Cyberpunk 2077 on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S can be played right now by changing the console's location to New Zealand. There are hours to go until the much-anticipated RPG unlocks in Europe and the US, but the game is already playable in New Zealand, and a workaround means you can convince you Xbox you're there too. In your Xbox system settings, head to Settings -> System -> Language & Location, and change location to New Zealand. Doing so will unlock the game to play. We've tested the method ourselves and confirmed it works. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/cyberpunk-2077-ripperdoc-upgrades-you-need-asap"] Sadly, PS4, PS5, and PCs aren't so easily convinced that you've suddenly moved to another part of the world, meaning you'll need to wait until your appointed time in the game's global unlock schedule to play on those platforms. If you've got early access, make sure to check out our huge Cyberpunk 2077 guide for the differences between Life Paths, tips on how to get started and much more. For more, check out our Cyberpunk 2077 review, as well as the first minutes of gameplay from the Corpo, Street Kid, and Nomad life paths. You can also take a look at how much the game has changed since the 2018 E3 demo. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

A hidden message in the latest trailer for Cyberpunk 2077 has revealed that free DLC drops for the sci-fi RPG will begin to arrive in "early 2021". In a single frame of the trailer, right at the end as the 'pre-order' image flashes up, a lengthy message from CD Projekt Red can be viewed. The message reveals that the free DLC program for Cyberpunk 2077 will begin in early 2021, and provide an assortment of free "cool stuff". [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/08/cyberpunk-2077-official-launch-trailer"] “We’ve mentioned before that expansions will be coming, and while we’re not ready to talk specifics just yet, we will say that we’ve learned a lot from our work on both Hearts of Stone & Blood and Wine. Our planned expansions will take you even deeper into the world of Cyberpunk 2077, offering substantial, story-driven content that’ll give you tough choices to make through impactful narratives that you won’t soon forget,” said the developer in its hidden message. “But before we get there, we’ll first be kicking off our free DLC program in early 2021. Just like with The Witcher 3, expect an assortment of free DLC packs to begin hitting Night City, dropping a bunch of cool stuff that’ll inject even more life into the world of the dark future.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cyberpunk-2077-pc-gameplay-screenshots&captions=true"] If you don't recall CDPR's approach for The Witcher 3, the free DLC included minor quests, new outfits for both Geralt and the major characters, and a New Game+ mode. Cyberpunk 2077 would certainly be a prime candidate for all those elements, but with learnings from the really rather good Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine expansions under its belt, hopefully there's some slightly more inspiring tidbits to come with the free program. For more, check out our Cyberpunk 2077 review, as well as the first minutes of gameplay from the Corpo, Street Kid, and Nomad life paths. You can also take a look at how much the game has changed since the 2018 E3 demo. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

Sony has pushed a firmware patch to the PS5 which updates the DualSense controller and improves system performance. The full patch notes for Version 20.02-02.30.00 can be read on the PlayStation website. As well as improving system performance, the update has "resolved an issue where data transfers and downloads were cancelled when trying to download content while a data transfer from a PS4 is in progress." Text input errors tied to some PS4 games and connection stability issues in certain Wi-Fi routers have also been addressed. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/06/ps5-dualsense-controller-review"] Once you complete the update you'll also be told to plug your DualSense controller into the console when you switch it on so that it can receive a firmware update. There aren't any patch notes for the controller update, so it may just be addressing some minor issues. If you want to download the update manually, head to Settings > System > System Software > System Software Update and Settings > Update System Software. If you're experiencing issues with your PS5, check out our issues and troubleshooting tips page to see if there are any solutions available. In other PlayStation 5 news, UK gangs have been stealing PS5s from the back of delivery trucks while they're in motion. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

With Cyberpunk 2077 officially being released this week, you may be wondering how to best set your expectations for how long you might be spending in Night City. Well, IGN is here to help. While you should certainly check out IGN's Cyberpunk 2077 review before reading further, both our reviewer and two other staffers have been playing CD Projekt Red's newest RPG, and can speak to their experiences playing the main campaign and all the side content spread throughout Night City's streets. While no content spoilers follow, if you want to know absolutely nothing about how Cyberpunk's campaign and side missions affect its endings, now's your chance to turn back! [poilib element="accentDivider"] [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/07/cyberpunk-2077-review"]

Destin Legarie, Director of Video Ops

Cyberpunk 2077 can be completed in 25 - 30 hours depending on how quickly you run through the campaign. That said this is what we’re guessing many will deem the “bad” ending. By forming stronger bonds with the characters in Night City and the surrounding areas you’ll unlock various endings that have a dramatic impact on how your finale will play out. In my playthrough I completed it the first time in around 30 hours of game time. After going back and building relationships with many characters in the game I seem to be nearing a natural conclusion for those relationship trees at around 60 hours. This is without having touched a single “Gig” mission unless I ran across it organically in the open world. There’s easily another massive amount of time that could be invested there. The claim pre-launch was that for a 100% completion of the game you would need to have played for 175 hours. Because there doesn’t seem to be an accurate indication of percentage completed beyond missions left it’s unclear how far doing main story missions and side jobs will bring you toward that 100% completion mark. That said there hasn’t been a dull mission yet! Thus far we’ve been able to experience three core endings, two of which take place in the final area and one earlier. Upon returning at higher completions the end missions play our quite differently.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cyberpunk-2077-pc-gameplay-screenshots&captions=true"]

Miranda Sanchez, Executive Editor, Guides

As the lead guide writer for Cyberpunk 2077, my time with the game is slow-rolling and still going. I've done tons of reported crime missions (they're great for making money fast and getting neat gear early -- more on that in our guide!) and select side missions, plus tons of running around. I exhaust just about every room in main missions to completely explore anything they have to offer. I also craft a lot! You can read my findings in our Cyberpunk 2077 guide of course, but at this point I'm a decent way into Act 2 and have 45 hours in as of this writing. If you're looking how to find that stat yourself once you start playing, take a look at the Character Stats in the player menu.

[poilib element="poll" parameters="id=f2468882-78f7-47dd-b11c-5245ed611a72"]

Tom Marks, Deputy Reviews Editor and Cyberpunk 2077 Reviewer

The first time I beat Cyberpunk 2077 I almost entirely focused on main story missions, which I largely do not recommend doing yourself. When the credits rolled, my in-game playtime was at 19 hours, while my actual real world playtime was about 21. Similar to what Destin said, that allowed for only a very limited set of endings, all of which were enjoyable but grim. After reloading a save and spending another 20 hours doing side missions, I was able to reach the end of multiple side character storylines and see four more distinct endings – all of which were drastically different and largely more fulfilling than the ones available when I rushed. There are still TONS of other missions, fights, side stories, and activities for me complete, so I could easily spend dozens upon dozens of hours more just running around Night City doing stuff without it running dry, but the main story itself is at least completable (and fairly malleable) in far less time. [poilib element="accentDivider"]

With Cyberpunk 2077 officially being released this week, you may be wondering how to best set your expectations for how long you might be spending in Night City. Well, IGN is here to help. While you should certainly check out IGN's Cyberpunk 2077 review before reading further, both our reviewer and two other staffers have been playing CD Projekt Red's newest RPG, and can speak to their experiences playing the main campaign and all the side content spread throughout Night City's streets. If you want to know absolutely nothing about how Cyberpunk's campaign and side missions affect its endings, now's your chance to turn back! [poilib element="accentDivider"] [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/07/cyberpunk-2077-review"]

Destin Legarie, Director of Video Ops

Cyberpunk 2077 can be completed in 25 - 30 hours depending on how quickly you run through the campaign. That said this is what we’re guessing many will deem the “bad” ending. By forming stronger bonds with the characters in Night City and the surrounding areas you’ll unlock various endings that have a dramatic impact on how your finale will play out. In my playthrough I completed it the first time in around 30 hours of game time. After going back and building relationships with many characters in the game I seem to be nearing a natural conclusion for those relationship trees at around 60 hours. This is without having touched a single “Gig” mission unless I ran across it organically in the open world. There’s easily another massive amount of time that could be invested there. The claim pre-launch was that for a 100% completion of the game you would need to have played for 175 hours. Because there doesn’t seem to be an accurate indication of percentage completed beyond missions left it’s unclear how far doing main story missions and side jobs will bring you toward that 100% completion mark. That said there hasn’t been a dull mission yet! Thus far we’ve been able to experience three core endings, two of which take place in the final area and one earlier. Upon returning at higher completions the end missions play our quite differently.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cyberpunk-2077-pc-gameplay-screenshots&captions=true"]

Miranda Sanchez, Executive Editor, Guides

As the lead guide writer for Cyberpunk 2077, my time with the game is slow-rolling and still going. I've done tons of reported crime missions (they're great for making money fast and getting neat gear early -- more on that in our guide!) and select side missions, plus tons of running around. I exhaust just about every room in main missions to completely explore anything they have to offer. I also craft a lot! You can read my findings in our guide of course, but at this point I'm a decent way into Act 2 and have 45 hours in as of this writing. If you're looking how to find that stat yourself once you start playing, take a look at the Character Stats in the player menu.

[poilib element="poll" parameters="id=f2468882-78f7-47dd-b11c-5245ed611a72"]

Tom Marks, Deputy Reviews Editor and Cyberpunk 2077 Reviewer

The first time I beat Cyberpunk 2077 I almost entirely focused on main story missions, which I largely do not recommend doing yourself. When the credits rolled, my in-game playtime was at 19 hours, while my actual real world playtime was about 21. Similar to what Destin said, that allowed for only a very limited set of endings, all of which were enjoyable but grim. After reloading a save and spending another 20 hours doing side missions, I was able to reach the end of multiple side character storylines and see four more distinct endings – all of which were drastically different and largely more fulfilling than the ones available when I rushed. There are still TONS of other missions, fights, side stories, and activities for me complete, so I could easily spend dozens upon dozens of hours more just running around Night City doing stuff without it running dry, but the main story itself is at least completable (and fairly malleable) in far less time. [poilib element="accentDivider"]

Cyberpunk 2077 has released a 28GB patch on console - presumably its Day One update - offering stability and performance improvements, as well as addressing "critical progression and gameplay issues". If you've preloaded the game, you can download the patch now ahead of launch. The 1.02 update is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. While detailed patch notes haven't been released, PS5's update history menu lists the changes as:

• Various stability improvements.
• Various performance improvements.
• Critical progression and gameplay issues addressed.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cyberpunk-2077-examples-of-visual-bugs&captions=true"] A CD Projekt Red employee previously said that this update would make the console versions "a different game" and, on top of the already-released 'Day Zero' patch, we should hopefully see fixes for the distracting bugs we mentioned in our Cyberpunk 2077 review. For (much) more on Cyberpunk, make sure to check out our 9/10 review, bookmark our Cyberpunk wiki guide, and check out exactly when your region will get access on release day. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Cyberpunk 2077 has released a 28GB patch on console - presumably its Day One update - offering stability and performance improvements, as well as addressing "critical progression and gameplay issues". If you've preloaded the game, you can download the patch now ahead of launch. The 1.02 update is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. While detailed patch notes haven't been released, the PS5 update history lists the changes as:

• Various stability improvements.
• Various performance improvements.
• Critical progression and gameplay issues addressed.

Developing...

Check out this batch of photos from the New York City set of the Disney Plus series starring Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld.

Check out this batch of photos from the New York City set of the Disney Plus series starring Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld.

343 Industries has announced that Halo Infinite will ship in Fall 2021, and revealed further details on certain aspects of Halo Infinite, including graphics, art, and customization. In August, 343 and Microsoft announced that it has decided to delay Halo Infinite from its holiday 2020 release date to some time in 2021. Halo Infinite was originally supposed to be a launch game for the Xbox Series X but was unable to meet the time frame. Now, Halo Infinite is slotted for sometime in Fall 2021, specifically, which narrows the release window for the next Master Chief adventure. 343 also shared two new screenshots from the Halo Infinite multiplayer. Halo Infinite's multiplayer will also be free-to-play. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=halo-infinite-multiplayer-december-screenshots&captions=true"] Coincidentally, Halo will celebrate its 20th anniversary on November 15, 2021. Something 343 head Bonnie Ross highlighted in a tweet.

So proud of the work this team has accomplished and looking forward to sharing more soon. Fall of 2021...hmm, doesn't someone have an anniversary coming up? https://t.co/gB2ulpkx4J

— Bonnie Ross (@PlutonForEver) December 9, 2020

Graphics and Art Improvement

The most complete look at Halo Infinite was revealed during an Xbox Games Showcase earlier in the summer. However, the demo received blowback after failing to meet expectations, particularly in graphics and art style. 343 addressed these points directly in its new blog post writing, "[T]he reality is that the art and visuals weren't at the bar we hold for Halo - even in a work-in-progress state," said 343's director of art management Neil Harrison. "Much of the feedback we heard from the community aligned with our own views and work we were already committed to doing around things like indirect lighting, material response, foliage and tree rendering, clouds, level-of-detail transitions, and character fidelity," Harrison says. 343 development manager for graphics Ani Shastry also added that "Visual fidelity is a very important goal for Halo Infinite, and the graphics and art teams have been continually aspiring, and working closely with each other, to create the best-looking Halo game ever." The developers even talked about Craig, the infamous Brute whose emotionless face became a meme. "I can confirm that the facial animation on NPCs were not fully implemented in that [summer] build, which resulted iN Craig's incredibly deadpan/lifeless look," says Harrison. "There's been further work done on the material fidelity and more variety added for Brute faces, we're also working to add some hairdos and beards which was something we hadn't gotten to in July. So, whilst we have come to love our dear old Craig, he's certainly undergoing a significant makeover." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/23/halo-infinite-9-minutes-of-campaign-gameplay"]

Spartan Customization

As for online customization, 343 talked about its new "coating" system. Whereas in the past customization was relegated to simple RGBs in primary and secondary channels, the coating system lets players "define color, wear and tear, patterns, and materials on a region-by-region basis" on a spartan or anything in a game whether it's armor, weapons, vehicles, or even fuel barrels. That means weapon skins will be more varied in Halo Infinite, and options to change more parts of a Spartan armor like the helmet, helmet attachment, shoulder pads, and visors are coming. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=halo-infinite-xbox-games-showcase-gameplay-reveal-screenshots&captions=true"] This latest update is the high-level Halo Infinite community update 343 promised back in November. 343 community director Brian Jarrard said at the time that there will not be a reveal at The Game Awards, as some had theorized. Instead, 343 is delivering its update directly to the community. In the meantime development on Halo Infinite continues, but not without some shakeups. 343 brought back Halo veteran Joseph Staten to the Halo Infinite development team, while director Chris Lee has left. The developers also said that there are no plans to delay Halo Infinite back to 2022. Staten, who is now the creative director of Halo Infinite says, "We needed more time to do things right. That included pushing hard in the fall, giving the team time to recharge over the holidays, and then coming back in January to finish the game at a healthy place." Staten also says he completed the campaign for Halo Infinite twice. "I could feel the classic Halo '30 seconds of fun' beating at the heart of Infinite's world. But I had never felt more powerful, more mobile, more in command of a rich set of tactical choices. This was the Halo we imagined back in 2000, finally come to life, after 20 years of technical and creative innovation." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.