Cyberpunk 2077 vs GTA 5: How the games handle vehicles differently

Cyberpunk 2077 couldn't possibly have more hype ahead of its now confirmed release date of December 10th, after quite the turbulent developmental cycle.

2020 couldn't have been more taxing on CD Projekt Red as the Polish developers toiled endlessly to get the highly anticipated RPG to release on time while also maintaining their lofty standards.

The game has managed to not only captivate the core gaming audience but has also managed to attract mainstream attention as well.

Cyberpunk 2077 is undoubtedly one of the biggest releases of the past couple of decades, reminiscent of the kind of hype that surrounded GTA V during the time of its release.

It is expected that any game that dares to venture into the open-world genre will be met with comparisons to the industry gold standard that is the GTA franchise.

Cyberpunk 2077, although an RPG first, also features an open-world but certainly takes a much different approach to it than GTA V, especially when it comes to the vehicles.

How Cyberpunk 2077 and GTA 5 handle vehicles differently

Vehicles in GTA V

The player, right from the start, is welcomed into an expansive open-world that is crafted to be the most freeing and liberating as it can be. The user has full control over most elements of the game world, including vehicles.

Simply by the press of a button, the player character can steal any vehicle in sight of any type and is able to possess it for as long as they want. Apart from a single button press, there is very little gameplay or difficulty involved with stealing and possessing a vehicle in GTA V.

This very much encapsulates the escapist open-world genre that the GTA franchise finds itself in and is in line with the rest of the game design. The game simply does not require any more complex mechanics or skill trees in place to make the act any more tedious than it should be.

Vehicles in Cyberpunk 2077

Watch from 4:30 for dev insights into vehicles.

The first thing to remember when comparing Cyberpunk 2077 and GTA V is that while the two are technically open-world games, the former is an RPG through and through.

Therefore, like all good RPGs, Cyberpunk 2077 attempts to ground the game with as many cool mechanics and gameplay elements as possible. Therefore, stealing a vehicle isn't a choice or a possibility right from the start.

The player will have to upgrade certain skills to be able to steal a car right off the street. This works quite well in many ways as players will then have a stronger attachment with their personal vehicle in Cyberpunk 2077 rather than simply bunny hopping from one onto the other.

This way, the player's vehicle feels more personal. Also, it gives way to interesting gameplay situations, given that the player simply won't be able to make a quick getaway by stealing a random car off the street when they feel like it.

Which approach is better?

Simply put, GTA V and Cyberpunk 2077 are vastly different games, and their approach to gameplay and game design are unique to the genre they belong to. The Grand Theft Auto franchise has done extremely well by being an accessible open-world action game that isn't too complex.

Cyberpunk 2077, on the other hand, thrives by being an in-depth, complex game at the cost of being slightly less accessible to the casual player. However, RPG fans are well aware of the complexity of the genre and are expecting tonnes of branching skill-trees that they can spend hours specing and re-specing.