Cyberpunk 2077 players tried the unpatched version and discovered a lot of changes and cut content

Curious Cyberpunk 2077 players have discovered a number of previously unseen features hidden in the unpatched version of the game.

After wondering what the original version of the game might be like – that is, the original game installed on physical discs before updates are applied – YouTuber Tyler McVicker deleted all of the patches and updates from their system before unplugging it from the internet. From there, they were able to access a build that they believed was created in September 2020, several weeks before the game was finally released.

Not only does the unpatched version show us how the UI and menus have changed, it also suggests Night City vendors may have originally traveled around – at least, that's what a now-defunct map icon suggests – as well as changes to the perk system, weapon customization, and even the map itself.

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"The version of Cyberpunk 2077 located on every physical copy of the game is from late September of 2020, over two months before the release date," McVicker explained in the video description (thanks, TheGamer). "Thanks, in part to the insanely rushed final months of development, it's bursting with cut content that was removed at the last minute in a dash to make the build run on last-gen consoles. The best part? Anyone can play it, right now.

"This project is becoming far more than I can possibly do on my own, or for the amount of time it needs," McVicker adds, before inviting willing participants to get in touch if they'd like to help populate a gDoc that helps document all the differences.

CD Projekt Red's CEO recently said that he is currently happy with the stability of Cyberpunk 2077 but added that it will continue to add fixes to the game.

During a press conference, CEO Adam Kicinski said: "We have already achieved a satisfactory level. We have also been working on the overall efficiency, which we are also quite happy about.

"Of course, we also removed bugs and glitches and will continue to do that," the CEO added.

As we summarized last week, Cyberpunk 2077's journey has not been a smooth one. One of the highest-profile gaming controversies for some time, Cyberpunk 2077 went from one of the most anticipated titles ever to a launch disaster when it was discovered the game was full of bugs and performance issues on release. This was especially pronounced on the PS4 and Xbox One base consoles, which lead to Sony pulling the game from the PlayStation Store and Microsoft offering refunds.