Cyberpunk (tabletop role-playing game)
Cyberpunk is a tabletop roleplaying game line designed by Mike PondsmithMike PondsmithMike Pondsmith (Michael Alyn Pondsmith) is an American tabletop roleplaying and video game designer and the founder of R. Talsorian Games, who released the tabletop roleplaying game Cyberpunk in 1988; its world was later adapted by CD Projekt RED into the video game Cyberpunk 2077.Open the full entry and published by R. Talsorian Games since 1988, with editions including Cyberpunk 2020, Cyberpunk V3.0 and Cyberpunk RED; its setting was later adapted by CD Projekt RED into the video game Cyberpunk 2077.
Contents22 sections
Key facts
1988The First Edition
In 1988 R. Talsorian Games published the first edition of Cyberpunk, designed by Mike Pondsmith; the box set already used “A roleplaying game of the dark future” as its tag line.[1]
This edition was later renamed Cyberpunk 2013.[2]
1989Origins Gamer’s Choice Award
It won the 1989 Origins Gamer’s Choice Award for Best Science Fiction RPG.[1]
1990Cyberpunk 2020
A new edition, Cyberpunk 2020, followed in 1990.[3]
Pondsmith regards its Lifepath background system as probably the company’s biggest contribution to game design.[4]
1993–1997Spin-offs and the Collapse of the Setting
CyberGeneration, set in an alternate continuity, appeared in 1993; in 1996 Wizards of the Coast released Netrunner, a card game by Richard Garfield set in the line’s cyberspace; from 1997 the Firestorm adventures depicted the setting’s collapse in a mid-2020s corporate war.[5]
2005–2006Cyberpunk V3.0
The third edition, Cyberpunk V3.0, is dated to 2005 in some sources.[3]
Written by Mike Pondsmith, Lisa Pondsmith and Will Moss, it is dated to 2006 in other sources and centres on street gangs contending with resurgent megacorporations.[6]
It is set in the 2030s and drew mixed responses from players.[5]
The two-tone softcover was priced at $32.[7]
2011CYBERPUNK Trademark Registered
R. Talsorian Games applied on March 23, 2011, for the U.S. trademark CYBERPUNK for roleplaying games, giving August 10, 1988, as the date of first use; it was registered on November 29, 2011, and an assignment to CD PROJEKT S.A. was recorded on July 20, 2016.[8]
2012Video Game Adaptation and a New Trademark
In May 2012 CD Projekt RED revealed a video game based on the tabletop game.[9]
On July 19, 2012, R. Talsorian Games filed another CYBERPUNK trademark application covering game software, novels, game books, cards, figures, clothing and film and television entertainment.[10]
In October that year the video game was named Cyberpunk 2077.[11]
2015–2018The Framework Used for The Witcher
The Witcher tabletop roleplaying game, announced by R. Talsorian Games in 2015, used Cyberpunk’s original rules framework at CD Projekt RED’s request.[12]
2016–2017Trademark Passes to CD PROJEKT
The 2012 application was recorded as assigned to CD PROJEKT S.A. on March 30, 2016, and registered on April 18, 2017.[10]
The matter drew discussion in April 2017; CD Projekt RED said the word could still be used descriptively and that it registered the mark to avoid losing the name or names of follow-ups.[13]
May 2019Cyberpunk RED Delayed
On May 26, 2019, R. Talsorian Games announced that the core rulebook for the new edition, Cyberpunk RED, would miss Gen Con 2019 because lore details were still being settled with CD Projekt RED and the team wanted to take its time with the art.[14]
On May 30 the company said the edition is set in 2045, in a period of rebuilding after the 4th Corporate War, on a timeline developed jointly with CD Projekt RED.[15]
June–August 2019: The Jumpstart Kit
In June 2019 R. Talsorian Games announced that the Cyberpunk RED Jumpstart Kit would go on sale at Gen Con on August 1, using a new version of the Interlock engine and including six pregenerated characters.[16]
The box also contains two booklets, four maps and six dice, with a digital edition on DriveThruRPG.[17]
The game’s Time of the Red runs roughly from the late 2030s to the mid-2040s.[18]
November 2020Cyberpunk RED Core Rulebook
The 456-page core rulebook came out digitally on November 14, 2020, and in print on November 19, priced at $30 and $60.[19]
December 2020First Printing Sells Out
The first printing, the largest in R. Talsorian Games’ more than 30 years, sold out on its webstore in just over two weeks.[20]
Cyberpunk 2077 was released on December 10, 2020.[21]
2022Sequel and Mission Kit Announced
In October 2022 CD Projekt RED announced a sequel code-named “Project Orion,” later called Cyberpunk 2.[22]
On November 7, 2022, R. Talsorian Games announced a starter box based on the anime Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, made with CD Projekt RED on the Cyberpunk RED rules.[23]
2023Hall of Fame
In 2023 the Cyberpunk RPG was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design.[24]
2024Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Mission Kit
In May 2024 the $35 box went to print; its seven pregenerated characters were drawn by the anime’s director, Hiroyuki Imaishi.[25]
Its main mission, “The Jacket,” continues after the anime’s ending.[26]
It was released on June 21, 2024, as R. Talsorian Games’ first product offered for pre-order, and also serves as the new Cyberpunk RED starter kit.[27]
November 2025Video Game Sales
As of November 26, 2025, Cyberpunk 2077 had sold 35 million copies.[28]
CD Projekt’s chief financial officer, Piotr Nielubowicz, said it had outperformed The Witcher 3 over the same period after release.[29]
February–June 2026: Night City 2045
The sourcebook Night City 2045 covers 26 districts, 44 gangs, 6 criminal organizations and 23 security organizations.[30]
The book runs 312 pages, and its timeline begins in 1991 with Richard Night planning Coronado City.[31]
Pre-orders and the PDF opened on April 17, 2026, and the print book launched at Origins 2026 on June 17.[32]
In May 2026, 130 plot hooks cut from the book were released as the free DLC Night City Hook Book.[33]
July–September 2026: Reprint and New DLC
On July 24, 2026, an errata printing of the sourcebook Black Chrome returned to stock, alongside a weapon rebalance errata.[34]
In September 2026 the DLC Con Jobs Part 2 collected the rest of the Gen Con 2026 Cyberpunk RED adventures.[35]
As of October 2026: Current Status
The Cyberpunk RED core rulebook is in its third printing.[1]
J Gray is the line manager; the line is available through DriveThruRPG, Roll20, Demiplane’s Cyberpunk RED Nexus and Fantasy Grounds.[36]
R. Talsorian Games’ webstore still sells Cyberpunk 2020 for $30.[37]
Related Organizations, Websites, and Public Accounts
Cyberpunk (tabletop role-playing game): Official website: https://rtalsoriangames.com/cyberpunk/ (opens in a new window)[1]
R. Talsorian Games: Official website: https://rtalsoriangames.com/ (opens in a new window)[36]
X: Official account: https://x.com/RTalsorianGames (opens in a new window)[36]
YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry: Official account: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkI3EFuO8w_bn4oDiQ_lM8A (opens in a new window)[36]
CD PROJEKT: Official website: https://www.cdprojekt.com/ (opens in a new window)[21]
Sources
- The Roleplaying Game of the Dark Future – R. Talsorian Games (opens in a new window)
- Cyberpunk's Mike Pondsmith: 'My wife guessed they had Keanu Reeves' (opens in a new window)
- Cyberpunk Creator Mike Pondsmith's Exclusive Interview for Digital Cultures 2020 (opens in a new window)
- A Conversation with Mike Pondsmith, Creator of Cyberpunk 2020 (opens in a new window)
- SFE: Cyberpunk [game] (opens in a new window)
- Cyberpunk V.3.0 (3rd Edition) (Cyberpunk) - Out of Print | Used Copy | Noble Knight Games (opens in a new window)
- Pyramid Review: Cyberpunk V3.0 (opens in a new window)
- CYBERPUNK Trademark of CD PROJEKT S.A. - Registration Number 4062690 - Serial Number 85274090 :: Justia Trademarks (opens in a new window)
- CD Projekt RED Reveals 'Cyberpunk' (opens in a new window)
- CYBERPUNK Trademark of CD PROJEKT S.A. - Registration Number 5184170 - Serial Number 85681741 :: Justia Trademarks (opens in a new window)
- CD Projekt RED's Cyberpunk Adaptation (opens in a new window)
- The Witcher tabletop RPG, from Cyberpunk 2020 creators, has a release date (opens in a new window)
- The Story Behind CD Projekt RED’s Trademark of CYBERPUNK (opens in a new window)
- From the Screamsheets, 5/26/2019 (opens in a new window)
- The Cyberpunk Red FAQ (opens in a new window)
- RPG: Cyberpunk Red – Jump Starting At GenCon (opens in a new window)
- Cyberpunk Red - Delay and Announcement of Jumpstart Kit (opens in a new window)
- Il nuovo gioco di ruolo Cyberpunk Red sarà presentato alla GenCon 2019 (opens in a new window)
- Cyberpunk RED Alert (opens in a new window)
- Cyberpunk RED RPG sells out in the leadup to Cyberpunk 2077 launch (opens in a new window)
- Watch the Cyberpunk 2077 Launch Trailer! (opens in a new window)
- Cyberpunk 2: Schöpfer Pondsmith hat das Spiel schon gesehen (opens in a new window)
- Announcing the Cyberpunk Edgerunners Mission Kit (opens in a new window)
- Hall of Fame — The Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design (opens in a new window)
- The Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Mission Kit Goes to Print! (opens in a new window)
- Cyberpunk Edgerunners Won't Get A New Season, But It's Getting A Tabletop Epilogue (opens in a new window)
- Release Day – The Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Mission Kit is now available! (opens in a new window)
- Cyberpunk 2077 hits major milestone (opens in a new window)
- Cyberpunk 2077 just beat The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt to a major sales milestone – and CD Projekt says the RPG isn't done yet (opens in a new window)
- Welcome to Night City 2045 #1 – Contents (opens in a new window)
- Welcome to Night City 2045 #2 – Timeline & Interface RED Volume 5 POD Available (opens in a new window)
- Night City 2045 Pre-Order & More (opens in a new window)
- Cyberpunk RED DLC Release – Night City Hook Book (opens in a new window)
- Cyberpunk RED Alert! – July 2026 DLC – Megatoken Pack & Black Chrome Is Here! (opens in a new window)
- Two At Once! Cyberpunk RED & Shadow Scar DLCs Release for September 2026! (opens in a new window)
- R. Talsorian Games – We create worlds you can only imagine. (opens in a new window)
- Cyberpunk 2020 (opens in a new window)