In the bustling metropolis of Night City, players are bombarded with suggestive and sexual imagery that’s both shocking and expected in the cyberpunk genre. It’s a liberal attitude towards sex and the human body that defines the futuristic world of cyberpunk, and it’s no different in CDPR’s Cyberpunk 2077. However, for some players, the game’s abrasive design falls short of their expectations, while others find it to be over-the-top and unnecessary. Nevertheless, beneath the overt exterior, there are hints of a more sinister and erotic vision of Night City that is underplayed by what looks like conflicted or malformed design choices.
Despite being a game that explores the modification of the human form and transhumanism, Cyberpunk 2077 comes up short in terms of nudity and sex. While players can select the reproductive organs of their male or female version of lead character V in customization, they don’t get to see their choices outside of menus, and they don’t have any meaningful impact when playing the game. In a bid to keep the game’s rating below AO, it’s understandable why nudity and sex are limited, but it’s a shame that the inclusion of reproductive organs feels like a mere addition that leans towards immature jokes rather than anything of merit.
In the game, players can wear revealing clothing and see NPCs in clothing that exposes more of the human body, but any adult scenes are noncommittal, and male characters are covered in boxer shorts to hide their genitalia, whereas females are not. It’s disappointing to see that the sexual content in Cyberpunk 2077 is a novelty rather than a focus of the game. It would have been great to see more meaningful sexual activity between characters or longer-lasting sexual relationships with secondary characters, which would be in keeping with the game’s lore.
Compared to other open-world games that sit comfortably within the 17+ ratings, Cyberpunk 2077 seems lacking. The evolving Grand Theft Auto series, for instance, allows players to partake in numerous activities outside of the story, including sex. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla goes even further, allowing players to form sexual relationships with other characters. We think that if a game is rated mature or 18+ and offers players choices, then they should be able to explore sexual themes in keeping with the game’s lore. However, the ESRB seems to draw the line when sexual themes become more of a focus, even though they are happy to rate games with plentiful depictions of blood and gore.
Despite these shortcomings, there are mods available from the PC modding community that can make Night City feel more “cyberpunk.” These mods offer more revealing outfits for NPCs, make sex workers appear more realistic, and allow for male nudity for those who want it. It’s possible that there were design choice conflicts at CDPR during development that prevented them from going as far as they would have liked with the game’s sexual content. Nonetheless, the modding community has done an excellent job of enhancing the game’s erotic elements and making Night City feel more immersive.
