Cyberpunk 2077 Patch 2.21 Delivers Essential Improvements

CD Projekt RED has just released update 2.21 for Cyberpunk 2077, aimed at enhancing the gaming experience across all modern platforms. This new patch addresses a pesky issue related to the "Run This Town" quest, where players struggled to disable the Aguilar imprint, among other improvements.

Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.21 Patch Notes (January 23, 2025)

Here’s the complete breakdown of what to expect with this update:

Photo Mode Enhancements

Now, you can summon both Nibbles and Adam Smasher while V is airborne or swimming. The facial expressions for Adam Smasher have been refined, and his well-known glowing chest cyberware is no longer missing. An interesting fix involves Johnny’s appearance: activating his alternate look previously resulted in some confusion with character options, but it’s all straightened out now.

If you’ve been frustrated by characters snapping to the ground after being spawned mid-air or in water, this is resolved. Additionally, these characters will save correctly in presets and remain visible once a background is added. V’s position and rotation are now savable within presets too.

Adjustments to V’s position with the Up/Down slider are now more precise, and invisible NPCs won’t interfere with collision once the Surrounding NPCs option is disabled. Loading presets shouldn’t introduce random light sources anymore, and camera settings should apply instantly, rather than after multiple tweaks.

Moreover, full collision settings shouldn’t cause the camera to malfunction, and you shouldn’t see unexpected prompts when the camera is immobile. Interacting with character editing after a spawn won’t hinder camera movement anymore, and disabling certain graphics settings won’t affect photo mode controls.

Enabling PhysX Cloth used to unfreeze NCPD vehicles, but that’s fixed. The rule of thirds for photo composition now respects your aspect ratio, which improves the overall experience. Also, any issues with blurry SmartFrame images when V wasn’t facing them are addressed.

In the past, opening Photo Mode during other activities, such as within the Wardrobe or Stash, caused disruptions; this has been rectified. It’s also safe to access Photo Mode while a game save is loading now. Beyond these, numerous minor photo mode glitches have been smoothed out to enhance usability and interface experiences.

Vehicle Color Customization Fixes

Textural and color inconsistencies with the CrystalCoat feature on vehicles have been corrected. Plus, players won’t miss the spray paint icon explanation in the Autofixer tutorial pop-up following vehicle contract completion. Minor UI tweaks in CrystalCoat and TwinTone menus have been refined for smoother operation.

Character Creation Improvements

When using the randomizer in Character Creation, your settings will persist even as you move to the Customize Attributes section. Previously unavailable piercing color options will now appear correctly. Other issues, like visual clipping and randomizer glitches, have been fixed to make the creation process seamless.

Various Adjustments

The issue with the “Run This Town” mission, where the Aguilar imprint couldn’t be disabled at times, is resolved. There were occasional duplications of Johnny in quests, which have been fixed, along with tweaks to NPC and vehicle actions throughout Night City.

Some vendors not behaving as expected are now functioning correctly. Missing or low-voiced narrations on TV news have been adjusted too. An incorrect vehicle description for the Quadra Turbo-R V-Tech has been updated to reflect its unique profile. The "check what’s new" update pop-up should now display correctly in the main menu.

Console-Specific Changes

For Xbox players, blank screenshots in the Gallery caused by HDR10 are fixed, and a new alert now appears if Xbox privacy settings block screenshots. Managing screenshots outside the Gallery UI will now synchronize properly, reflecting their removal without fuss. Additionally, the default Graphics Mode on Xbox Series S now appropriately defaults to Performance mode rather than Quality.

PC-Specific Enhancements

There’s now support for DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation for GeForce RTX 50 Series, boosting FPS significantly by incorporating AI. This breakthrough also includes optimized Frame Generation, using less memory. You also have the choice between the CNN and new Transformer model for better rendering with DLSS. This Transformer model elevates stability, lighting, and motion detail consistently.

Artifacts and screen smudging during DLSS Ray Reconstruction are resolved, and changes to Frame Generation settings have been simplified, resetting as expected when Resolution Scaling is turned off.

This patch marks a substantial upgrade, addressing a multitude of issues while enhancing gameplay mechanics and user experience.