Cyberpunk 2077’s eight-year-long development cycle is finally at an end this week, though the finished product doesn’t quite boast the level of polish many were hoping for. Visually, it’s clear that compromises have had to be made to get the game optimized across every platform. One issue many players have noticed is a lack of clarity. There are some steps you can take to mitigate the issue, though, so for those struggling with Cyberpunk 2077 looking blurry, try changing these settings to help fix it.
Update 12/13/2020: A new hot fix (Patch 1.04) has launched as of yesterday evening that improves performance on consoles and PC substantially. The below information is still relevant, but make sure you have the latest build of the game installed for optimum quality.
How to Fix Cyberpunk 2077 Looking Blurry
First and foremost, having poured several hours into Cyberpunk 2077 I’m certain that the game’s blurriness is, unfortunately, something that’s been deliberately included on the part of CD Projekt Red. Whether it’s by design in some sort of effort to stylize the aesthetic or as a result of reducing visual fidelity to bolster overall performance is unclear, but it’s not something you can completely get rid of on any platform it seems.
Before jumping into setting options, I encourage you to read Twinfinite’s guide on the best HDR settings. If you’re running HDR then having it set up properly really helps; the default settings are very poor.
Console Versions
The blurry issue plaguing Cyberpunk 2077 impacts all platforms, but it definitely is worst on the base PS4 and Xbox One consoles. This is because the resolution they’re capable of running the game at is limited to as low as 720p and only up to 900p, which is very low in comparison to 1080, 1440, and 2160p resolutions that are typical in most games these days.
Still, these platforms can still benefit from accessing the “Graphics” section of the settings menu and switching everything to “Off.” The effects are most noticeable on PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, but in all cases, turning off Film Grain, Motion Blur, and Chromatic Aberration improves image quality.
These sorts of effects are designed to add ambiance to the experience, but in combination with Cyberpunk 2077’s naturally blurry appearance, they only exacerbate the issue.
TV Settings
Console players may also benefit from experimenting with their TV settings, ensuring that “Sharpness” sliders are reduced to zero. It’s also worth noting that Cyberpunk 2077’s aesthetic seems to work best with contrast levels turned up and any options to reduce shadow detail reduced. Do whatever you can to increase black levels and eliminate any hue effects that make it look hazy. Again, more detailed information can be found in the best HDR settings guide linked above.
PC Version
For PC players, there are some options to fine-tune the graphical settings even further. Although, before you even attempt any of that make sure you have updated your Nvidia drivers to the latest version. There’s a new one that has been specifically designed for Cyberpunk 2077. Open up GeForce Experience and search for the game to download.
You can then summon the GeForce overlay with Alt + Z and apply the “Sharpening” slider to the desired amount.
Those running an RTX card can also play with Nvidia’s new DLSS support, which scales resolution and improves image quality. You can basically choose to have a sharper image or a dynamic resolution depending on whether you’re going for clarity or speed of frame rate.
Hopefully, this article helped you fix Cyberpunk 2077’s blurry graphics at least to some extent. If it didn’t, you might just have to wait until CDPR issues a fix or explains the issue (if it indeed deems there to even be one) at some point in the near future. Quite whether the blurriness will be addressed specifically is anybody’s guess, but we do expect the game’s overall performance to improve with the inevitable patches in the weeks to come.
For more tips and guides on the game, be sure to check out Twinfinite’s wiki.
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