Best Cyberpunk 2077 mods for better performance, customization, and controls on PC

Cyberpunk 2077 mods have always been in high demand, with players attempting to recreate cut features or add their own to enhance the Night City experience. This was particular important when the game was going through its difficult launch issues, but even now after several years there are still dedicated fans producing bigger and better mods. CD Projekt Red recognized the importance of this, releasing their own REDmod tools to help players create and install their own mods. With the airing of anime series Cyberpunk: Edgerunners on Netflix, there's been much renewed interest and a resurgence of players returning to Cyberpunk 2077, which has also inspired a selection of fresh Edgerunners-themed mods.

As modders understand more about the game engine and the systems behind it, the complexity of their updates is increasing and going far beyond simple cosmetic tweaks. That's not to say the tweaks to appearances aren't impressive, but the Cyberpunk 2077 mods have now moved on to address areas such as fast travel, 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 Nexus Mods. If you're unfamiliar with this 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 seven years after it first launched. Nexus Mods also has their own mod manager software called Vortex, which is worth installing along with the Cyberpunk 2077 Vortex Support extension if you're less confident about installing and managing your mods manually.

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 the scripting API for other mods, as well as offering performance improvements and bug fixes, while the CP77 Tools mod is a tool that supports command-line modding to get other add-ons running.

Below you can find our round up of the best Cyberpunk 2077 mods that we've found so far, along with links so you can install them yourself.

Cyberpunk Edgerunners

Requires Cyber Engine Tweaks mod

Following the success of the hit Netflix anime series, there has been a sudden influx of Edgerunners-themed Cyberpunk 2077 mods, covering a range of areas in the game. Starting with locations, V's Edgerunners Mansion - Apartment DLC adds the huge home along with "sitting, sleeping, wardrobe and shower interactions" – it'll cost you a cool E$150,000 to purchase if your street cred is below 30, but only half that price if your cred it higher. It's also possible to visit Lucy's Apartment After Edgerunners with this separate mod, though it does have sad implications for the outcome of her story.

If you want to incorporate an Edgerunners feel to the gameplay itself, then Wannabe Edgerunner - A simple Cyberpsychosis mod does just that by adding a new Humanity stat affected by factors such as cyberware installation, Berserk and Sandevistan usage, and kills committed. If your Humanity drops too low you'll start experiencing visual glitches and receive certain debuffs, eventually leading to a full-on Cyberpsychosis episode unless you apply some Neuroblockers to counteract the negative effects.

Finally, if you want your game to sound like the anime, then the Cyberware Sound Overhaul - RedMod gives the audio an Edgerunners overhaul. The sounds when using Cyberware such as Berserk and Sandevistan will now match those heard in the show, and this mod even got an official seal of approval from the Cyberpunk 2077 Twitter account.

Metro System

We know that Cyberpunk 2077 already has a fast travel system, but why simply teleport from A to B when you can instead take in the sights of Night City by riding the Metro System added by this mod. Visit any of the 19 monorail stations and hop onboard the next train that passes by, with text at the bottom of the screen confirming your upcoming destination, and there's even options to switch seats during the ride or view the city in third person as you travel.

Let There Be Flight

If you want to take a step closer to the Blade Runner view of a future city, then the Let There Be Flight mod can get you there. At the push of a button, your vehicle will seamlessly switch into flying mode by hovering as the wheels fold underneath, before the boosters kick in and you take to the skies above Night City. There are several different flight modes to choose between which are best suited to different control set ups, and the custom animations and sound effects really add to the immersion. Just make sure you don't hold the vehicle exit button while in mid-air, as the landing is unlikely to end well for you!

Better Minimap

Requires CP77 Tools mod

Players have been crying out since launch for improvements to the minimap to help them navigate around Night City, and the Better Minimap mod 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. Although this is still one of the most popular minimap mods, the creator themselves acknowledge that it is old now and suggests there are better alternatives such as Improved Minimap Zoom for zoom, Mighty Minimap for size, and Superior UI for style and design.

JB - TPP MOD WIP third person

Requires Cyber Engine Tweaks mod

Another option that Cyberpunk 2077 players have clamoured 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 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 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 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 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.

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 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 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.