Cyberpunk 2077 players can now experience the game from a third-person perspective, thanks to a new mod developed by CybrDrake. Released on September 3, the "Immersive Third Person – Best of Both Worlds" mod addresses the community's demand for a third-person view, which many felt was missing given the game's extensive character and outfit customization options.
CD Projekt Red's creative director Igor Sarzynski previously explained that the first-person perspective was a deliberate choice for the original game, intended to emphasize the narrative of V's mind being trapped within a decaying body, with Johnny Silverhand as an internal presence. However, players have long desired a third-person view to better appreciate their customized characters.
The mod offers a dynamic switching system, allowing players to toggle between third-person movement and the game's original first-person view as needed. It automatically reverts to first-person for critical moments such as combat, cutscenes, and terminal interactions, returning to third-person once these sequences conclude. The mod rebuilds V's third-person animations from scratch, with current support for female V and planned updates for male V. It also features a free-orbiting camera with wall collision and allows for five savable camera profiles to adjust height and distance.
Installation requires users to employ a mod manager or manually place files into the game's directories, and a camera toggle key must be bound for the mod to function. Comprehensive installation and troubleshooting instructions are available on the mod's page.
Player reception to the mod has been varied. Some users have expressed delight at being able to see their characters more fully, while others argue that the game was fundamentally designed as a first-person experience. Discussions on platforms like X and Reddit highlight this division, with some mod page comments focusing on requests for additional features, which the modder has indicated openness to implementing.
The mod ultimately provides players with the choice of how to experience Night City, whether they approach it as a first-person shooter with RPG elements or as an RPG presented in first-person. This new perspective can alter the feel of various in-game activities, from Braindance sequences to narrative moments, and may offer a more tangible sense of progression by allowing players to visually appreciate their character's cyberware upgrades.