Cyberpunk 2077: Do We Need to Worry About Launch-Day PS5 Support?

• Cyberpunk 2077 will be playable on Xbox Series X from day one of the console’s launch.
• An executive from CD Projekt Red couldn’t confirm the same on PlayStation 5.
• Will Microsoft have this big advantage during the next generation’s launch?

We already know the Xbox Series X will feature robust backward compatibility thanks to Smart Delivery. Titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and DOOM Eternal should be playable from day one on the next-generation console. But we can’t necessarily say the same about the PlayStation 5 (PS5).

Do PlayStation fans need to worry that they won’t get to play CD Projekt Red’s hotly-anticipated title until long after their Xbox-fanboy friends?

Will the PS5 Have Cyberpunk 2077 at Launch?

Michal Nowakowski, senior vice president at CD Projekt Red, commented on cross-platform play during a conference call covered by wccftech .

Specifically referring to a backward-compatible PS5 version of Cyberpunk 2077, he said:

There’s no official announcement coming from PlayStation so we really can’t confirm or deny anything. It’s PlayStation that first needs to address these issues and then we’re happy to make a comment, but we can’t jump the gun ahead of them.

While PlayStation fans await any information on the PS5, this uncertainty is one of the downsides to Sony drip-feeding information.

It’s important to note that the PlayStation 5 will be backward compatible with some games. But it may only be the “top 100” PlayStation 4 titles, according to lead architect Mark Cerny. 

Cerny said:

We recently took a look at the top 100 PlayStation 4 titles as ranked by playtime and we’re expecting almost all of them to be playable at launch on PlayStation 5.

What Will Be Playable on the PS5’s Launch Day?

Does this mean the top 100 PS4 titles as of today? Or the potential top 100 PS4 titles at the end of this generation?

Cyberpunk 2077’s September release date is only two months before the expected console releases, assuming they don’t get delayed. While the title is more than likely capable of being a top 100 PS4 title, will it be considered one despite this late-gen release?

That’s something PlayStation needs to make clear.

Sure, it’s great that Sony finally revealed the DualSense controller. But it’s quite strange that we’ve seen next to nothing else on the console.

Of course, this could be partly due to the pandemic. Microsoft revealed its Xbox Series X before coronavirus came about, so they’re sitting pretty with most details out in the open.

Sony has been left in a bit of a pickle. Is it smart for them to do a full-console reveal blowout during these times? Probably not. People have more important things to worry about.

Regardless, Nowakowski confirmed Cyberpunk 2077 would get a full-fledged next-gen upgrade down the line. So, even if it isn’t a launch day PlayStation 5 title via backward compatibility, a fantastic experience awaits PS5 owners in the future.

Eventually…