The visual aesthetic of neon-drenched urban decay, the pervasive influence of mega-corporations, and the existential struggles of the individual—elements that define *Cyberpunk 2077*—are highly memorable. For players who enjoyed the atmosphere and themes of Night City, several other titles capture a similar sense of corporate rot and futuristic grit.
While the game’s developer, CD Projekt Red, did not originate the dystopian neon genre, many games explore similar themes, ranging from full-blown cyberpunk experiences to related sci-fi settings. Each of the following titles offers narratives steeped in flawed systems and complex human drama.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Developed by Eidos Montreal/Square Enix, *Deus Ex: Mankind Divided* is set in the near-future year 2029. The player controls Adam Jensen, who is tasked with stopping rogue arms dealers from selling augmentations and weapons. However, the mission quickly escalates when a group of heavily armed mercenaries, identified by creepy gold masks, intervene, turning the operation into a chaotic firefight.
The game features several deep conspiracies, including involvement from the Illuminati and an underground hacker group. Gameplay takes place across Prague, requiring players to navigate subway stations and corporate offices while trying to figure out which conspiracy is the most important. The initial setting involves an abandoned Dubai luxury resort during a sandstorm. As the plot unfolds, it reveals that terrorist groups are deliberately inciting violence to keep humanity divided and fearful, forcing the player to consider what, if anything, Jensen can do to maintain social order when the augmented terrorists have conflicting agendas.
Watch Dogs: Legion
In *Watch Dogs: Legion*, the player finds themes of control and paranoia in a setting that does not require the complex RPG mechanics of a cyberpunk title. The plot centers on the mysterious group, Zero Day, which has wrongly accused the resistance hacker syndicate, DedSec, of carrying out lethal bombings in London. DedSec must work to clear its name and rebuild its organization. Unfortunately, London is now under an authoritarian surveillance state, making DedSec public enemy number one.
The core concept involves working with nameless citizens to liberate the city. Unlike *Cyberpunk 2077*, which featured a character with a defined role, *Watch Dogs: Legion* allows players to take on the role of virtually anyone. The gameplay combines hacking skills, stealth, and shooting. A key feature is the ability to recruit any random person on the streets and deploy them into combat using an invisible spy car.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
*The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt* features narrative elements similar to *Cyberpunk 2077* but transplants them into a medieval fantasy setting. The story follows Geralt of Rivia, a mutant monster hunter, as he searches for his daughter, Ciri. She is on the run because she possesses powers coveted by the Wild Hunt, a spectral military force. Geralt’s former partner, the sorceress Yennefer, assists him in the quest to find Ciri before the Wild Hunt does.
While the genre is markedly different from a futuristic dystopia, both titles share a connection: they were created by CD Projekt Red. Both games are known for their dark narratives and intricate background schemes. The developer emphasizes that the concept of a “good choice” is highly subjective, allowing players to choose between traveling by horse or motorcycle, or wielding a firearm or a sword.
The Ascent
*The Ascent* places players in a massive mega-corporation that operates an entire city-sized tower on the planet Veles. Initially, the player is an indentured worker, confined to performing maintenance in the grimiest sector of the tower, known as the deepStink. The player’s expected future involves solely restarting the broken waste-management system. However, the game suddenly takes a turn when the Ascent Group declares bankruptcy and the tower shuts down overnight.
The player must determine the reason for the shutdown amidst rising corporate anarchy. If the appeal of *Cyberpunk 2077* was its futuristic city aesthetic and critique of corporate monopolies, *The Ascent* offers a similar experience. Although the game uses a top-down isometric view and has a smaller scope than *Cyberpunk 2077*’s massive open world, players still encounter the thrill of entering a neon-lit neighborhood and immediately facing potential danger from hundreds of people.
Cloudpunk
*Cloudpunk* is a delivery simulation that captures the feeling of navigating an always-listening, high-tech city, even without any combat. Players take on the role of a mail carrier for Cloudpunk, an illicit delivery service, operating under strict guidelines: never miss a delivery and never open the package.
The character, Rania, attempts to make a living while adhering to these rules. During her first night working for Cloudpunk, she is assigned a series of increasingly dubious tasks, giving her a firsthand look at the precariousness of the city’s infrastructure. While the game involves zero gunplay, both *Cloudpunk* and *Cyberpunk 2077* feature characters navigating dark, vertical sci-fi environments plagued by high-tech corruption and bright holograms. The focus remains on questioning whether technology genuinely improves life when the controlling powers have no regard for the populace.
Ghostwire: Tokyo
In *Ghostwire: Tokyo*, the protagonist, Akito, suffers a fatal injury in a bicycle accident but survives due to the possession of a nearby displaced spectral detective named KK. This arrangement, though not mutually agreed upon, proves useful. Shortly after the possession, an occultist releases a dense, deadly fog across the city, transforming people into piles of clothes and loose spirits. KK assists Akito in surviving the event.
The two entities team up to investigate what happened and save Akito’s sister, Mari, from falling victim to the occultist’s plans. Unlike *Cyberpunk 2077*’s focus on corporate greed, *Ghostwire: Tokyo* centers more on urban legends coming to life. Both games feature exploration of dense, futuristic settings and utilize advanced technology or magic in combat, though *Ghostwire: Tokyo* also incorporates stealth ninja skills.
Observer
*Observer* begins with Daniel Lazarski, a neural detective known as an “Observer,” who receives a distress call from his estranged son. When Daniel traces the call to an apartment, he finds the building locked down. The world depicted in *Observer* is ravaged by a digital plague called the nanophage, leading to a post-war society governed by a strict class system. A cybernetically augmented police force investigates frequent violent crimes by hacking into people’s minds.
Trapped in his son’s apartment building, Daniel investigates a murder. This investigation leads him to jack into the memories of the building’s residents, including the deceased, experiencing their memories as surreal and horrifying hallucinations. Mechanically, *Observer* is a first-person psychological horror game, contrasting with *Cyberpunk 2077*’s open-world RPG structure. However, both games compel the player to ponder the limits of self-identity—specifically, how much of one’s own self can be replaced before one ceases to be oneself.
VA-11 HALL-A
In *VA-11 HALL-A*, the player controls Jill Stingray, a cynical yet empathetic bartender at the bar in Glitch City. The narrative is deeply personal; the goal is not to save the world or achieve legendary status, but simply to listen to the hopes and tragedies of the bar’s regulars and strangers. The setting in Glitch City is bleak, where human life is a nightmare controlled by nanomachines that govern every aspect of existence.
The game functions as a bartender simulation. Jill influences the outcomes of the patrons by correctly discerning what they actually want to drink and mixing those custom cocktails for them, even if the order they placed is inaccurate. While none of these titles can recreate the atmosphere of Night City, they offer alternatives: trading corporate conspiracies for occult mysteries, and the role of a legend for that of a bartender. These games invite players to hack, shoot, sneak, deliver packages, or simply pour a drink and listen to someone complain about life, reaffirming the enduring appeal of the cyberpunk genre—the exploration of ordinary people in an increasingly bizarre future.
