Cyberpunk 2077 has an awesome prequel you might've missed

It’s one for the lore nerds

It is not unusual for fans of Cyberpunk 2077 to be unaware that the hit 2020 RPG did in fact have a prequel that, thanks to the success of the game, has had a resurgence in recent years.

Released in 2020, Cyberpunk 2077, despite having a rocky start, quickly went on to become one of the greatest RPGs of all time.

However, thanks to such a lore-filled prequel, it would be safe to assume that Night City and surrounding areas already had a head start when it came to world-building.

The prequel in question is Cyberpunk, a TTRPG that was first written by Mike Pondsmith in 1988.

In recent years, it is mostly known by Cyberpunk 2020 or Cyberpunk Red in order to celebrate it from both the cyberpunk genre as a whole and Cyberpunk 2077.

Cyberpunk Red has gone on to receive multiple editions with its fourth edition, Cyberpunk Red, releasing back in 2020 and acting as a prequel for the events of Cyberpunk 2077.

Set in 2045, the TTRPG’s timeline takes place before the fourth Corporate War and serves as extra lore building up to the events of CD Projekt RED’s Cyberpunk 2077.

On top of that is Cyberpunk Red: Combat Zone which was released in 2023 and marketed as an “exciting new skirmish miniatures game”.

“In the year 2045, massive megabuildings light up the skies above the rebuilt Corpo Plaza, while cyber-enhanced gangs battle in the shadows, each carving out a bloody piece of ground to call their own,” the official Kickstarter page reads.

“In Night City’s Combat Zone, laws are scarce and conflict is common. Millions are packed in like rats, trying to survive to see the next bloody sunrise.

“Become the leader of a gang torn from the pages of the Cyberpunk Red RPG and fight fever-pitched battles or sweeping campaigns.

Equip your gang, hire your mercs, and build your street cred to dominate the hellish rubble of the Combat Zone and emerge as the new master of the streets.”

Cyberpunk Red: Combat Zone is available to purchase now and will be the perfect thing to play whilst waiting for Cyberpunk 2077’s sequel.