Cyberpunk 2077 8K photorealistic graphics overhaul has blown us away

Despite its troublesome launch on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, Cyberpunk 2077 is now one of the best and most popular RPGs in recent years. Well, as long as you play on PC, and the most modern consoles.

Being a fan of Ridley Scott’s Bladerunner, when Cyberpunk 2077 was revealed to the world all those years ago, it became a game that would let us live the best Bladerunner fantasy life despite not being of the same universe. However, the concept of the CD Projekt RED’s sci-fi RPG being inspired by the Ridley Scott movie is undeniable.

Check out the Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty trailer below!

Aside from being an immersive RPG with a very detailed levelling-up skill tree, character augmentation and a wealth of side stories arguably better than the main campaign, the location of Night City is the star of the show and it’s as beautiful as it is deadly.

It’s certainly been a long and bumpy road for Cyberpunk 2077 since its launch in 2020. However, following a series of content updates and fixes, not to mention the arrival of the critically acclaimed Phantom Liberty expansion, Cyberpunk 2077 is finally the game it promised.

In our review of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, we said: “CD Projekt RED is walking away from Cyberpunk 2077 in the best possible way, delivering on the game’s immense potential and dropping one final, unforgettable adventure.”

So with that all being said, surely Cyberpunk 2077 couldn't get any better than what it is right now, right? Well, you’d be wrong if you thought that, as long as you have a beast of a PC, that is. Due to the ever-vibrant and talented PC modding community, indie developers work tirelessly to improve the games that we love whether it be new content, graphics and gameplay overhauls, bug fixes and much more.

An example of a mod (more accurately a series of mods) that makes a game even better is the ‘ultra photorealistic’ path tracing mod for Cyberpunk 2077 as showcased by the YouTube channel NextGen Dreams. Just by watching the gameplay uploaded by NextGen Dreams, this version Cyberpunk 2077 is truly a game of our dreams with its gorgeous 8K visuals running at a smooth 60fps.

In the gameplay, we see the likes of a Bugatti Chiron SuperSport, Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, BMW M8 Competition Coupe, Pagani Zonda Cinque Roadster and the Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5 all being driven during various times of the day and weather conditions.

According to the description in the video, this gorgeous mod is made possible by using “DLSS 3.5, ReSTIR GI Path Tracing and the new Nova LUT. Running on RTX 4090.” The mods that are used to piece together this work of art are ‘Nova LUT' by theCyanideX, ‘Cyberpunk 2077 HD Reworked Project' by HalkHogan and ‘Custom Photorealistic Reshade’ by NextGen Dreams.

Of course, the 8K photorealistic version of Cyberpunk 2077 is only available on PC and not consoles. But hey, hopefully, we’ll get a slice of this pie with next-gen consoles. Cyberpunk 2077 is out now on PC, PlayStation and Xbox.