Should You Skip Ahead or Start Fresh in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty?

Let’s keep it 100: I’ve sunk a ridiculous number of hours into Night City since Cyberpunk 2077’s glow-up, and Phantom Liberty still gives me that ‘just one more gig’ itch in 2026. The question I hear nonstop is whether you should skip straight into the DLC or start a fresh run. Honestly, I’ve messed around with both options, and the answer really depends on your V, your save file, and how much you enjoy the early game grind.

A quick heads-up before we chop it up: the free 2.0 update—and the patches that followed—completely reworked Perks, Skills, cyberware, enemy AI, and even added vehicular combat. That stuff is live in the base game, no DLC purchase required. So even if you wait on Phantom Liberty, you’re still getting a much better Night City.

Skipping Ahead to Phantom Liberty 🎯

If you’ve already beaten the main campaign or at least cleared the ‘Transmission’ quest, skipping ahead is a no-brainer. Phantom Liberty doesn’t just start after installing; it triggers after a pretty meaty chunk of the base story. The skip option on the main menu drops you straight into the spy-thriller action without making you replay hours of setup.

The pros:

• You get into new quests, weapons, vehicles, and the new Perk tree immediately.

• You can design a fresh character specifically for espionage vibes—stealth, netrunning, and vehicular combat all feel right at home.

• If you’re here for Edgerunners energy or just want a James Bond-style V, this is the quickest way to start the fantasy.

The cons:

• You miss the early main story context, which can leave new or returning players lost.

• You skip early loot, XP, and Perks that help you hit the DLC with momentum.

• You’re saying goodbye to your original V—or at least rebuilding them from scratch, which can feel a little rough if you’re attached.

But here’s the wildcard: if you dropped off before finishing ‘Transmission’ and you’re not married to your old save, skip ahead can absolutely work. You won’t have all the context, but the DLC does a decent job of throwing you into the deep end, and you can always watch a recap later. I know, purists will say that’s cheating, but your time is yours.

Starting Fresh or Playing Regularly 🚗

If Night City is totally new to you, I’d honestly say start from the beginning. The opening chapters teach you the systems, introduce key characters, and hand over enough gear and XP to make the DLC feel less punishing. Plus, CD Projekt Red themselves recommended starting a new game for Phantom Liberty, and I get why.

The pros:

• You get the full Cyberpunk 2077 story and proper context for the DLC.

• You collect loot, Perks, and street cred before jumping into Dogtown.

• You can experiment with different lifepaths, builds, and quest choices on a second run.

• The base game changes from the 2.0 era are free, so you can take your time and buy the DLC later—maybe on sale.

One more thing I’ll add: starting fresh in 2026 also means you finally get to play with the updated skill trees from the very beginning instead of untangling a pre-patch mess. That alone made my latest run feel closer to what CDPR probably wanted at launch.

The cons:

• If you’re impatient, waiting through the early game can feel like a slog.

• If you have an old save but haven’t reached the DLC unlock point, you’ll still need to respec and maybe relearn systems.

• A full fresh playthrough is a time commitment, and not everyone wants to repeat the intro.

My Quick Cheat Sheet 📝

Your situation	What I’d do
Completely new to Cyberpunk 2077	Start from the beginning—do not skip
Played a bit but never finished ‘Transmission’	Either restart fresh if you liked the early game, or use skip ahead if you just want new content
Veteran with a completed base game	Skip ahead if you’re in a hurry, or start fresh for a full re-roll
On a budget	Play the base game with the free 2.0 changes first; grab Phantom Liberty later on sale

TL;DR

If you’re brand-new, the regular start is the move—don’t rob yourself of the world-building and early Perks. If you’ve already lived in Night City and you’re itching for the spy-thriller DLC, skip ahead and make a fresh character for it. Your mileage may vary, but that’s the beauty of Cyberpunk: you can play it your way.

Data referenced from HowLongToBeat can help decide whether to skip ahead into Phantom Liberty or start fresh, because time-to-complete estimates make the “early game grind” tradeoff more concrete—if you’re short on hours, jumping straight to Dogtown may fit your schedule, while players planning a longer run can justify replaying the base story to rebuild Perks and gear under the 2.0-era systems before the DLC ramp-up.