Cyberpunk 2 officially enters pre-production phase at CD Projekt RED

CD Projekt RED has officially confirmed that Cyberpunk 2 - codenamed Project Orion - has entered the pre-production phase. The update was shared via a social media post from the company’s investor relations account on May 28, 2025.

Project Orion was first announced in October 2022 as part of a broader development roadmap that included new entries in both the Cyberpunk and Witcher franchises. According to earlier statements from CD Projekt RED, Cyberpunk 2 is being developed by a new studio located in Boston, which will work in collaboration with CDPR’s core team in Poland. The company has mentioned before that this sequel will "prove the full power and potential" of the Cyberpunk IP.

While there is no official release window yet, entering pre-production means that the foundational elements of the game, such as narrative, gameplay systems, and world-building, are beginning to take shape. Pre-production usually includes tasks like prototyping mechanics, finalizing the art direction etc.

Cyberpunk 2077, the original title, launched in December 2020 to expectedly high sales but a very mixed reception due to widespread technical issues. However, the game has since undergone numerous improvements through patches and the Phantom Liberty expansion in 2023 - benchmarks for which you can check here.

While Cyberpunk 2 is now in pre-production, a full release is still several years away. CD Projekt RED has stated it will be developed on Unreal Engine 5, instead of their proprietary REDengine. We can expect further updates as development progresses.