Is Cyberpunk 2077 demanding? Yes. Cyberpunk 2077 (base game + Phantom Liberty expansion) is one of the most demanding PC games available today — heavy on both CPU (dense NPC crowds in the open world of Night City) and GPU (detailed graphics, especially with Ray Tracing enabled). The 2.0 update and Phantom Liberty added Ray Tracing Overdrive (full path tracing) — only smooth on an RTX 4080 or better.
Short answer: Yes, Cyberpunk 2077 is demanding. Minimum requirement is a GTX 1060 6GB/i7-6700, but smooth 1080p 60fps needs an RTX 2060 Super or better. Ray Tracing Overdrive (full path tracing) needs an RTX 4080 — the top GPU tier on the market. RTX 3060Ti (Thinkmay's base plan GPU) runs great at High settings without RT (70-90fps), but RT Ultra drops to 25-35fps without DLSS.
Official Cyberpunk 2077 + Phantom Liberty requirements
Official specs from CD Projekt Red, updated for the 2.0 patch and Phantom Liberty — including Ray Tracing tiers.
| Tier | CPU | GPU | RAM | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Core i7-6700 / Ryzen 5 1600 | GTX 1060 6GB / RX 580 8GB | 12GB | 1080p Low, 30fps |
| Recommended | Core i7-12700 / Ryzen 7 7800X3D | RTX 2060 Super / RX 5700 XT | 16GB | 1080p High, 60fps |
| Ray Tracing Low | Core i7-9700 / Ryzen 5 5600 | RTX 2060 / RX 6800 XT | 16GB | 1080p RT Low, 30fps |
| Ray Tracing Overdrive | Core i9-12900 / Ryzen 9 7900X | RTX 4080 (16GB VRAM) | 24GB | 4K path tracing, 60fps (with DLSS Frame Gen) |
Source: official CD Projekt Red system requirements, updated for Phantom Liberty. Install size: 70GB base game + 35GB Phantom Liberty = 105GB.
Where is Cyberpunk 2077 demanding — CPU or GPU?
Unlike many AAA titles that lean heavily on one side, Cyberpunk 2077 demands both a strong CPU and GPU simultaneously.
- CPU: dense NPC and traffic crowds in Night City require constant AI processing — a weak CPU causes stutter even with a powerful GPU
- GPU: high-detail graphics, especially Ray Tracing (reflections, shadows, global illumination), roughly doubles or triples GPU load compared to RT off
- RAM: 16GB is the realistic requirement — below that, stutter is common when loading new areas
Real RTX 3060Ti benchmark — how does it actually run?
The RTX 3060Ti sits a tier above the official recommended spec (RTX 2060 Super), so it runs well at non-RT settings. Here's a realistic FPS range from community benchmarks at 1080p.
| Graphics preset | Estimated FPS (1080p) | Experience |
|---|---|---|
| High, no RT | 70-90fps | Very smooth |
| Ultra, no RT | 55-70fps | Smooth |
| RT Medium | 40-50fps | Playable, enable DLSS |
| RT Ultra (Psycho) | 25-35fps | Needs DLSS Quality to smooth out |
| RT Overdrive (path tracing) | Under 20fps without DLSS | Not recommended — needs RTX 4080+ |
Figures aggregated from community benchmarks (TechPowerUp, GPUCheck), variance depends on CPU pairing and drivers.
PC not powerful enough? Play Cyberpunk 2077 via Cloud PC
If your PC falls short of the recommended spec (RTX 2060 Super or better), Cloud PC is a shortcut — Thinkmay runs the game on a real RTX GPU in a datacenter, your device just streams the video through a browser.
Important caveat: since Cyberpunk 2077 is heavy on both CPU and GPU, the cheapest plan (shared Xeon Platinum CPU) may not be smooth enough at high graphics settings. The 699,000đ premium monthly plan uses a much stronger AMD EPYC Milan CPU, better suited for CPU-heavy titles like Cyberpunk 2077.
| Plan | CPU / GPU | Duration | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly plan | Xeon Platinum / RTX 3060Ti | 3-hour session | 29,000đ — trial only |
| Basic monthly | Xeon Platinum / RTX 3060Ti | 120 hours / 30 days | 349,000đ — fine at High, no RT |
| Premium monthly | AMD EPYC Milan / RTX 5060Ti | Unlimited / 30 days | 699,000đ — recommended if you want Ray Tracing |
The RTX 5060Ti (699k plan) beats both the official recommended spec and the RTX 3060Ti — better suited to run Ray Tracing Medium/Ultra smoothly.
Is Cyberpunk 2077 more demanding than Elden Ring?
Yes, especially on the GPU side. Elden Ring only needs a GTX 1060-1070, while Cyberpunk 2077 recommends an RTX 2060 Super — noticeably higher. Both are fairly CPU-heavy due to dense AI/NPCs.
Can an RTX 3060Ti run Cyberpunk 2077?
Yes, and quite well at High settings without Ray Tracing (70-90fps at 1080p). With RT Ultra enabled, FPS drops to 25-35fps — enable DLSS Quality to compensate.
What does Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty require?
Same spec tier as the 2.0 update: RTX 2060 Super recommended, RTX 4080 for Ray Tracing Overdrive. The expansion adds 35GB, for a total of 105GB.
Can a PC without an RTX card run Cyberpunk 2077?
Yes at minimum settings with a GTX 1060/RX 580, but Ray Tracing won't be available (requires an RTX/RX 6000-series or newer). Expect Low preset at 30fps.
Can you enable Ray Tracing while playing Cyberpunk 2077 via Cloud PC?
Yes, with the 699,000đ plan (RTX 5060Ti) — stronger than the official recommended spec. The cheaper plan (RTX 3060Ti) still runs well but should cap RT at Medium.
Does Cyberpunk 2077 have anti-cheat that blocks Cloud PC?
No. Cyberpunk 2077 is a single-player, story-driven game with no anti-cheat system that blocks virtual machines, unlike high-competition esports titles — it runs normally on Cloud PC.
Related reading
Conclusion
Cyberpunk 2077 is genuinely demanding — heavy on both CPU and GPU, especially with Ray Tracing on. An RTX 3060Ti handles High settings without RT well, but smooth Ray Tracing needs a stronger GPU like the RTX 5060Ti or better. If your PC falls short of the recommended spec, Thinkmay Cloud PC — especially the 699k plan — solves it without a new PC purchase.