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The best Cyberpunk 2077 mods

Cyberpunk 2077 has had what some are calling the rockiest launch in video game history. Developer CD Projekt Red continues to come under fire for Cyberpunk‘s lackluster performance, especially on last-generation consoles. Those playing on optimized PCs, however, are having a great time. The game runs smoothly, the graphics are as promised, and the frames per second rate doesn’t falter.

However, no game is perfect, especially not Cyberpunk 2077. Community modders have done their best to write their own code to improve the game’s overall functionality. Here’s a list of the best mods currently available in Cyberpunk 2077.  Remember, these mods are only available to PC players. All of these are brought to us via creators on Nexus Mods.

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Cyber Engine Tweaks

Cyberpunk 2077 Cyberdeck
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Cyber Engine Tweaks is the first mod anybody looking to dive into modding should download. Cyber Engine Tweaks will completely overhaul the game performance and allow you to turn different elements on and off depending on your hardware. For example, you’re able to remove pedestrians and traffic to increase the game’s overall fps. This, of course, is only for those running Cyberpunk 2077 on a low-end PC. Cyber Engine Tweaks also comes with a complete Console (cheat menu) that will allow you to spawn weapons, components, and clothing, among other things. It can also unlock every vehicle in the game and add them to V’s garage.

Better controls menu

This mod should be a feature in all video games. Better Controls Menu allows players to re-map their keyboard to fit their playstyle. For example, most PC players complain about the F key being the interaction key in Cyberpunk 2077 when it’s normally the E key in every other game. They can also set a dedicated dodge key instead of double-tapping the current one.

Instant crafting and disassembling

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This is an example of when it’s OK to judge a book by its cover. This mod does exactly what it says and is a great little boost to effective time use. It doesn’t take absurdly long to craft and dismantle in Cyberpunk 2077. At most, it takes about half a second for that little crafting meter to fill up. This mod takes that away and allows you to spam the craft button to make as many items as possible until your components run out. This mod is perfect for the impatient gamer. It’ll be hard to go back to normal once accustomed to instant crafting/disassembling.

Better vehicle handling

Cyberpunk Rayfield Areondight
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This mod is all about driving. Players have been complaining since day one that driving in Cyberpunk 2077 is borderline impossible. Cars slide like every road is covered in black ice. Better Vehicle Handling makes driving around Night City feel more natural and controllable. It is certainly frustrating driving around in a souped-up turbo car only to have it scratched and smashed because you keep crashing into everything.

Third-person perspective

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From the moment you installed the game, you probably said to yourself, “I wish I could play this in the third person.” Well, your prayers have been answered thanks to Jelle Bakker on Nexus Mods. Cyberpunk 2077 put so much into its character creation screen only to have players hardly ever see the character they created! It doesn’t make sense. On top of that, any reputable open-world RPG (i.e., any Bethesda game) gives players the option of playing in either first or third person. This Cyberpunk mod maintains aspects of gunplay and movement at the cost of appealing visuals. Because Cyberpunk‘s core engine is built for first-person viewing, V will look bent out of shape (literally). This mod is still a work in progress as its creators try and improve the visuals, but the camera angles are there. In fact, there are five different angles players can choose from.

Autonomous ReShade True HDR

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This mod offers players the chance to enhance and tweak the game’s overall visuals to their liking. You may already like how the game looks, and that’s fine — this mod isn’t for you. However, if you’re looking to make colors pop, especially at night, then consider this one. Autonomous ReShade comes with a full list of different filters (like Instagram) that can be layered over the world and tweaked to player preference. You can even make the game look like it was done on a sketch pad. While this may be cool for content creation though, this sketchpad filter will hinder gameplay considerably.

Better mini-map

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The Cyberpunk mini-map left a lot to be desired. Players would be setting waypoints and having their suggested route look more like a monkey fist knot on the map. This is because the mini-map was locked in place, forcing sharp turns to come up quicker than it could calculate. Better Mini Map allows you to zoom in and out of the mini-map and improve your overall driving experience. Not only can you zoom in and out, but this mod also allows you to switch between a bigger map and a transparent map. You can also get rid of the border around the map or switch to compass mode only.

No intro video

Cyberpunk 2077 review
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Here is another mod for those impatient players. Every video game will play a few developer logo videos before bringing players to the start menu. Cyberpunk 2077 displays the developer ads and plays a short epilepsy warning at the very beginning. This mod will skip over these intro videos and bring you to the first Welcome to Night City loading screen before the main menu. There’s nothing more to the mod other than quickly starting the game.

Change hairstyles

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It is hard, borderline impossible even, to think that there isn’t a barber or hairdresser anywhere in Night City. Ripperdocs can install high-tech Cyberware into the human body, giving it the ability to shoot rockets from the wrist, but they can’t cut hair? Now, players can finally change their hair and facial hair with this mod. They’ll be able to change the color as well. While this has no significant implications in a first-person game (unless installing the 3rd Person mod above), it’ll still be nice to see your new hair in the mirror.

Cyber fashion

Cyberpunk How to level up fast
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While this one isn’t necessarily a mod, it is still a useful tool to improve your fashion in Cyberpunk 2077. Created by BlueCheese1985, Cyber Fashion is a clothing catalog containing every piece of clothing in the game (excluding iconic, unique, legendary, and quest items — you’ll still have to earn those). This download comes with an image database containing the piece of clothing in question along with its in-game code. Type that code into Cyber Engine Tweak’s console to spawn that item of clothing. The true end game is high fashion, and V will be cruising around Night City in style after selecting the perfect outfit from this category.

Mike Colucci
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Michael Colucci is a lifelong video game fan based out of the greater Boston area. He's the one insistent on searching every…
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