The Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty release time is coming up fast, with its new ending and CPU-stressing updates, and if you jump through a few hoops, you can even play it a little early. As usual with developer CD Projekt RED’s games, the launch rollout is a bit different depending on whether you play on PC or console. You’ll get access the earliest if you play on Xbox or PlayStation and fiddle with your region setting, though the process on PlayStation is a bit of a nuisance. PC players in the U.S. have the easiest method – just waiting until the afternoon on the day before launch. Time zone differences mean the midnight launch in Europe is around the end of the business day in the States.
Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty release times
The wait is almost over, chooms! 😎#PhantomLiberty arrives on September 26th – 1 AM CEST on PC, and midnight local time on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5.
If you’re looking to deep dive into Dogtown as soon as it’s available, here’s a map with some global release timings! pic.twitter.com/5Q5diYtS5t
— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) September 18, 2023
The Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty release time on PC is 1 a.m. CEST on Sep. 26, 2023. That translates to:
- 12 a.m. BST
- 7 p.m. EDT
- 4 p.m. PDT
- 8 a.m. JST
- 9 a.m. AEST
- 12 a.m. NZDT
It’s a bit different on console. Phantom Liberty releases at 12 a.m. on Sep. 26, 2023, around the world, so, for example, when U.K. players get access at midnight GMT, players in New York will have to wait another five hours.
That time zone difference is where the opportunity to jump in a bit early comes in, though.
How to play Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty early
You can use the so-called New Zealand trick to get into Phantom Liberty early, unless you live in New Zealand, of course, and then you’d still have to wait until midnight. Anyway, here’s how it works.
If you’re on Xbox:
- Open the “Settings” menu
- Choose the “System” submenu
- Choose “Time”
Change your local time to UTC+12 Auckland, Wellington, and once that time rolls around, the expansion will unlock on your console. New Zealand time is 17 hours ahead of Eastern time and 12 hours ahead of British Summer Time.
If you’re on PS5, you have to create a new account and set New Zealand as your region. That involves:
- Having an alternate email address
- Choosing a New Zealand physical address
- Purchasing the base game and expansion from the New Zealand PSN
Your achievements won’t share between that account and your main account, and unless you play in offline mode, you’ll have to play Phantom Liberty on the New Zealand user account. Playing in offline mode lets you start the game from any account, though some users report that going back online will automatically wipe your data.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF
