Pretty much no one can play Cyberpunk 2077's new Overdrive mode

Cyberpunk 2077's launch can't be forgotten - but it seems that for many, it has been forgiven. The sci-fi shooter's next-gen upgrade proved that underneath the bugs and glitches that were once so vicious it was pulled from the PlayStation store, lay an incredible game and the RPG experience fans hoped for.

Night City is a gorgeous locale to explore, and now that Cyberpunk 2077 is (largely) fixed, we can actually appreciate it. But, versions of the game that don't work aren't entirely eradicated, as a new mode has proven.

Cyberpunk 2077's Overdrive mode is insane

A brand-new Cyberpunk 2077 Overdrive mode has been unleashed onto fans of this world, and it amplifies the visuals of the game to an absurd degree. Unfortunately, the chances are, you probably can't play it.

The higher resolution mode that offers some intense ray tracing is likely to be incredible, but we won't know, as it requires the latest low-stock Nvidia 40series graphics cards to actually work in the first place.

The closest idea to experiencing Cyberpunk 2077's all-singing, all-dancing Overdrive mode is from a video shared on YouTube channel Digital Foundry. The channel tours Night City with the mode switched on, using an RTX 4090, and not melting a PC like would happen to most of us. 

For those who don't have the latest Nvidia tech, CD Projekt Red claims (thanks GameSpot) a GeForce RTX 3090 GPU can run Overdrive Mode. This will come at a cost of 1080p and 30fps.

There's also an alternative where ray-tracing-capable PC graphics cards with at least 8GB VRAM can render path-traced screenshots in Photo Mode.

That's all well and good, but CDPR notes, "Note that the higher the resolution and the less powerful the GPU is, the longer it will take to take a screenshot (between a few seconds to several minutes)."

Why does Overdrive exist if we can't play it?

Knowing that many players wouldn't yet be able to play the new mode of Cyberpunk 2077, it's likely that CD Projekt Red implemented this mode to somewhat future-proof the game - ensuring that it looks as realistic as possible for when players can afford the kit that they need to run it in the first place.

Either way, even though most players can't even touch Cyberpunk 2077's Overdrive mode, it's nice that the game features such an intensive setting. We'll see you in ten years...if we can even afford an Nvidia 40series graphics card then.