The concept of modding Cyberpunk 2077 is pretty meta, when you think about it. It was also basically inevitable that any open-world role-playing game with so much hype surrounding its release would almost immediately be modded, in some cases beyond recognition, by a loving community. Some mods for Cyberpunk were actually released on the same day as the game itself, which I find deeply impressive.
Here at VG247, we’re going to run down just a few of our favourite mods for Cyberpunk 2077: ranging from cosmetics and small tweaks to mods that fundamentally change the way the game and elements of its story play out.
- The best Cyberpunk 2077 mods on PC
- How to install Cyberpunk 2077 mods on PC
- TPP MOD WIP third-person
- In-Game Haircuts
- E to Interact
- Camera shake begone
- Unlock All Romances for Any V
The best Cyberpunk 2077 mods on PC
Before we start, a few necessary caveats. Firstly, these mods are only available for the PC version of the game (most have been tested for both Steam and GOG), and there’s no guarantee which if any will make their way onto console later.
Secondly, modding is always done at the player’s own risk and is not officially supported by CD Projekt Red. This means that not only could your game become corrupted, but the next official update could throw even the most diligently tested mod into disarray without warning.
So mod responsibly: read comments and reviews to make sure you’re not downloading a dud, and make back-ups of anything you don’t want to lose.
How to install Cyberpunk 2077 mods on PC
In order to install a mod for Cyberpunk 2077, you’ll generally need to start by locating where your game files are stored within your PC.
If you’re playing on GOG, the files can be found in the GOG Games/Cyberpunk 2077 sub-folder. Meanwhile if you’re using Steam, you can find the game files in the following rabbit warren of sub-folders: Steam Library/Steamapps/common/Cyberpunk 2077.
However, depending on which drive(s) you save to, these folders can sometimes be a little harder to find — often (but not always) they’ll be hiding in your Program Files (x86) folder, for example.
Fortunately, you can skip the part where you hunt around for them by opening up your launcher of choice and right-clicking on the game’s icon. On GOG you’ll want to select the Manage Installation > Show Folder option from the drop-down menu, while on Steam Properties > Local Files > Browse will take you where you want to go.
From here it mostly boils down to downloading and unzipping the mod, and then dropping the contents into the correct folder within the game files. Each individual mod will have instructions about which sub-folders you need to edit. The Cyber Engine Tweaks utility mod, for example (which is a prerequisite for installing some of the mods listed below) needs to be placed in the game’s bin > x64 folder, but this part depends on exactly which mod you want to install.
TPP MOD WIP third-person
Seems like there’s a bit of a trend at the moment with RPGs giving you an incredibly detailed character creator, only to force you to spend the vast majority of the game in a first-person perspective. Not only is this a bit of a baffling decision on the surface of it, but it can also cause real problems for people with (for example) motion sickness — in extreme cases, leaving them unable to play the game altogether.
So if you’re thus afflicted — or, if you just want to be able to see your lovingly crafted V in all their glory throughout their time in Night City — you’ll perhaps be pleased to hear that help is on the way.
The decision to release Cyberpunk 2077 without an option for third-person POV wasn’t without its controversy when it was first announced, so it’s hardly surprising that — barely a month after the game’s release — there’s already a mod out there to help you deal with it.
The mod’s creator, Jelle Bakker, currently lists it as a work in progress, and to be fair there are a lot of kinks still to iron out.
V’s animations aren’t designed to support a third-person perspective, for example — so for now what you’ll see if you run this mod is a vaguely disquieting image of a character moving through their environment just slightly faster than their own apparent walking speed. Oh, and occasionally one hip appears to just… dislocate, though luckily V doesn’t seem to mind. It’s a little bit like watching a PS1 walking animation in a PS5 world.
Still, I’m guessing it beats severe motion sickness; and with work apparently still being done on this mod — not to mention the other third-person mods no doubt being developed as we speak — this is definitely one to watch if you’re hoping to make your Cyberpunk 2077 experience more comfortable, more visually pleasing, or just more varied for yourself.
‘TPP MOD WIP third-person’ can be downloaded from Nexus Mods. In order to run it you’ll first need to download and install the latest update to the Cyber Engine Tweaks utility mod, which can also be found via Nexus Mods. There are actually two versions of the mod available for download: a male and a female version, so choose whichever best suits your choices for V.
Instructions on how to install both the Cyber Engine Tweaks mod and the TPP MOD WIP third-person plug-in can be found in this video:
In-Game Haircuts
Perhaps it’s a consequence of the fact that you rarely actually see V in-game, but one thing that surprised a lot of players when Cyberpunk 2077 launched was the inability to change the character’s appearance once you were done creating them.
In a game all about the boundless possibilities of body modification, you’d think that rebuilding your V from the ground up whenever you felt like it would be as easy as changing their clothing. As it turns out, though, once you’ve exited the character creator you can’t even change their hairstyle.
Thanks to user woodbricks over at cyberpunk2077mod.com, this is no longer the case.
Currently limited to the female version of V (though happily a variant applicable to the male version is currently in the works), the ‘In-Game Haircuts’ mod is just what it says on the tin… sort of. The mod folder contains a comprehensive list of hex values for V’s ‘female’ hairstyles, along with instructions on safely editing your save file to give her the new ‘do of your choice.
You’ll be editing text strings rather than visiting a Night City barbershop, but at least you’re no longer bound by the choice of coiffure you made mere minutes into the game.
E to Interact
A tiny but crucial annoyance for many PC players of Cyberpunk 2077 is the fact that you can’t currently rebind the interaction key, which defaults to ‘F’ rather than the more common ‘E’. So, while not the flashiest entry on this list, I’m very pleased to introduce you to Ausanan’s ‘E to Interact’ mod, which I suspect will be life changing for quite a few frustrated players fighting a losing battle against years of muscle memory.
Available on Nexus Mods, this mod also adds several other little quality of life improvements, including the ability to press V (on the keyboard, that is) to walk or drive more slowly; the ability to use the mouse scroll to select dialogue options; and an option to map a dedicated dodge button (Left Control) that disables double-tap dodging.
Before installing the mod, you’ll need to do a bit of remapping in the vanilla game: binding “Call Car” to ‘B’, Hold to Crouch to the caps lock key, and “Exit Vehicle” to ‘E’.
After that, decide whether you want the optional dedicated dodge part of the mod or not. If you don’t, simply paste the inputUserMappings.xml file from the mod folder into Cyberpunk 2077/r6/config. If you do want the dedicated dodge, you’ll need to do the same as above but paste a second file, inputContexts.xml, from the mod folder along with the first.
Camera shake begone
Furthering my mission to ensure that all my motion sickness-suffering friends are able to experience Cyberpunk for themselves, this mod offers a less extreme alternative to the third-person mod listed above.
When a first-person video game triggers motion sickness, the main culprit is usually camera shake: meant to simulate the natural movements of the character’s head, it’s an extra level of immersion that a lot of players could just do without.
Available for download from cyberpunk2077mod.com, ‘Camera shake begone’ by user catmino disables camera shake when V is, for example, firing a weapon or just generally bobbing their head around — although the notes emphasise that it does not currently remove it during V’s melee attacks. Attempts are being made to extend the mod’s scope further, though the modder makes no promises at this time.
Installation of this mod is fairly simple: download and unzip the mod, copy the archive folder into the game folder, and verify that basegame_camera_recoil_shake.archive is the correct path. A relatively painless fix for what’s often quite a painful problem.
Unlock All Romances for Any V
The four main romance options available in Cyberpunk 2077 can only be romanced by either a male or a female V — while all side romances or ‘flings’ are seemingly available regardless of your character’s gender. (And I think I can actually hear many of my fellow bi+ folks hissing through their teeth at that somewhat backhanded representation.)
While characters having sexual orientations and preferences that aren’t always aligned with the protagonist’s desires can add real depth to a fictional world, this is a video game after all; and oftentimes we just want to play the way we want to, with who we want to.
As things stand, a female V has the choice of one female and one male main love interest (Judy or River), while male V has the same gender choices with different characters (Panam or Kerry). Fortunately, if you had your heart set on the gender presentation and paramour of your choosing only to discover they don’t align in the vanilla game, you’re not quite out of options just yet.
For this one, you’re once again going to need yamashi’s Cyber Engine Tweaks utility mod, which can be obtained from Nexus Mods. From there, it’s a case of opening the console in-game and entering a debug command to unlock the romance option of your choice, which will look like this: Game.SetDebugFact(“[name]_romanceable”, 1). Just plug in the first name of your love interest of choice and remove the square brackets.
A full tutorial video, walking you through both the installation and the console command editing, can be found here:
It’s worth noting that while this will unlock the romance of your choosing, it doesn’t add anything to the game to make your love story play out more… naturalistically, shall we say.
Expect your new sweetie to refer to V with the pronouns of their gender preference, and maybe to have V’s voice change to match that preference — this occurs since voice acting for these unofficial romance paths does not actually exist in the game. There have even been reports of V suddenly switching languages for the odd line of dialogue, presumably for similar reasons.
Still, the heart wants what it wants; and if it’s really love, hopefully you can see past these small imperfections.
For more on Cyberpunk 2077, here’s our page on how to get the best ending.
Or if it’s weapons you’re after, here’s our rundown of the best weapons in Cyberpunk 2077.
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