Cyberpunk 2077 is seeing a massive uptick in its play rate this month, most likely because of the release of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, an animated series in the extended Cyberpunk universe. A new “Edgerunners update” was also applied to the game, bringing in three new side 11 new weapons, and several secrets that make reference to the series.
The “Edgerunners effect” was in full swing this morning, as the game peaked at 85,555 concurrent players on Steam earlier today, the highest peak for Cyberpunk since its launch nearly two years ago, according to player-tracking stats site Steam Charts.
Perhaps the biggest achievement of Edgerunners is its attention to detail. Many of the show’s stylistic choices align directly with Cyberpunk 2077. Fans of the game should be able to spot one-to-one comparisons between the game and the show, including the cell phone ringtone and interface used by V, as well as the usage of Cyberpunk-specific buzzwords such as “preem” and “choom.”
With so much of Edgerunners’ on-screen content paying homage to Cyberpunk 2077, it shouldn’t be surprising why so many players got the itch to return to Night City. On the flip-side, the Edgerunners update also has some elements to keep an eye on for in-game fans of the Netflix series, which may be taking the plunge into Cyberpunk for the first time.
Related: Cyberpunk 2077 developer says Phantom Liberty is the ‘only planned expansion’
Cyberpunk’s all-time player peak came immediately following its launch, as over 830,000 players participated in the game’s release on PC. The following month, January 2021, saw a 75 percent month-to-month dropoff in total players. According to Steam Charts, the game hadn’t eclipsed a peak-player threshold of 60,000 until today.
Cyberpunk 2077 saw a slight increase in active players earlier this year when Patch 1.5 was released in February.
Cyberpunk will also keep the content flowing for its players, with the Phantom Liberty expansion set to release next year. With a new animated series, corresponding in-game patch, and eventual expansion all coming to fruition, it’s clear that the Cyberpunk franchise is receiving a second wind.
