Cyberpunk 2077 had a rough launch, to say the least. But with the release of its major 2.0 update and the Phantom Liberty expansion, the game has changed very significantly. Whether you’re a newcomer or a returning player looking to experience the new stuff, here’s the best play order and time to start Phantom Liberty in Cyberpunk 2077.
Best Play Order for Phantom Liberty and Cyberpunk 2077
There are two recommended play orders for the Phantom Liberty expansion and Cyberpunk 2077. Some players feel it’s best to play it all in one go before meeting Hanako at the end of Act 2. However, I think the story flows better if you weave the Phantom Liberty plot together with the Cyberpunk 2077 base story.
Here’s the play order:
- Playing for Time, where you meet Takemura at the diner
- Automatic Love
- Meet Takemura at the docks
- Ghost Town
- Do Rogue and Panam’s missions
- Do Judy’s side missions
- Meet Takemura at Japantown-Arasaka Industrial
- Do Panam’s missions
- Do the Pacifica VDB missions
- Start Phantom Liberty
- Play until M’s exfiltration
- Go back to Night City and play until Tapeworm
- Finish the rest of Phantom Liberty
- Do Johnny Silverhand and Rogue’s side missions
- Go back to Night City and meet Hanako
It’s also possible to do all of Phantom Liberty in one shot. You’ll follow the regular play order as listed above, but only start Phantom Liberty right before the parade mission with Takemura and Hanako.
That being said, I like the listed play order better. This allows you to get a taste of Dogtown, and the sheer drama that plays out in Phantom Liberty works a lot better before V gets too overpowered. In addition to that, weaving in and out of Night City and Dogtown also gives some perspective on the events of the base game story, and you’ll unlock additional dialogue in the base game along the way.
There are also several missions in Phantom Liberty that require you to wait around for a call and do other things in the meantime, so things work out pretty well this way too. You can play up to the recommended point, then go back to Night City and continue that story before returning to Dogtown.
Cyberpunk 2077 and Phantom Liberty are now available on PC and consoles, including the Switch 2.
