Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 was announced at Anime Expo alongside a wider push of Studio Trigger projects, and the anime made a lot of people fire up Night City again. Once you finish Phantom Liberty a third time, though, the question comes back around: what else scratches this itch?
Cyberpunk 2077’s specific mix of first-person RPG, immersive-sim traces, and cinematic story is rare. These seven Cyberpunk 2077 alternatives split the components, some pick up the setting, some pick up the systems, some pick up the story. All are on PC, and most run on macOS or Linux (via Proton) if you’re on non-Windows hardware.
Quick comparison
| Game | Best for | Free plan | Starting price | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | Same studio, same writing quality | Free demo | $39.99 | Best-in-class quest design |
| Deus Ex: Mankind Divided | Immersive-sim playstyle | Free demo | $19.99 | Deepest branching in the genre |
| Fallout: New Vegas | Faction-heavy RPG choices | Free demo | $9.99 | Still the gold standard for choice consequences |
| Elden Ring | Best open world of the decade | Free demo | $59.99 | Level design that rewards curiosity |
| Shadowrun: Dragonfall | Classic cyberpunk story-first CRPG | Free demo | $14.99 | Turn-based cyberpunk done right |
| The Ascent | Isometric cyberpunk shooter | Free demo | $29.99 | Best cyberpunk visuals outside 2077 |
| Ghostrunner 2 | Cyberpunk parkour and swordplay | Free demo | $39.99 | Best cyberpunk action-platformer |
Why players hunt for Cyberpunk 2077 alternatives
Three complaints show up repeatedly on r/cyberpunkgame. First, once you know the story beats, replay value drops. There are three life paths, but the ending options don’t diverge as sharply as the marketing suggested. Second, side-quest fatigue. The main story and Judy/Panam/River/Kerry arcs are excellent; the fixer gigs blur together by the second playthrough. Third, the setting is finished. There is no more Night City content coming, and CDPR’s next Cyberpunk game (Orion) is years away.
Each pick below solves at least one of those three.
The alternatives
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Best for the same studio, same quality
The Witcher 3 shares Cyberpunk 2077’s writers, world designers, and a lot of the same quest-design DNA. If the Judy or Panam arcs made you cry, Blood and Wine or the Wild Hunt’s main story will do the same in a fantasy shell. Quest design is a level above almost every other RPG on this list.
Where it falls short: Combat is stiff by 2026 standards, and the UI has aged. Third-person perspective is a change from Cyberpunk’s first-person feel.
Pricing:
- Free: No demo
- Paid: $39.99 Complete Edition, often on sale
Migrating from Cyberpunk 2077: Cleanest jump on the list for narrative reasons. Combat is the biggest adjustment.
Bottom line: Play Witcher 3 if the Cyberpunk quests were what pulled you in.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided — Best immersive-sim playstyle
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is the closest thing to Cyberpunk 2077 in terms of choose-your-approach gameplay. Hack, ghost, sneak, talk, or fight your way through every mission. Levels are dense, augmentation choices matter, and Prague as a setting rewards exploration the same way Night City does.
Where it falls short: The story ends abruptly because Square Enix pulled the plug on the trilogy. Some boss fights are frustrating. Not a huge open world; it is a hub-and-spoke structure.
Pricing:
- Free: No demo
- Paid: $19.99, frequently under $5 on sale
Migrating from Cyberpunk 2077: First-person camera. Similar augmentation-shopping loop. Combat feels tighter than Cyberpunk’s launch state.
Bottom line: Play Mankind Divided if the “let me solve this mission four different ways” freedom was your favorite part of 2077.
Fallout: New Vegas — Best for faction-heavy choices
Fallout: New Vegas is the reference for choose-your-faction RPGs. Every major quest can be resolved multiple ways, and the ending changes based on choices you made twenty hours earlier. The world is more crafted than Fallout 4’s, and mods keep it running better than the original release ever did.
Where it falls short: Engine limitations are real. Bugs still exist even with the community patches. Combat is dated.
Pricing:
- Free: No demo
- Paid: $9.99 Ultimate Edition
Migrating from Cyberpunk 2077: Different aesthetic, same choice-consequence spirit. Install mods before starting.
Bottom line: Play New Vegas if the ending choices in Cyberpunk left you wanting more branching.
Elden Ring — Best open world of the decade
Elden Ring is not cyberpunk, but it is the best open-world game most people have played, and if your reason for loving 2077 was the exploration and world design, this is the honest answer. Every corner of the Lands Between hides something worth finding. The DLC (Shadow of the Erdtree) shipped one of the best expansions of the decade.
Where it falls short: No story dialogue in the traditional sense; the story is fragmentary. Difficulty is real; not every Cyberpunk fan will enjoy it. Combat is completely different.
Pricing:
- Free: Network Test seasons occasionally
- Paid: $59.99 base game, $39.99 DLC
Migrating from Cyberpunk 2077: Not a smooth transition, but for exploration lovers, worth the mental shift.
Bottom line: Play Elden Ring if what you loved about 2077 was riding your bike and wondering what was over the next hill.
Shadowrun: Dragonfall — Best classic cyberpunk CRPG
Shadowrun: Dragonfall is the deep cut. It is a turn-based cyberpunk CRPG set in a fantasy-meets-tech world where dragons live in Seattle. The writing is razor-sharp, the character customization is deep, and the runs (missions) are self-contained enough to fit into a weeknight.
Where it falls short: Turn-based combat is a big change from 2077’s real-time action. 2D isometric perspective. Not a graphical showcase.
Pricing:
- Free: No demo
- Paid: $14.99, often under $5 on sale
Migrating from Cyberpunk 2077: Perspective and pacing shift. Story and setting are pure cyberpunk.
Bottom line: Play Shadowrun: Dragonfall if the cyberpunk world matters more than the third-person or first-person camera.
The Ascent — Best isometric cyberpunk shooter
The Ascent is the cyberpunk game that looks the closest to Night City on a technical level. It’s isometric, top-down, and the combat is twin-stick shooter with cover mechanics. The world is dense, the environments are astonishing, and co-op with up to three friends turns it into a great couch or online session.
Where it falls short: Story is thin. Difficulty spikes are real. Not open-world in the 2077 sense; more level-based.
Pricing:
- Free: No demo
- Paid: $29.99 base game
Migrating from Cyberpunk 2077: Camera shift is the main hurdle. Loot and gear systems will feel familiar.
Bottom line: Play The Ascent when the cyberpunk aesthetic is the thing you miss.
Ghostrunner 2 — Best for cyberpunk action and speed
Ghostrunner 2 is the game to play when you want the sword-and-motorcycle cyberpunk fantasy compressed into a fast, brutal action game. First-person, one-hit-kill for both you and enemies, and the parkour flows exactly as fast as your reflexes will allow. Levels are designed as puzzle-boxes to solve at speed.
Where it falls short: Not an RPG. No dialogue choices. Story exists mostly as motivation for the next combat challenge.
Pricing:
- Free: No demo
- Paid: $39.99 base game
Migrating from Cyberpunk 2077: Same first-person camera. Combat is completely different, twitchy and skill-heavy.
Bottom line: Play Ghostrunner 2 if the katana-and-motorcycle side of Cyberpunk 2077 was your favorite half.
How to choose
Pick The Witcher 3 if the writing in Cyberpunk pulled you in and you want the same team’s other masterpiece. Pick Deus Ex: Mankind Divided for the immersive-sim playstyle. Pick Fallout: New Vegas if you loved the faction choices. Pick Elden Ring if the exploration and the open world mattered most. Pick Shadowrun: Dragonfall if the cyberpunk setting is the whole appeal. Pick The Ascent for pure cyberpunk visual density. Pick Ghostrunner 2 for the speed and the katana.
Stay on Cyberpunk 2077 for one more Phantom Liberty replay while you wait for CDPR’s next project. Nothing else on this list is Night City.
FAQ
Which Cyberpunk 2077 alternative has the closest gameplay? Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, by a good margin. Same first-person perspective, same choose-your-approach mission design, same augmentation shopping.
What is the cheapest Cyberpunk 2077 alternative? Fallout: New Vegas at $9.99, or Shadowrun: Dragonfall at $14.99 (frequently under $5 on Steam sales).
Which alternative has the best cyberpunk story? Shadowrun: Dragonfall for classic cyberpunk writing. The Ascent for the aesthetic. The Witcher 3 for the best writing overall, even though it isn’t cyberpunk.
Are any of these on Steam Deck? Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, The Witcher 3, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, and Shadowrun: Dragonfall are all Verified. New Vegas, The Ascent, and Ghostrunner 2 are Playable.
Is Cyberpunk 2077 Orion (the sequel) close to release? No. CDPR confirmed Orion is in development but has not committed to a window. Expect several more years.
