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Cyberpunk 2077 mods are getting bigger and better all the time, now that PC players have had a few months to get to grips with what they can do to with the game, and the recent announcement that Cyberpunk 2077 now has official mod support from CD Projekt Red can only help improve things in the long term. As modders hone their skills, the complexity of their updates is increasing and going far beyond simple cosmetic tweaks.
That’s not to say there weren’t some impressive and useful mods for Cyberpunk 2077 available in the early days, however. Initial mods addressed issues such as changing V’s hairstyle, which was something that got requested pretty frequently by players frustrated by not having access to a hairdresser or barber shop, though the Cyberpunk 2077 mods are now moving on to address areas such as the minimap, vehicle handling, and even a third person camera option.
We’re here to help you find the best Cyberpunk 2077 mods, as well as explaining how to install each one on the PC version of CD Projekt Red’s game.
How to download the best Cyberpunk 2077 mods
Firstly, you obviously want to make sure that Cyberpunk 2077 is installed on your PC, and that your copy of the game is updated to the latest version put out by CD Projekt Red. It’s important to remember that multiple patches and updates have been released for the game, so you’ll want to always be checking if there’s an update available before installing any mods.
Speaking of which, you can download Cyberpunk 2077 mods directly from the game page on NexusMods (opens in new tab). If you’re unfamiliar with the website, it’s used as a primary modding distribution hub for countless games, including CD Projekt Red’s last endeavour, The Witcher 3, which now has hundreds upon hundreds of mods over five years after it first launched.
There are several key mods you should download and install first, as they are used as a base to launch many of the other Cyberpunk 2077 mods available. The Cyber Engine Tweaks mod (opens in new tab) opens the scripting API for other mods, as well as offering performance improvements and bug fixes, while the CP77 Tools mod (opens in new tab) is a tool that supports command-line modding to get other add-ons running. If you’re planning on installing lots of mods then it’s worth considering installing the Cyberpunk 2077 Mod Manager (opens in new tab) too, as although it’s still in the early stages of development it should help you keep track of everything you add.
Below you can find our round up of the best Cyberpunk 2077 mods that we’ve found so far.
Better Minimap
Requires CP77 Tools mod
Players have been crying out for improvements to the minimap to help them navigate around Night City, and the Better Minimap mod (opens in new tab) goes a long way to addressing these. You can make the minimap bigger, transparent, remove the border, or replace the map with just the compass, and there are four levels of zoom available.
There are some known issues with the minimap updating at more distant zoom levels, but it’s believed these are due to limitations of the game rather than the mod itself as the engine wasn’t build to display information from further away.
JB – TPP MOD WIP third person
Requires Cyber Engine Tweaks mod
Another option that Cyberpunk 2077 players have been clamouring for is a third person camera view, so they can actually see the V character they’ve spent so much time modifying and outfitting. The JB – TPP MOD WIP third person mod (opens in new tab) does just that, allowing you to switch to third person perspective, cycle through different views, and zoom in or out to get the angle you desire. There’s also an option to revert to first person perspective when you draw a weapon, or remain in third person view.
Because the game wasn’t designed to have a third person camera view while on foot, using this mod does expose certain workarounds that were meant to stay hidden. Crouching can sometimes cause problems, and occasionally you may develop broad shoulders or your head will disappear, but that’s currently the price to pay so you can see V in their full glorious appearance.
Unlock NightCity
Requires Cyber Engine Tweaks mod
If you’re more interested in the role-playing side of Cyberpunk 2077, then this could be the exactly the mod you’re looking for. The Unlock NightCity mod (opens in new tab) allows you to access mission specific areas and other locked off locations at any time, so you can enjoy their beautiful interiors without distractions. So far you can access places such as Clouds, the Voodoo Boys Underground Base, and Delamain HQ, and the author is adding new locations as they discover them.
Cyberpunk Autonomous ReShade – True HDR
Now this one is a pretty essential mod, especially if you want to make Cyberpunk 2077 look as good as possible on PC – and why wouldn’t you? The Cyberpunk Autonomous ReShade mod (opens in new tab) reworks the textures and shading of the game to provide Cyberpunk 2077 players on PC with “true HDR,” so you can get the game looking stunning.
Better Vehicle Handling
Another simple but highly effective mod for Cyberpunk 2077. Let’s not get things twisted: the game doesn’t exactly have fantastic vehicle handling. No matter what vehicle you’re driving, you’re liable to go flying off the road or accidentally drive onto the other side of the street when trying to corner.
These futuristic vehicles are difficult beasts to tame, and the Better Vehicle Handling mod (opens in new tab) tries to make the process a lot easier. It aims to make vehicle handling a “whole lot less frustrating,” and uses the extremely overpowered Kuzanagi motorbike flying off corners as a prime example.
Hair and Color Changer in Game
If you’ve ever felt like changing V’s hairstyle while playing Cyberpunk 2077, then boy to do we have the perfect mod for you. The Hair and Color Changer in Game mod (opens in new tab) lets you change V’s hair at any point during the game, which is somewhat curiously absent from the base game.
The mod is actually really simple to use. All you need to do is download the mod, select the hairstyle of your current V, select the haircut that you want to change to, and then implement it in your game. It’s that simple! You can also change hair color, beard, beard color, eye color, skin color, and finger nails, all while in the game.
Draw Distance Boost
Cyberpunk 2077 sometimes suffers from relatively low draw distances on PC and other platforms. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, it means the distance at which objects like buildings, people, and vehicles are rendered so you can see far off into the distance.
The Draw Distance Boost mod (opens in new tab) boosts the game’s draw distance so that Night City is fully rendered at further distances away from you. If you’ve ever seen a building pop into the game, for example, this mod eliminates this by rendering things like buildings much further away.
Alternate Crowd Behavior and other tweaks
If you’re feeling bored with the way NPCs around you are behaving, or are unhappy about how quickly they can disappear when you’re not paying attention to them, then this mod can help switch things up. The Alternate Crowd Behavior and other tweaks mod (opens in new tab) offers three different crowd settings for NPC despawning, which can either present a dynamic set of pedestrians that change frequently, or a stable set of NPCs that give consistency to an area but can build up over time if you stay too long.
There are also options to tweak the traffic, asset streaming, and general AI within the game, though at this point they are still listed as experimental. Be aware that any of these changes can potentially have a big hit on the FPS you’ll achieve due to additional calculations or items being rendered, so depending on how powerful your rig is you may need to explore the options to get decent performance up and running.
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