WhenCyberpunk 2077first launched, there was an expectation to traverse Night City using the NCART metro system. That vision never materialized at launch, leaving hollow station shells that served only as fast travel points. Years and multiple updates later, the game is nearly unrecognizable from its broken beginnings. Yet despite the improvements in update 2.1, the metro system still fails to reach its full potential.
Update 2.1 forCyberpunk 2077added functional subway rides through 19 NCART stations spread across five color-coded lines, providing an immersive if passive travel experience. While this feature was a welcome change, it still feels like a half-measure compared to the version initially envisioned. A fully explorable, interactable metro system would not only complete one of the game’s earliest promises but also create opportunities to deepen the city’s worldbuilding and moment-to-moment immersion.
Cyberpunk 2077’s NCART Still Feels Incomplete
The currentCyberpunk 2077NCARTimplementation prioritizes atmosphere over utility. Once unlocked through story progression past the Konpeki Plaza heist, players can access the metro by finding marked stations and selecting destinations from a wall-mounted terminal. They’re then either teleported directly onto a train or taken via fast travel, with the choice to ride in real time or skip ahead.
The ride itself allows for sightseeing andaccess toCyberpunk 2077’s Radioport, offering an ambient experience similar to in-game car travel. However, this experience is largely passive. Players cannot walk around the trains, switch between cars, interact with other NPCs on the platform, or get off at an unscheduled stop. The stations themselves remain inaccessible apart from brief cinematic sequences.
The slower travel speed was explained by in-universe lore as a side effect ofCyberpunk 2077’s Fourth Corporate War, which damaged Night City’s maglev infrastructure.
There is already precedent for improvement. Modders have managed to add more functionality and realism to the metro, allowing for deeper exploration and more player control. This suggests that a fuller metro experience is well within the technical capabilities of the game engine. ForCyberpunk 2077’s 2.3 update, CDPR could take cues from these mods and build out platform interiors, introduce chance encounters, or even embed quest-related content inside stations.
Cyberpunk 2077’s Transit Reflects Night City’s Inequality
The metro’s absence of social or class dynamics is a missed opportunity in a game that otherwise leans heavily into those themes. A reworked NCART system could explore how different factions use the metro or avoid it entirely.Corpo employees of Night Citymight occupy clean, well-lit platforms, while poorer districts like Pacifica might have overrun or half-abandoned stations riddled with graffiti and scavengers.
This contrast could reflect the stratified nature ofCyberpunk 2077’s Night Cityin tangible ways. Transit could act as a visual and functional representation of who controls which neighborhoods, creating environmental storytelling without the need for exposition. If gangs like the Maelstrom or 6th Street influenced which stations were safe, the metro would start to feel like more than a glorified sightseeing tour.
Cyberpunk 2077 Could Use Ambient NPC Routines
Expanding the NCART system is not just about where players go. It is about who they see on the way. One of the most immersive qualities in open-world games is the presence of characters with visible routines. A rebuilt metro system could introduce NPCs with daily habits, from office workers heading to Arasaka toCyberpunk 2077’s JoyToyscalling it a night after a shift in Japantown.
Recurring characters seen during train rides could add familiarity to the player’s experience and reinforce the illusion that Night City has a functioning population. Overheard conversations, arguments, or even silent glances between NPCs could be reused as storytelling devices. The current NCART system does implement this, but it can go deeper.
Red Dead Redemption 2’s NPCsmake for small environmental behaviors like watching a town wake up or seeing a shopkeeper close at night, which creates emotional immersion.Cyberpunk 2077could adopt a similar approach using its metro system.
How Cyberpunk 2077 Could Reward Metro Use
NCART still lacks a reason for players to use it beyond aesthetics. Fast travel and vehicles remain faster, more efficient, and far more practical. Without meaningful rewards tied to metro use, it’s easy to ignore the system entirely.
Cyberpunk 2077’s Update 2.3 could change that by introducing perks that reward players for engaging with public transit. One option could be “low profile” bonuses. If a player travels to a mission area using the metro instead of a car, enemy detection radii could shrink slightly during the first few minutes of an encounter. Narratively, arriving unnoticed on foot through a public space makes more sense than pulling up in a loud vehicle, and mechanically, it would give stealth builds a useful edge.
Another possible perk could be “local intel” access. Taking the metro into gang-controlled areas might unlock additional side objectives on the map (things like sabotage targets, stashes, or vulnerable patrols) that only appear when entering quietly. These bonuses could be tied to how frequently the player uses the metro, encouraging consistent interaction rather than one-off use. And even if these updates weren’t implemented withinCyberpunk 2077, they could be used as groundwork for creating something special inCyberpunk 2, previously codenamedProject Orion.
Cyberpunk 2077 Transit Could Improve Accessibility
Driving inCyberpunk 2077can be chaotic, and may not be everyone’s cup of proverbial tea. Whether because of motion sickness, lack of interest in driving mechanics, or accessibility concerns, having a fully operational metro gives players an alternative form of travel that respects different play styles. The current NCART established the groundwork for this, but makes using it feel a bit sluggish.
Metro stations could include mission terminals, vendors, and direct access to fixers, allowing players to plan and act from a single hub. A streamlined map interface with custom waypoint support would also reduce menu clutter and make navigation easier for those avoiding vehicle travel.
As the train hums through the city’s underbelly, V could scroll through a digital journal in the in-game phone, filled with quiet reflections on recent missions and relationships. Neon lights smear across the window while the city drifts by, giving players a rare moment to process everything. A simple message might appear from Judy, Panam, River, or Kerry, not to trigger a quest but just to check in.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
WHERE TO PLAY
Phantom Liberty is a new spy-thriller adventure for Cyberpunk 2077. When the orbital shuttle of the President of the New United States of America is shot down over the deadliest district of Night City, there’s only one person who can save her — you. Become V, a cyberpunk for hire, and dive deep into a tangled web of espionage and political intrigue, unraveling a story that connects the highest echelons of power with the brutal world of black-market mercenaries.
