At long last, CD Projekt Red’s highly anticipated AAA title has hit stores. Cyberpunk 2077 is a game of ambitious proportions, high expectations, and controversial development history. No other title in video game history has been subject to this many delays, yet still this eagerly awaited. CD Projekt Red’s developers even faced death threats due to the disappointing delays. Whatever the case, the game is finally out, and certainly deserves the acclaim.
However, let’s not shy away from the bitter truth: the game is extremely buggy. Not many other games, save maybe Mass Effect Andromeda, could fail fans this hard just because of poor performance. Even the highest-end gaming PCs, sporting Nvidia RTX 3090’s, struggle to run the game smoothly at the highest settings and resolutions. On consoles, the issues are even worse.
Both the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions will release sometime next year and probably come with better optimization. However, at the moment only the PS4 and Xbox One versions of Cyberpunk 2077 are available. When running on the base consoles without backwards compatibility, the game is practically unplayable. You face severe framerate dips into the 15 to 20 FPS regions, and all textures look very blurry.
The game is simply unplayable on old-gen consoles, which cannot seem to run it properly. There is also an abundance of bugs and glitches across all platforms (even on the much more playable PC version). Frequent crashes on consoles even spurred us to write out our guide on how to prevent crashes on PS4 and Xbox One, here.
CD Projekt Red acknowledged the issues, and the frustration millions of paying customers face on PS4 and Xbox One versions of Cyberpunk 2077
In a recent series of Tweets, developers and spokespeople from CD Projekt Red recognized the subpar performance on consoles. They talked about how the Day 0 and Day 1 patches sought to stabilize the experience. However, gamers just aren’t satisfied with a minor improvement, and understandably so. You pay full price for a game that’s been hyped up for several years, and then you receive a terribly unplayable mess of a game? That just isn’t justifiable by any means.
Fans argue that the main reason the game was delayed thrice in 2020 alone was due to the developers ironing out issues. After all, CD Projekt Red’s magnum opus, the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, faced some bugs upon launch too. However, these bugs were far less severe and game-breaking on every platform, unlike with Cyberpunk 2077.
Moreover, the fact that the developers had to take time to patch them out should have prepared them better for this game’s launch. And, as millions of gamers cannot expect to buy next-gen consoles immediately, waiting for the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions is out of the question.
Here’s what CD Projekt Red had to say about the whole fiasco:
— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) December 14, 2020
Because of the severity of this issue, many players on PS4 and Xbox One now seek monetary compensation. In the case of other games like Star Wars Battlefront 2, which was panned for its microtransactions, the developers could easily just hand out free in-game items, and revamp their paywall practices.
In this case, nobody would even want DLC or additional content for a game that can’t even run in the first place. Therefore, it seems that for many people, a refund or return is all but necessary. The hope is that, for most at least, they can repurchase the game in the future when it has been better optimized and fixed.
That’s why we have taken the liberty of detailing all the best ways to get a refund or return your copy of Cyberpunk 2077 for PS4, Xbox and PC. Hopefully, CD Projekt Red will honor its promises in the future.
1) For PS4 digital refunds, use the PSN website
If you experience these issues on your PS4 or Xbox One versions of the game, don’t fret. The online service that your console runs, such as PSN or Xbox Live, covers the marketplace too. Whenever you purchase a game digitally, you gain licenses for it and a receipt.
In the case of the PS4, bear in mind the PlayStation Support department reserves the right to approve or deny refunds. The exceptions to this include a faulty game, with bugs. As the developers of Cyberpunk 2077 themselves admit, this is the case here.
To access the refund option, we recommend that you login from a browser rather than your console. Visit the official store website here, and click on the Refund Chatbot. Follow the given instructions and answer all 7 questions about your product. Then, note down the Support ID number, and speak to a Live Agent for the final decision.
2) For Xbox One digital refunds, access your Xbox Live account on the console
On the Xbox One, the refund process for Cyberpunk 2077 is possible through the console itself. Navigate to the Account Settings under the Settings tab. Here you can view your payment options, current Xbox Live subscriptions and personal information. Click on the Order History tab.
From here, look for the Request A Return option. This will allow you to directly put the game in dispute. Keep in mind that, normally, games can only become eligible for refunds within 2 weeks of purchase. While Cyberpunk 2077 is less than a week old at the moment, the developers may coordinate with Microsoft to extend this deadline.
In case your copy of Cyberpunk 2077 doesn’t show up with the refund option, you may need to directly contact Xbox Customer Support. You can do this here.
3) For physical discs of Cyberpunk 2077 for PS4 and Xbox One, visit the original retailer
If you have a physical copy of the game, you can still get your refund. Visit the store you purchased your copy along with the valid receipt. If you ordered the game online, via the mail, you can contact them directly to ship it back. As long as you haven’t damaged the disc or case, and have proof of purchase, they should honor the refund.
So, for example, if you purchased the game disc from a Gamestop store, all you need to do is pay them a visit. Show them your proof of purchase, and they will either exchange or give you a full refund.
4) For PC, request a refund from the online store you purchased it from
While CD Projekt Red hasn’t mentioned the PC version being entitled to a refund, it isn’t impossible. Just because that version runs more stably doesn’t mean you’re stuck with a regrettable purchase. For any reason, if you don’t want your digital game anymore, contact the store of purchase.
For instance, purchasing Cyberpunk 2077 on Steam will still follow their refund policy. In their case, they should fully refund any game if it has less than 2 hours of playtime. Keep in mind there may still remain certain deadlines, however, depending on the store.