended Specs
OS	Windows 7 or 10, 64-bit	Windows 10, 64-bit
Processor	Intel Core i5-3570K or AMD FX-8310	Intel Core i7-4790 or AMD Ryzen 3 3200G
Memory	8GB RAM	12GB RAM
Graphics	Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 or AMD Radeon RX 470	Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon R9 Fury
DirectX	Version 12	Version 12
GPU VRam	3GB	6GB
Storage	70 GB HDD, SSD recommended	70 GB SSD

6. Get Cyberpunk 2077

7. About Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 is a 2020 action role-playing video game developed by CD Projekt Red and published by CD Projekt, based on video game designer Mike Pondsmith’s game series.

Set in a dystopian cyberpunk universe, the player assumes the role of “V,” a mercenary in the fictional Californian city known as “Night City,” where they deal with the fallout from a heist gone wrong that results in an experimental cybernetic “bio-chip” containing an engram of the legendary rock star and terrorist Johnny Silverhand (played by Keanu Reeves) threatening to slowly overwrite V’s mind; as the story progresses V and Johnny must work together to find a way to be separated and save V’s life.