Cyberpunk 2077 may be a few years old, but it’s still one of the most demanding games you can play on PC. With excellent graphics and one of the best ray-tracing (RT) implementations on the market, it’s a visual spectacle that can tax even the most capable GPUs out there. So, you’ll want one of the best GPUs for Cyberpunk 2077 to experience all the game has to offer visually.

Let’s be clear: you can play Cyberpunk 2077 on almost any GPU if you adjust the settings accordingly. However, you’ll need a lot more grunt to enable ray tracing and other flourishes while maintaining solid framerates, and that’s what we’re focusing on here.

Our Favorite Graphics Cards for Cyberpunk 2077

1. Asus TUF GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition

If you want to see everything that Cyberpunk 2077 has to offer visually, all while maintaining three-digit framerates, there’s only one GPU for you: the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090. Nvidia’s latest and greatest is a beast capable of pushing modern games to unheard-of framerates with its raw performance and support for DLSS Frame Generation. It’ll cost you a pretty penny, but there’s certainly nothing out there quite like it.

The RTX 4090 is leagues ahead of Nvidia’s previous cards in Cyberpunk 2077, especially at 4K with ray-tracing (RT) enabled. Enabling DLSS’ Quality with the ultra preset results in a roughly 80 FPS average in Cyberpunk 2077, with 1% lows still above 60 FPS as per Gamers Nexus’ testing. This is nearly double the previous-generation RTX 3090 Ti’s performance, meaning you can push ray tracing while outperforming any GPU out there.

If you’re OK with a slightly blurrier image, you can likely come even closer to the 90 FPS sweet spot by dropping down to DLSS Performance. It won’t look that much worse and should give you even smoother performance.

But that’s not all: enabling DLSS Frame Generation at the same settings and resolution will improve framerates even more, albeit at the cost of increased latency. Digital Foundry tested 4K DLSS Frame Generation in the notoriously demanding Cherry Blossom Market and recorded a staggering 120 to 130 FPS at maxed-out settings. That’s more frames than many 4K monitors can display!

Of course, this is without the ultra-demanding, fully path-traced RT Overdrive mode that CD Projekt Red introduced recently. But it’s still impressive and shows you how much you can get from the new Nvidia cards and their fancy AI-assisted technology.

But what about that Ray Tracing Overdrive mode, then? If you’re unfamiliar, the RT Overdrive mode removes all the pre-calculated lighting, enabling full ray- and path-tracing for every light source in the game. The results are amazing, but the performance hit is even more substantial.

For example, enabling RT Overdrive drags the 4K native framerates below 20 FPS, which is mostly unplayable. But enable DLSS and DLSS 3 frame generation, and you’re back up into the 90s. Sure, it’s not quite as high as the non-Overdrive mode, but 90 FPS is eminently playable for a relatively slow-paced first-person game like Cyberpunk. And we think the improved lighting is well worth the 30-40 FPS hit.

Of course, this level of performance and RT prowess doesn’t come cheap. The Asus TUF GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition card here may be one of the most “functional” RTX 4090s out there, with no RGB and a utilitarian design, but it’ll still set you back a cool $1800.

Sure, you can get cheaper RTX 4090s, but the Asus’ excellent cooling and tried-and-tested build quality make it our choice here. After all, if you’re already considering spending this much, why compromise and get a lower-quality card?

Overall, the Nvidia RTX 4090 is the GPU to get if you’re adamant about experiencing Cyberpunk 2077 in all its ray-traced or path-traced glory, and Asus’ TUF GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition is as good as any 4090 out there (if not better). You’ll pay a princely sum for the privilege, but you’ll at least get a card that’ll power through the next few years of Triple-A gaming without breaking a sweat.

2. Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4080 Gaming OC

Not everyone can afford to drop nearly $2000 on a graphics card just to play Cyberpunk 2077. But if you still want to see all that Night City has to offer visually, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 is probably your best bet. It’s a hugely capable GPU that can handle CD Projekt Red’s action-RPG without too much trouble.

The RTX 4080 isn’t quite the generational leap that the RTX 4090 was, but it still offers a significant performance improvement in Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K with DLSS and RT enabled. According to Gamers Nexus ‘ testing, expect just under 60 FPS on average, with playable 1% lows of around 47 FPS.

For context, that’s about 27% slower than the RTX 4090 and nearly 60% faster than the RTX 3080. These are decent numbers overall, although the inability to hit a locked 4K 60 FPS at DLSS Quality mode in Gamers Nexus’ testing is somewhat galling, considering the $1200 asking price for most RTX 4080s.

That said, RT is still an incredibly demanding feature, so it’s no surprise that the RTX 4080 can’t quite hit that 60 FPS target when maxed out. Going with DLSS’s Balanced or Performance settings will help here, but there’s also the option of DLSS 3 frame generation to really push the FPS if you want.

Tom’s Hardware put the RTX 4080 through its paces in Cyberpunk 2077, testing several permutations of DLSS and Frame Generation to see how it stacked up. The results are quite impressive, so long as you ignore the outlier that is the RTX 4090 with DLSS Performance and Frame Gen.

Dropping DLSS to Performance mode alone brings healthy improvements, raising the average FPS in Tom’s Hardware’s test from 50.5 to 73.9 FPS, which is more than playable. But Frame Generation really takes it to the next level, with a 109.2 FPS average and 95.5 FPS 1% lows with the feature enabled.

These DLSS and Frame Gen results are good enough that you should be able to come close to a locked 4K 60 FPS in RT Overdrive with the RTX 4080. Busier scenes will dip below 60 FPS, but not by much. Cyberpunk 2077 isn’t a very fast-paced game, so we think that 60 FPS is a perfectly acceptable compromise if you want to experience the futuristic splendor of path-traced lighting.

Of course, you can also drop down to DLSS Ultra Performance, which should get you a 90-100 FPS experience with Frame Generation in RT Overdrive mode. You will have to deal with blurrier visuals and more aliasing on lines and fine details, but the compromises may be worthwhile for you.

Gigabyte’s GeForce RTX 4080 Gaming OC is one of our favorite RTX 4080s, as it combines solid cooling with some minor RGB flair and good build quality. RTX 4080s don’t emit quite as much heat as RTX 4090s, so we’re OK with recommending a marginally less performant cooler in exchange for some visual bling here.

Nvidia RTX 4080 cards like the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4080 Gaming OC are impressive, powerful, and offer more graphics power than most of us will need for the next few years. Whether it’s Cyberpunk 2077 or some as-yet-unreleased Triple-A powerhouse, this card’ll last you a while.

Unfortunately, RTX 4080s aren’t cheap, and you could make a case for saving up a bit more and going with a roughly $1600 RTX 4090 card instead. But if you want high-end visuals and can’t spend a dollar above $1200, then the RTX 4080 is Cyberpunk 2077 GPU for you.

3. Asus TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 Ti

Nvidia’s Geforce RTX 4070 Ti may be a hard sell at its $800 MSRP, but we think it’s a strong 1440p card with enough RT and AI prowess to make it a great buy for Cyberpunk 2077.

The RTX 4070 Ti performs well at 1440p ultra settings with DLSS set to Quality mode. Tom’s Hardware tested the 4070 Ti and recorded an average FPS of 86.2 FPS, with 1% lows well above the 60 FPS threshold at 70.7 FPS. This is plenty good enough for Cyberpunk 2077.

You could eke out a few more frames by dropping down to DLSS Balanced or even Performance, although we’re not huge fans of the latter at 1440p. The low internal resolution is even more obvious here, and you may notice extra blurring and aliasing that you wouldn’t otherwise notice when using DLSS Performance at 4K.

You may also run into CPU bottlenecks when dropping down DLSS quality levels, so the improvements may not be as significant as they would be at 4K. Instead, the best option for improving framerates even further is to enable DLSS Frame Generation.

Enabling frame generation pushes the RTX 4070 Ti to a 128.3-FPS average, with 109.8 FPS 1% lows. You will have to pay with increased latency, but we don’t think it’s a huge deal in a single-player action-RPG like Cyberpunk 2077.

Given the impressive frame generation results on the RTX 4070 Ti, you’re likely thinking that it should be able to handle Cyberpunk 2077’s RT Overdrive mode, at least at 1440p. And you’d be right.

Cyberpunk 2077 should hover around the 60 FPS mark with DLSS Quality and frame generation enabled in the RT Overdrive mode. It’s not quite a locked 60 FPS, especially in busier areas with many NPCs, but it’s not bad. However, we’d recommend dropping down to DLSS Balanced or even DLSS Performance to improve framerates further.

You could also install the Raytracing Overdrive Optimizations mod, which trades some reflection quality for better performance. However, we think you should try a lower DLSS setting before resorting to the mod.

Asus’ TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is one of the best RTX 4070 Tis for several reasons. First, it has the signature Asus TUF combination of build quality and thermal performance for a trouble-free ownership experience. But, more importantly, it’s one of the few RTX 4070 Tis that you can buy for close to (or at) Nvidia’s $800 MSRP.

Given the problematic value proposition for Nvidia’s higher-end RTX 40-series cards, any card available for around the MSRP is the one we’d recommend you get. The fact that you’re not compromising on cooling and construction with the TUF RTX 4070 Ti is the icing on the cake.

Yes, paying around $800 for an RTX xx70-class card hurts, and we hope that Nvidia revamps its pricing structure for the RTX 50-series cards. However, in the here and now, the RTX 4070 Ti is the card to go for if you want great RT performance in Cyberpunk 2077.

4. Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB Twin Edge

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Ti isn’t quite the RTX 3060 Ti successor we were all hoping for, but it has value if you’re looking for a card that’ll handle Cyberpunk 2077 capably at 1080p. Its decent ray-tracing performance and support for DLSS Frame Generation make it a valid option for CD Projekt RED’s open-world behemoth, provided you know what you’re getting into.

The RTX 4060 Ti is only a marginal improvement on the RTX 3060 Ti in most games, but it does stretch its legs slightly more in Cyberpunk 2077. Eurogamer tested the new RTX 4060 Ti at ultra RT settings with DLSS Quality at 1080p and recorded an 87.36 FPS average in the in-game benchmark. That’s about a 22% improvement over the outgoing RTX 3060 Ti, which is higher than in many other games.

You could likely get a decent 1440p 60 FPS experience out of the RTX 4060 Ti, too, provided you drop down to DLSS Balanced or tweak some settings. At ultra ray tracing with DLSS Quality, the RTX 4060 Ti averages 54.69 FPS; not bad, but not quite enough for a locked 60 FPS experience at 1440p.

However, as with other RTX 40-series cards, you don’t need to settle for the card’s raw performance here. Cyberpunk 2077 supports DLSS 3 frame generation, with reasonably impressive results on the mid-range RTX 4060 Ti. Average framerates at 1080p climb to 128.07 FPS, while the 1440p average climbs to a solid 81.29 FPS.

These are more than playable framerates, although the increased latency may become an issue at 1440p, given the lower starting framerate. But even then, we think DLSS frame generation is a viable option in Cyberpunk 2077 that’ll even let you turn on RT Overdrive and maintain playable performance.

Eurogamer recorded a 58.94 FPS average with frame generation at 1440p, with the lowest recorded framerate at 46.32 FPS. While this isn’t amazing, it’s good enough for a VRR display. You could also install the Raytracing Overdrive Optimizations mod, bringing the game closer to 60 FPS here.

The outlet declined to test RT Overdrive at 1080p, which is a slight shame. However, the 1440p results indicate that you should be able to get a reasonably close 60 FPS lock at 1080p. You’ll still likely want to enable frame generation, though.

Zotac’s take on the RTX 4060 Ti is simple and has no frills, but the upside is that it’s available close to Nvidia’s $400 MSRP. Given the generally troublesome pricing of many current-generation graphics cards, we think buying products available at MSRP (or close to it) is ideal. And that’s why the Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 4060 Ti takes our pick.

Overall, the RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB is a decent-to-good 1080p graphics card that excels more in Cyberpunk 2077 than in other games. To be clear, it’s not a card you should buy if you already have an RTX 3060 Ti or similar. But if you’re coming from an RTX 20-series or older and want that sweet ray-traced Cyberpunk 2077 experience at 1080p, then this is your best bet.

5. Sapphire Pulse AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX

Nvidia’s RT prowess means that they hold a distinct advantage in Cyberpunk 2077, especially for those seeking the best visual experience. That said, AMD’s newest high-end GPU, the Radeon RX 7900 XTX, puts up a good fight in the title. If you’re OK with turning down settings or disabling RT outright, then Team Red’s top dog is a great buy for the price.

We’re not going to beat around the bush here: the RX 7900 XTX only just about turns in playable framerates at 4K ultra in Cyberpunk 2077, even with AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) enabled in Quality mode. Gamers Nexus tested the card and recorded a 41 FPS average, with 1% lows hovering close to the 30 FPS minimum threshold.

AMD’s top card trails all three of Nvidia’s higher-end cards, although it comes close to the RTX 4070 Ti in this test. Furthermore, AMD has yet to release FSR 3 frame generation, so AMD users don’t have any options to further lift performance with RT enabled.

The situation will change once AMD’s FSR 3 frame generation tech is available and implemented in Cyberpunk 2077, of course. But even then, there’s no guarantee that it’ll be able to equal (or improve on) DLSS Frame Generation in terms of latency, performance, and visual artifacts (or lack thereof).

If you’re dead set on buying an AMD GPU and want to get the best out of Cyberpunk 2077, we recommend going for an even lower-quality FSR preset if you want to game at 4K. Gamers Nexus recorded a much better 77.6 FPS average gaming at 1440p at the same 66% FSR Quality setting. So, it stands to reason that you could bring your average frames up to (or beyond) the 60 FPS mark by dropping down to FSR Balanced or Performance at 4K.

Non-RT performance in Cyberpunk 2077 is a different matter altogether, though. At 4K without RT or upscaling, the RX 7900 XTX beats the pricier RTX 4080 in KitGuru’s testing. Sure, the Radeon’s 63 FPS average isn’t miles ahead of the RTX 4080’s 56.6 FPS average, but a win’s a win. If you’re OK with disabling RT in Cyberpunk 2077, then the RX 7900 XTX instantly becomes more appealing.

As you might expect, Cyberpunk 2077’s Ray Tracing Overdrive mode is mostly off the table here. Expect sub-30 FPS performance at 4K, even in Ultra Performance mode. Even at 1440p, you’re looking at FSR Ultra Performance to get half-playable framerates.

You might be able to squeeze a bit more performance out of your RX 7900 XTX by installing the Raytracing Overdrive Optimizations mod. However, you’re still likely better off with an Nvidia card if playing Cyberpunk 2077 with RT Overdrive enabled interests you.

Given the RX 7900 XTX’s RT weaknesses and (current) lack of frame generation tech, it’s crucial to try and get the best deal possible on the card to make up for its weaknesses. The Sapphire Pulse AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is just the card for it, with its roughly $990 list price and decent cooling solution.

Yes, you don’t get RGB lighting, but we don’t think that’s a huge deal. Spending north of $1000 on a blinged-out RX 7900 XTX feels like a poor choice considering its clear disadvantage in RT workloads, so the cheaper the better, in our book. Stick to the $1000 ceiling, though, and the 7900 XTX’s RT weaknesses aren’t as big an issue.

Overall, the Sapphire Pulse AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is likely your best choice if you want an AMD card to run Cyberpunk 2077 at higher settings. Nvidia is a better buy in this particular title, but the RX 7900 XTX more than holds its own without RT and in other non-RT games.

Optimizing Cyberpunk 2077

Unless you’re using an RTX 4090, you’ll have to make compromises somewhere to get the best performance out of your graphics card. Even GPUs as powerful as the Nvidia RTX 4080 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX need some help in the game, especially with ray tracing enabled.

We touched on it earlier, but the best way to claw back some extra performance with these top-tier cards is to reduce the internal resolution you use for DLSS or FSR. Going from Quality down to Balanced or Performance modes should improve performance significantly.

As a reminder, here’s how the RTX 4080 performs with ultra settings at various DLSS quality levels:

Dropping from DLSS Quality to Performance alone nets you a nearly 50% increase in average and 1% low framerates here, allowing for a locked 60 FPS at 4K. You will have to deal with a slightly blurrier image, but it’s not too bad and you likely won’t notice in the heat of battle.

Failing that, you can dive into the settings menu and drop some settings to gain extra performance. There are several settings that you can reduce without impacting visual quality too much. You could, for example, reduce volumetric fog resolution, color precision, and screen space reflection quality to help boost framerates.

Dropping the ray-traced lighting quality is also an excellent way to reduce the load on your GPU, although you will lose the delicious bounce lighting of the Psycho setting. Digital Foundry has a great video on how to achieve optimal performance in Cyberpunk 2077:

If you’re in love with the fancy, realistic lighting of the RT Overdrive mode but wish it ran a bit better, you’re not alone. Thankfully, the Raytracing Overdrive Optimizations mod can help here. It reduces the number of light bounces (from two to one) along with several other optimizations that result in significantly improved performance on RTX 30-series and RX 7000-series cards.

The most noticeable downside with the mod is reduced reflection quality. While the main reflections are still as sharp as ever, you lose the reflected lighting on objects. This makes some reflections look entirely black despite the object itself being lit by lights or the sun.

The reduced light bounces also make shadows in certain areas darker, leading to a higher contrast look. Neither of these radically changes the mode’s visuals, but they are noticeable downgrades when viewed side-by-side.

However, the mod retains all the outstanding global illumination and lighting upgrades the RT Overdrive mode brings. So you’re getting most of what the mode has to offer with only relatively minor cutbacks.

The upshot? Close-to-60 FPS performance on an RTX 3080 at 1440p is more than good enough for Cyberpunk 2077 with a variable-refresh-rate display. The modder also claims between 200 to 260% improvements with Radeon RX 7000-series cards, although we don’t have one on hand to verify these claims.

Closing Thoughts

Almost any mid-range (or higher) graphics card can run Cyberpunk 2077, but few can do it while letting you enable higher graphics settings and ray tracing. But before you rush out and buy one of these cards, think about your goals: do you just want to play the game, or do you want to play it while indulging in all the visual splendor it offers?

If it’s the latter, then Nvidia GPUs like the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4080 Gaming OC or the Asus TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 Ti are what you want. Both have the ray tracing grunt and AI-assisted smarts to provide high framerates and slick graphics at 4K and 1440p, respectively.

Have fun in Night City, choom!