What is the Cyberpunk 2077 map size? How big is Night City and can you venture beyond it or are you stuck to just its districts?
Cyberpunk 2077 looks set to add another rich open world to developer CD Projekt Red’s portfolio, but after hearing that its map size will be smaller than The Witcher 3’s, it left some of us wondering just how big is Night City?
In case you’re completely out of the loop, Night City makes up the majority of Cyberpunk 2077’s map. It’s a futuristic urban sprawl with diverse architecture that throws together skyscrapers, packed neon-lit streets, shady bars, industrial areas and much more.
Cyberpunk 2077 Map Size
Night City has a bit of everything from brutal or pragmatic gang members to regular folk trying to make a relatively honest living and rich corporate types that run the show.
The Badlands also count when discussing Cyberpunk 2077’s map size, being a confirmed area outside of Night City that you get to visit or in which you start if you choose the Nomad Life Path.
Night City is split into six districts, each having its own theme, particularities and aesthetic:
- City Center - The heart of Night City housing tall skyscrapers and the corporations that, despite dominating everything, always hunger for more. Arguably the most fortified area of the city.
- Westbrook - A district housing the rich elites but also the go-to place when you're looking for entertainment, provided you can afford its cost.
- Heywood - The skyscrapers in the north and the slums in the south establish a stark contrast while providing clear proof that while Night City might have plenty of glitz and glamour, it's not exactly Paradise.
- Watson - Formerly a district that could easily be described as attractive, economic downfall eventually led to overpopulation and a high amount of illegal activities.
- Pacifica - Initially meant to be a holiday resort that would boost profits, Pacifica was abandoned by the corporations pumping money into it. Instead of a great place for relaxation, gangs have made it their home.
- Santo Domingo - Night City's industrial district might be less pleasing to the eye but its factories are vital both to the city, the corps, and the working class people making a living working here.
We got a first look at the Night City map in a leaked picture from the game’s physical edition.
Although it’s hard to pinpoint the exact scale of things, it does look smaller than the Witcher 3, even if the Badlands don’t seem to be taken into account.
But even if Cyberpunk 2077’s map size proves to be smaller than the mass of land Geralt could ride across, we need to remember that Night City is a different beast altogether.
While the Badlands might have flat terrain and open expanses in common with Velen, the city proper features a level of verticality that simply couldn’t be found in The Witcher 3 due to the very nature of its setting.
Night City will likely see us spending more time inside buildings, going through detailed interiors. It’ll likely be more packed with people and sidequests that’ll send us to hidden alleys and places we missed the first time around.
CD Projekt Red uses physical space differently in Cyberpunk 2077 and Night City will be unlike the studio’s prior work. The inclusion of cars also points towards map size not being an issue.
The need to have a quicker means of moving around suggests that there’s plenty of ground (or road, in this case) to cover between the six districts.
The work that went into designing multiple types of cars also points towards driving being a significant part of the experience.
Certainly, we’ll only get a feel of Cyberpunk 2077’s map size once the game actually releases.
But looking at the gameplay videos shared so far and keeping in mind the developer’s ability to create open worlds that keep players busy for hours on end, we expect to find plenty to do in Night City.
And that’s, ultimately, what matters. As memorable as The Witcher 3’s world was, the countless smuggler’s caches spread across Skellige felt like unnecessary padding, which is often an issue with open-world games.
If it translates to a higher density of meaningful content, a smaller map is a price worth paying. We’ll share more about the Cyberpunk 2077 map size as soon as we get to spend more time in Night City.
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