List and overview of the mods I recommend and personally use while playing Cyberpunk 2077 and its expansion Phantom Liberty on PC. The mods on this list are meant to preserve and subtly enhance the original experience while eliminating QoL frustrations!
This guide is up-to-date for Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.12
I primarily use mods that fix quality-of-life (QoL) issues or improve graphics in a way that minimally affects the visual style. I refrain from using mods that alter game balance or add anything resembling new content unless it is qualitatively indistinguishable from the rest of the content in the game.
To be clear, you can absolutely get mods that have a more significant impact on the game. I just prefer not to use them because I want to experience the game as the developers intended.
The links I’ve included will take you directly to the Nexus Mods page for each mod. You can install them manually or use Vortex. All of the mods I recommend work with Vortex.
Cyber Engine Tweaks and Redscript
Cyber Engine Tweaks and Redscript are required by many mods in order to function at all, and both are required for multiple other mods I recommend. They don’t affect the game on their own. Cyber Engine Tweaks will act as a hideable overlay interface for some of the mods though.
Cyberpunk 2077 HD Reworked Project
Cyberpunk 2077 HD Reworked Project replaces a ton of low-res textures in the game with more detailed, high-res ones that retain the style of the game, so the upgraded textures don’t look out of place. This mod just makes the game look better without any downsides and is widely considered to be one of the best mods in the whole game.
The high-res textures require slightly more VRAM from your GPU, but so long as you aren’t playing the game on a potato, you probably won’t notice a performance hit at all.
The creator of the mod, HalkHogan, estimates that the game will use 1-1.5GB of additional VRAM with the Ultra version, but they offer a Balanced version as well that will only use 0.5-1 GB of additional VRAM instead.
You can check your VRAM usage while the game is running (have a save file loaded) Task Manager ▶ Performance ▶ GPU (whichever is your graphics card) ▶ Dedicated GPU Memory.
You shouldn’t encounter any performance issues unless you’re continuously hitting that Dedicated GPU Memory limit, and even then, the performance hit should be small.
Note: This mod contains a ton of texture files, so it will take significantly longer to download than the others.
Autoloot
Autoloot allows you to loot all items you can see that are within a customizable distance away from you. In other words, this mod makes it so you don’t have to walk up to every single body and box to loot it. Instead, you press the loot button, and all the loot on your screen within 20m (or however far you want) is automatically picked up!
The mod doesn’t automatically loot any items from drops that contain a mission item, most notably those required to complete NCPD Scanner Hustles. However, it will loot items through windows and most grates, including those locked behind Attribute checks.
Better Loot Markers
In the base game, there is only a single icon for loot, and it only changes color to match the highest tier/rarity on the associated corpse or container.
Better Loot Markers replaces that uninformative box with a series of icons that depict all types of loot that you’ll be getting from that specific drop, along with the color depicting the tier/rarity of each item.
You can customize the size of the icons and set whether they display vertically or horizontally, but the main feature is the unique icons for each item. For some reason, this mod sometimes stops working, but you can just close and reopen the game to fix it.
Clear Skill Checks
Clear Skill Checks always shows you the number of Attribute Points required for an associated conversation option or world interaction, even if you meet the requirement, allowing you to see what said requirement was if you’ve already surpassed it.
This mod is helpful if you want just enough Attribute Points to be able to make certain types of dialogue choices so you don’t have to spend more than you need.
Keep in mind that some Attribute Point checks increase throughout the course of the game, and you already have strong combat-oriented incentives to spend Attribute Points a certain way.
Automatic Junk Scrapper
Automatic Junk Scrapper automatically disassembles all of the literal junk you pick up, except for the pieces that are worth 500 eddies instead of 1, so you don’t have to waste time doing that yourself. The mod simply reenables the Scrapper Perk from the Crafting skill “bush” for the Technical Ability Attribute that was available before the 2.0 update.
Remove Fake Distance Fog
Remove Fake Distance Fog turns off the opaque blue tint that you always see in the distance. The creator of the mod refers to this visual effect as fog, but it’s not related to weather, smoke, etc.
The modder theorizes that it was added to hide some console performance optimizations that work by reducing visual fidelity on faraway objects, but those aren’t necessary anymore.
I can’t say for sure if this mod is the cause, but I initially installed it on a whim, and ever since, the game seems A LOT prettier, like significantly more than you would think just by looking at the comparison screenshots. It feels more immersive, like you’re actually in the city, because things in the distance aren’t unnaturally occluded.
Infinite Reset Attributes
Infinite Reset Attributes removes the one-time use limit for resetting your Attribute Points, allowing you to reset them as often as you like, just as you can with Perk Points. It works by just making the Reset Attributes button on the Attributes screen never fade away after being used.
Keep in mind that by using this mod, you are going against how the devs intend for the game to be played, and even if you do decide to use it, I highly recommend resetting Attributes sparingly to avoid ruining your story experience. Consider disabling the mod for normal gameplay and reenabling it only when you want to use it, so it’s a bit more of a chore if you want to reset your Attributes.
To be clear, this mod doesn’t actually break anything in the game, only your immersion and (potentially) sense of enjoyment. The Attributes are meant to be permanent, and you will have a few spare points by the time you reach level 50 or 60, so you can still create a 100% complete build even if you accidentally spent a point or two on the wrong Attribute.
Resetting Attributes will also reset your Perk Point allocations (but not your Skill Progression XP), so you’ll need to spend all your points again, which can be a bit of a hassle later in the game. Take a picture of each tree before resetting if you don’t remember which Perks you took.
Preem Scanner
Preem Scanner changes the appearance of the Scanner (LB/L1/Tab) to look more appealing. Several layers contribute to the overall appearance of the Scanner, each of which can be customized independently, including:
- Scanner Reticle (HUD), which the mod makes more square and reactive
- Pixelation VFX, which can be removed
- Vignette, which can be removed
- Environmental tint color, which has several variations, including Terminator Red and Monochrome
Customization is handled by installing a specific file that has the configuration you want rather than with a UI like the other mods use. In other words, the different appearance customizations are effectively different mods.
Check out the pictures that depict each version of the mod, and go to the Files tab to download only the version you want. I personally prefer to use the HUD Only version that only changes the Scanner reticle HUD portion and keeps all of the other VFX intact.
Want more Cyberpunk 2077? Check out our Dazed and Confused Gig Walkthrough, which will tell you how to get Lina Malina’s Motorcycle, or browse through out Phantom Liberty coverage.