How Music Builds a World: Cyberpunk 2077 (Part 1)
When you think of Cyberpunk 2077, your mind probably jumps to neon lights, chrome-plated limbs, and the iconic Keanu Reeves as the ever-defiant Johnny Silverhand. But it’s the soundtrack pulsing beneath the surface of this gritty universe that really brings the world to life. From raging punk rock anthems to brooding synths, the music of Cyberpunk 2077 and its anime prequel Cyberpunk: Edgerunners isn’t just background noise; it’s a crucial part of the world-building and emotional storytelling.
The soundtracks across both the game and the anime aren’t just great to listen to; they are what makes Night City feel alive, immersive, and tragically human.
Music as the Core of the Cyberpunk Identity
In both the game and the anime, music acts like connective tissue. It threads through the story, ties characters together, and links these two very different formats: a non-linear RPG style game and an anime series, with a shared universe and aesthetic but with stories told from very different perspectives.
The game leans heavily on the in-universe band Samurai, whose sound is a raw, aggressive blend of punk rock and heavy metal. The band’s music was created by real-life Swedish punks Refused, giving tracks like "Never Fade Away" an authentic edge, and adding character development in a way rarely seen in Video Games. Another dimension that makes Johnny Silverhand, the band’s frontman (and Keanu Reeves’ alter ego) feel even more human. Johnny embodies the rebellion and rage in these tracks, making them key to understanding who he is.
But it’s much more than punk. The game’s world is a mix of musical influences: industrial techno, ambient soundscapes, glitch-hop, each tied to different factions, missions, and moods. Composer P.T. Adamczyk’s “The Rebel Path,” for example, blends dark ambient tones with Electronic Body Music (EBM), crafting an iconic audio match for high-tension gameplay with a heavy Cyberpunk aesthetic.
Meanwhile, in-game radio stations like Body Heat Radio or Ritual FM let players tune into everything from pop to underground grime. Want synthwave? Try 88.3 Pacific Dreams. Something edgier? Ritual FM’s industrial chaos is there for you.
These stations mirror the cultural fabric of Night City, and because you choose what to listen to, you end up curating your own vibe as you play. These stations help build Night City’s identity, reflecting the diverse sub-cultures of a sprawling dystopia.
And it works. Music becomes an anchor point -something players return to throughout their journey, both emotionally and narratively. When you hear “Never Fade Away” you’re not just hearing a song; you’re remembering a story arc, a character, a moment you helped shape.
Immersion in Action: How Cyberpunk 2077 Uses Sound to Pull You In
One of the things I love most about Cyberpunk 2077 is how the music pulls you into it’s world. The soundtracks shifts depending on how you are interacting with it.
As you explore the streets of Night City, tracks like “Cloudy Day” by Marcin Przybyłowicz drench the city in melancholic ambience.
Step into a combat zone, and the mood flips, suddenly you’re hit with aggressive, uptempo techno or industrial beats that make every firefight feel like it’s unfolding in a club at the end of the world. “Adam Smasher” by Paul Leonard-Morgan is a perfectly relentless example of this, just like the character it’s named after.
What feels different about this level of immersion is that the game doesn't just “play music”, the music plays you. If you approach a mission stealthily, the adaptive soundtrack might stay subtle and tense. Charge in guns blazing? The tempo kicks up. It’s all modular, meaning the pieces of music are designed to transition fluidly between states based on your gameplay. That design philosophy is essential to immersion in video games. It lets players feel like the soundtrack is responding to their story.
Even missions are scored with narrative in mind. Take “Chippin’ In,” where Johnny Silverhand’s story comes full circle. As you uncover more about his past, it’s his music that brings a level of depth to these scenes. The game isn’t just telling you who he was. It’s letting you hear it.
It’s this blend of narrative, atmosphere, and player agency that makes Cyberpunk 2077 a standout example of how sound can be just as immersive as sight.
Coming Up Next: Part 2 – Music and Emotion in Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
In the next post, we’ll step into the world of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and explore how the anime uses music to elevate emotional storytelling. From Akira Yamaoka’s cinematic compositions to the viral impact of Rosa Walton’s “I Really Want to Stay at Your House,” we’ll look at how sound drives the series’ most powerful moments and connects it back to the game in deeply meaningful ways.
(This work was originally a part of a research paper for my MA in Composing for Video Games.)
