Update: 14/12 1:25 PM - Sony appears to be refusing refunds for Cyberpunk 2077, asking players to wait for the patches coming in January and February. This ResetEra thread shows many users' interactions with Sony, who are saying that because the game has been downloaded or played, it doesn't qualify for their refund policy. Some Sony operatives are telling players that patches due in January or February (see original story) should resolve issues and that they should wait for these patches. We've reached out to CD Projekt Red and Sony for comment on this issue. The original story follows below.
Original story: CD Projekt Red is offering Cyberpunk 2077 PlayStation 4 refunds, as well as ones to players on Xbox One. This comes in the wake of many gamers complaining that the game suffers from bugs and performance issues on those platforms.
What's the reason for these Cyberpunk 2077 refunds?
Writing on Twitter, CD Projekt Red said it "would like to start by apologizing" for not initially showing Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay on base PS4 and Xbox One models. The studio says it "should have paid more attention" to these versions of the game, and that it's currently working on boosting the experience with patches and improvements. CD Projekt Red says the next two patches for the game - which are coming in January and February - "won't make the game...look like it's running on a high-spec PC or next-gen console", but should fix the most prominent problems with Cyberpunk 2077 on PS4 and Xbox One.
— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) December 14, 2020
In response to the issues gamers have flagged up regarding Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red says it would "appreciate it if you would give us a chance", but if you're not satisfied with your purchase, the studio is urging you to get a refund. You should use the official PlayStation Network or Xbox Live refund processes if you bought digitally, and if you bought physically, you should try to get a refund at the store where you picked up the game. Failing this, you can contact CD Projekt Red on this email address and the studio says it will "do our best to help you". You'll be able to do this until December 21st. Prior to CD Projekt Red's announcement, Reddit user NotBen_2 said they'd been able to get a refund for the game past the standard 2-hour mark, so it seems Sony was already issuing refunds.
Why is Cyberpunk 2077 running badly on PS4 and Xbox One?
In CD Projekt Red's own words, it seems the developer didn't pay enough attention to the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game. Cyberpunk 2077 was subject to numerous delays prior to release, and at least one of those delays was to ensure the game ran adequately on last-gen consoles.
In the studio's Q3 earnings call, which took place around three weeks ago, CD Projekt Red said the game was "surprisingly good" on basic PS4 and Xbox One models (this doesn't count PS4 Pro or Xbox One X, or indeed Xbox One S). Even then, CDPR acknowledged that the performance was "a bit lower" than on the pro models of those consoles. Given what we've seen so far of the game's performance on base PS4 and Xbox One models, "a bit lower" seems like it might be something of an understatement.
The problem may stems from the less powerful hardware, especially CPUs, in the PS4 and Xbox One. They're not able to keep up with many of the areas in Cyberpunk 2077 in which NPCs and other movable objects are dense. That's why you'll often see frame rates dip to sub-20fps on base consoles, and also why both the PS4 and Xbox One can't maintain a steady resolution when running the game. The upgraded PlayStation 4 Pro version does run better according to Digital Foundry, but is often dropping into the low 20s when driving, as the CPU is the same as the base hardware. This isn't new for CD Projekt Red games; Digital Foundry uses The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's Novigrad, a notoriously busy area, for tech benchmarks.
You can grab Cyberpunk 2077 right now on PC (via Steam or GOG), PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. A version of the game for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X is also in the works and is expected to launch sometime in 2021. It's worth noting, though, that you can play Cyberpunk 2077 on those machines right now via backward compatibility. The performance won't match a native version for those consoles, but the extra power does help. If you bought Cyberpunk 2077 for PS4 or Xbox One, you will receive a free upgrade to the next-gen versions when they come out. CD Projekt Red says it will also continue to support Cyberpunk 2077 via patches and updates on PC, so you won't be left out if that's your platform of choice.
Will you be looking for a Cyberpunk 2077 refund on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One? Let us know in the comments below!
