Should You Start a New Cyberpunk 2077 Playthrough for Phantom Liberty?

The Phantom Liberty expansion for Cyberpunk 2077 is probably the best version of the game you can buy. The massive 2.0 update overhauled many of the base game’s systems for the better and made the game run like a dream. Now is the best time to get to know Night City. However, you can jump straight into the expansion by starting a new game or using an existing save past a certain point in the base story campaign. But is it worthwhile to start a new playthrough just for Phantom Liberty? Let’s discuss.

Why You Should Start a New Playthrough for Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty

I think it’s more than worth your time to start a new playthrough of Cyberpunk 2077 and reach Phantom Liberty content naturally. Sure, the base game’s story and pacing are unchanged, but there are also tons of gameplay and system updates. Starting from scratch lets you experience all the changes organically. Plus, it allows you to make a build over time and see what new parts of the game you enjoy most rather than crafting a build on the spot.

Should You Start Fresh if You Modded Cyberpunk?

If you’re on PC and modded Cyberpunk to any extent, I think starting a new save file is almost necessary. Even if you remove every mod from the game — including deleting whole file structures in the game folder — the save might contain remnant code that will mess up your playthrough.

For example, I had a mod in 1.6 that allowed me to use both a cyberdeck and a Sandevistan at the same time. I removed every trace of the mod from my mod manager and game files, but the save itself maintained the second slot. However, while the 2.0 update recognized the mod wasn’t there, it still allowed me to equip a second piece of operating system cyberware. The problem? I couldn’t remove it once equipped, and it left an annoying notification on my cyberware menu.

How Long Does It Take to Reach Phantom Liberty in Cyberpunk 2077?

The last and most important reason to start a new Cyberpunk 2077 playthrough for the Phantom Liberty expansion is it doesn’t take that long to reach the new content. If you rush through the base game story, you can get there in less than ten hours. The expansion itself is longer than that if you don’t rush it as well. You can always come back to the original game’s content whenever you choose.

In short, yes, you should start a new Cyberpunk 2077 playthrough for Phantom Liberty. The game is in the best state it’s ever been, and there is so much to love — or experience for the first time — right now. For more content on Phantom Liberty and Cyberpunk as a whole, check out our guides hub.