Cyberpunk 2077 beckons players to Night City with a free trial

CD Projekt Red is offering a free trial, not a demo, of Cyberpunk 2077 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S owners. If you’ve not had the distinct pleasure of walking the streets of the vibrant and grimy Night City, then it might be time to surrender the next hundred or so hours to this maligned masterpiece.

New players, it’s time to give Cyberpunk 2077 a try

The news came via Twitter by the official Cyberpunk 2077 account. Those who own either a PS5 or Xbox Series can experience five hours of playtime for free between March 28, 2024, at 11 a.m. ET through April 1, 2024, at 2:59 a.m. ET. Even better, once you’ve gotten a sweet taste of this digital ambrosia, you can jump right into the full game as progress in the free trial carries over.

Cyberpunk 2077 got off to a rocky start when it was released in 2020. It was largely unplayable on previous-generation consoles and littered with technical issues across all versions. In the comeback that all other struggling titles are now compared to, CD Projekt Red corrected course and turned the sci-fi thriller into something truly amazing through a litany of patches and updates.

I was one of those players who tried it when it first launched and was whelmed. Then, like so many others, I decided to give it another shot after watching Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, and I had that Frank Reynolds epiphany moment. I swear that anime was the best advertising for the game.

What followed was an intensive dive into an engrossing world full of unique and memorable characters. I was equally horrified, ecstatic, and obsessed with the various gigs available. Cyberpunk 2077 is a game where the main story is best left on the back burner while you take in everything else Night City has to offer. It’s one of my all-time favorite games and if you’ve ever been remotely curious, you owe it to yourself to dive in during the free trial period.