CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077 has undergone continuous fine-tuning and patches in the last two years, but the game’s upcoming Overdrive mode promises to provide almost photorealistic lighting enhancements. The Overdrive mode, set to go live on April 11, uses full ray tracing technology, which accurately simulates light throughout the entire scene, making it a major upgrade from regular ray tracing. This new technology is now possible in games with the new Nvidia 40-series of graphics cards, making it possible to use techniques typically used on film and TV sets. However, it is important to note that this technology requires high-end PC hardware, particularly the latest Nvidia GPUs, and Nvidia DLSS 3, which boosts frame rates when the mode is active.
Without DLSS 3, the Overdrive mode runs at approximately 17 frames per second, but with DLSS 3, the frame rate increases to around 128fps. Nvidia claims that the new GPUs allow for ray tracing of every object and source of light in the scene, ensuring that each object is bathed in accurate lighting. The downside is that the new GPUs are quite expensive, with prices ranging from $800 for the RTX 4070 Ti to $1,600 for the RTX 4090. Additionally, other hardware is needed to take full advantage of Cyberpunk 2077’s visual enhancements.
The Overdrive mode is launching ahead of the game’s upcoming Phantom Liberty expansion, which will be available only on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. The expansion is set to launch later in 2023, with more information to be released in June. After CDPR focused on fixing issues and adding extra content, the success of Netflix’s Edgerunners anime increased Cyberpunk 2077’s sales and led to major profit and revenue growth for the company.
Finally, CD Projekt Red has already started developing a sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, and a new studio has been established in the US to work on the game.
