Cyberpunk 2077 vs Dying Light: The Beast
Cyberpunk 2077 trades combat variety for narrative depth; Dying Light: The Beast is a tight parkour horror with a fan-favorite lead.
Updated 6d ago
Fixed since 2.0 and worth it at $18 — Night City and the writing carry it, but the build variety is thinner than the skill tree pretends.
Punches above its $40 price tag — Crane's Beast Mode and the return to DL1's horde-dense streets make this the series' best since the original.
By the numbers
Prices checked Aug 7; they move faster than we refresh, so confirm on the store page.
Recent-review figures are Steam's own last-30-days window, read Aug 7.
| Measure | Cyberpunk 2077 | Dying Light: The Beast |
|---|---|---|
| Value Cyberpunk 2077 wins on value | ||
| Price now | $17.99 −70% · Steam | $37.62 −15% · eTail.Market |
| All-time low | $17.99 | $39.59 |
| Cost / hour | $0.69/hr $17.99 · 26 h main story | $2.07/hr $37.62 · 18 h main story |
| Off its low | At its low low was Jun 2026 | At its low low was Jun 2026 |
| Main story | 26 h | 18 h |
| Health | ||
| Steam reviews | 87% 968k reviews | 87% 70k reviews |
| Recent reviews | 95% 13k votes · vs 87% lifetime · improving | 83% 948 votes · vs 87% lifetime |
| Peak players | 101,348 Jul 2026 · ↑ 16% MoM | 4,602 Jul 2026 · ↑ 24% MoM |
| Launch peak | 12% of Dec 2020 launch peak · as of Jul 2026 | 4% of Sep 2025 launch peak · as of Jul 2026 |
| All-time peak | 830,387 Dec 2020 | 120,949 Sep 2025 |
| Support | ||
| Last patch | 11 months ago | 4 months ago |
| Patch cadence | 0 in last 90 days | 0 in last 90 days |
| Steam Deck | Gold | Platinum |
Shared scale — same months across the bottom, same player-count axis up the side, so the two lines are directly comparable. A shorter line means a younger game.
What players say
Patterns from long-haul reviewers, taken from each game's verdict. Not live sentiment — each side is dated below.
Cyberpunk 2077
Long-haul players credit Night City itself: 100-hour reviewers point to the density and the character writing as the reason they finished it twice.
Reviewers past 150 hours flag build sameness — different weapon specialisations end up playing alike, which flattens a second run.
from our July 2026 verdict
Dying Light: The Beast
Beast Mode's brutal strength-spree is the obvious highlight, letting Crane tear through hordes with a ferocity that feels like DL1 turned up to eleven.
The dodge mechanic's unreliability and forced weapon-slot swaps during cutscenes keep tripping up even veteran parkour players.
from our August 2026 verdict
Key differences
Which one is for you?
Pick Cyberpunk 2077 if
- You prioritize story and atmosphere over mechanical variety
- You can get it at $18, not full price
- You're willing to tolerate occasional crashes on mid-range PCs
Pick Dying Light: The Beast if
- You loved original Dying Light's parkour more than DL2's open world
- You have 15-20 hours instead of 60 to commit
- Kyle Crane's comeback excites you enough to overlook iterative design
Bottom line
Choose Cyberpunk 2077 for a narrative RPG with a world you enjoy existing in; choose Dying Light: The Beast for tight, focused parkour horror that respects your time.