Johnny Silverhand surrounded by two cars in Cyberpunk 2077 (2024)

Cyberpunk 2077 is already a stunning game by default, but it doesn't have to be capped at the generic specifications. In the nearly four years since its release, some players have developed mods to make the game almost indistinguishable from real life. Whether the mods are designed to improve specific things like water or more overarching fixes that apply to resolution and frame rate, the community has gotten quite creative to enhance the experience.

To say Cyberpunk 2077 had a rough launch would be an incredible understatement. The game debuted in such an atrocious state that the publisher, CD Projekt, issued full refunds to anyone who requested it.The game has since improved by leaps and bounds through various performance patches and rework updates, but through some creative and innovative mods, it's possible to make Cyberpunk 2077 feel as realistic as walking outside in the real world.

10 Better Path Tracing Makes Cyberpunk 2077 Indiscernible From Real-Life

Cyberpunk Ultra Plus Better Path Tracing and Stutter Hotfix

If there's one sure-fire way to make a game look more realistic, it's better ray tracing. Ray tracing is a graphics technique that essentially is designed to make light behave in video games as it does in the real world. It's one of the few things video games are still steadily improving at, and still capped on certain systems as great ray tracing requires high-level specifications.

The Cyberpunk Ultra Plus Better Path Tracing and Stutter Hotfix mod from authors SammiLucia and Xerme (all mods linked here and below via Nexus Mods) is a must-have to make Cyberpunk 2077 look crisp. This mod improves the efficiency of both path and ray tracing in Cyberpunk 2077 by 58% and even reworks certain character models to make them better suited to the increased optimization. The creators say the mod is designed to improve both visuals and performance while limiting bugs, a feat they accomplished with extraordinary precision.

9 The Cyberpunk 2077 HD Rework Is A Complete Overhaul

Raising the Bar

While some mods focus more on enhancing one crucial element, others serve as more broad revisions that address multiple issues. Cyberpunk 2077 does have the trappings of a beautiful visual game, but a closer look reveals there is plenty of room to improve. Fortunately for players, community legend Halk Hogan released a mod that addresses both micro and macroscopic issues to provide a much more realistic experience.

The Cyberpunk 2077 HD Reworked Project mod breaks the game down to its foundation by "reworking game assets to better quality preserving original art style and good performance." It is one of the most downloaded Cyberpunk mods ever, currently boasting more than 500,000 downloads. The same author worked on a similar project for The Witcher 3 and has proven themselves more than capable of enhancing game quality with their work on both games.

8 Weather Probability Rebalance Adds A Lifelike Realism

Weather Reinvented

Rain is one of the small but effective things that can make any dystopian Cyberpunk world stand out. Unfortunately, there isn't as much rain as many players would like in Cyberpunk 2077, and even when it does, the effects leave a lot to be desired. However, one dedicated modder went to work to create a fix for this that makes the weather in Cyberpunk 2077 align much more with real-world patterns.

The Weather Probability Rebalance mod from author rmk1234 adjusts weather patterns and also increases the minimum and maximum durations. This allows the player to experience rain and other weather events more often, and they do not disappear after one fast travel. Some players think realistic textures aren't what Cyberpunk 2077 needs to be more immersive, but in the case of better weather, it definitely helps.

7 Cyberpunk Autonomous ReShade Works On Multiple Levels

Enhancing Every Pixel

By nature, especially during cutscenes, Cyberpunk 2077 has some intricate details that are present in character models and cyberware. However, upon closer examination, it becomes glaringly apparent how much room there is to improve. Vanguard 1776's Cyberpunk Autonomous ReShade makes the small details worthy of being appreciated.

The mod may not have as many downloads as some others in the same category, but it has the highest approval rating by far. The author promises that the mod will add "precise depth, color, and visual effects" to all who download it. This mod gives the game a much more crisp feel, both up close and at a distance, with everything looking sharper and less grainy.

6 Cyberpunk Draw Distance Boost Fixes A Major Problem

Peering Through the Fog

Cyberpunk 2077 is a fairly narrow game, with many areas being closed off inside the confines of a large city. However, there are some long straightaways and other spots in the Badlands where the player's vision stretches far and wide. Unfortunately, whether it's poor rendering or sandstorms and fog in Cyberpunk 2077, the player is often restricted from seeing far away.

Sjbox's Draw Distance Boost mod in Cyberpunk 2077 is designed to fix that. This mod adjusts other assets and optimizes performance to ensure players can appreciate Night City up close and at range. By default, trying to spot landmarks from afar is difficult due to the fogginess and lack of clarity, which makes the Draw Distance Boost mod a must-have.

5 Blur Begone Makes Cyberpunk Look More Realistic

Crystal Clarity

One of the biggest visual defects holding back Cyberpunk 2077 is unnecessary blurriness. Items all over the open world are plagued with a fuzziness that is hard to shake after noticing it. It became such a problem that one player took it upon themselves to fix it with a creative and innovative new mod.

The Blur Begone mod from author theCyanideX"targets supposedly translucent/transparent objects that have been plagued with blur and reduces or removes the blur effect." The mod also does not require any material or texture overrides to work properly, making it even more appealing. It has nearly 250,000 downloads from the Cyberpunk 2077 community and was updated as recently as May 21, 2024.

4 Nova LUT 2.0 Makes The Color Pop

Unleash the Vibrancy

There are some confusing mechanics in Cyberpunk 2077, but one of its most alluring features is the world it's set in, Night City, which is full of striking colors. The issue is that this color is often only able to be fully appreciated against the backdrop of night. Roaming Night City or the Badlands during the day doesn't do the color of the open world justice.

The Nova LUT 2.0 mod from Blur Begone mod creator theCyanideX provides a simple fix for this. The mod uses AGX colorspace to "bring the lifelike color to Night City with crisp visuals and a natural palette." It has more than 300,000 downloads and was updated recently, making it fully compatible with the Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 update.

3 Improved Vegetation LOD Makes The World Feel More Alive

Breathe Life into Night City

Cyberpunk 2077's Night City may be a dystopian, futuristic society, but it's still full of plant life. However, with limited capacity for visual optimization, it's clear that vegetation wasn't the priority. While this is an understandable choice considering Night City is more industrial than natural, there is a way to enhance the plants without sacrificing anything else.

The Improved Vegetation LOD mod by author sosuine improves the details for trees, shrubs, and all other kinds of foliage. The majority of the game's greenery can be found in the Badlands in the form of trees and bushes, but this mod helps out the palms and other plant life inside Night City. This is a must-download mod to give Cyberpunk 2077 an extra layer of realism.

2 Cyberpunk's Water 2077 Mod Is A Major Improvement

Enhancing Night City's Waterways

Although Cyberpunk 2077 primarily takes place inside Night City, the game still features several gorgeous aquatic areas. One of the game's most memorable missions comes when the player accompanies Judy Alvarez on an underwater scuba expedition to her hometown. However, when traveling from point to point, crossing bridges, and zooming along the coast, there's plenty of water to admire.

While the water does look good, there's plenty of room for it to improve. The Water 2077 mod from author DBRV gives Cyberpunk 2077's water a more realistic color and also a flow that closely resembles real bodies of water. This is a simple and small change, but the mod has over 150,000 downloads and an extremely high approval rating, proving more realistic water is a desirable trait.

1 Eye Adaptation Is A Complete Overhaul

Fine-Tuning the Glow

When going from dark to light, such as turning out of an alley into a bright street in the middle of the day, Cyberpunk 2077 has a habit of blasting the player with a bit too much light. The game doesn't quite strike the right balance to make the transitions smooth. Thankfully for players, one of Cyberpunk 2077's most dedicated modders took it upon themselves to fix this issue.

Of all the great visual mods in Cyberpunk 2077, perhaps none are more complete than the Eye Adaptation mod by author Dravic1. The author describes the mod as "a complete lighting/exposure overhaul across the entire game." This mod completely transforms Cyberpunk 2077 by making all forms of light feel both more natural and responsive to the environment.

Cyberpunk 2077 may have been a disaster in 2020, but many who refunded the game upon release are now enjoying it more than ever. However, visual mods can take the game to a new level not by amping up the fun, but by providing more realistic immersion. When paired with everything else the game has to offer, these visual mods can be a complimentary piece that makes Cyberpunk 2077 feel like it belongs on the PlayStation 6.

Source: Nexus Mods (SammiLucia and Xerme, Halk Hogan, Vanguard 1776, rmk1234, Sjbox, theCyanideX, theCyanideX, sosuine, DBRV, Dravic1)

Cyberpunk 2077

Based on the 1988 tabletop game, Cyberpunk 2077 is a first-person action RPG game set in a dystopian cyber future developed by CD Projekt Red. Players will tackle the streets of Night City as customizable protagonist V, who struggles to keep their memories intact after receiving a strange cybernetic implant that slowly overrides their memories by a deceased celebrity known as Johnny Silverhand, played by Keanu Reeves.

Platform(s)

PC , Xbox One , Stadia , PS4 , PS5 , Xbox Series S , Xbox Series X

Released

December 10, 2020

Developer(s)

CD Projekt Red

Publisher(s)

CD Projekt Red

Genre(s)

RPG , Action