Cyberpunk 2077 fans think it'd win GOTY if it were released today in its current state

If you asked me to name a better year of video game release than 2023, I’d struggle to name one. That being said, 2020 was quite a banging year with the likes of Final Fantasy VII Remake, The Last of Us Part II, DOOM Eternal, Half-Life: Alyx, Ghost of Tsushima and much more.

Another game that was released in 2020 that wasn't mentioned above is CD Projekt RED’s Cyberpunk 2077. At this point, I'm sure we don't have to retread old ground discussing its launch woes. However, since its launch CDPR has worked tirelessly to give us the sci-fi RPG that we were promised and then some.

Check out the Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty trailer below!

The rise from the ashes story for CDPR reached its peak with the launch of the highly anticipated expansion on 26 September with Phantom Liberty which not only brought new story missions, characters, and a new area to Night City and more, but also further quality of life updates and improvements.

In our review of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, GAMINGbible’s Ewan Moore, said: “It fills me with joy to be able to report that this is a deeply ambitious expansion that fires on all cylinders and never delivers anything less than a stellar experience. 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.”

With 2023 nearing its end, as expected, hot discussions are taking place with the likes of Baldur’s Gate 3, Alan Wake 2, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and more leading the way for this year's best games. Yet, much like the Horizon Forbidden West expansion, Burning Shores, some CDPR fans have discussed the prospect of Phantom Liberty winning Game of the Year, despite being an expansion, not to mention that Cyberpunk 2077 was released in 2020.

It would be unreasonable for Cyberpunk 2077 to win Game of the Year in 2023 unless Phantom Liberty was up an Expansion of the Year. That being said, Redditors have been discussing that if Cyberpunk 2077 had been released in its current state in 2020, it probably would have won the top accolade, and I kinda agree.

“Cyberpunk 2077 probably would've won the Game of the Year if it released in its current state this year,” said Redditor Bumbleet2 kicking off the discussion on the thread. “Don't get me wrong, I thought Baldur's Gate 3 was amazing, but Cyberpunk 2077 probably would've swept it for having the more mainstream gameplay and setting.”

“I don't think it would have "swept". Considering both Baldur's Gate 3 and Alan Wake 2 were extremely good. It would have been a massive struggle on all three fronts,” replied DarkSylince. “Okay, I still think Baldurs Gate 3 would’ve had the better chance but considering the hype that was there for this game, there’s no way Alan Wake 2 would even come close” said elegant assassin. Though the consensus on the thread is that Baldur’s Gate 3 still would have won, so there you go.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is out now for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The base game is available for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, though you still might want to avoid the last-gen versions.