Should I Do Phantom Liberty After Main Story?

When It Makes Sense

• Good fit: You want to finish the base game’s main narrative first and are comfortable using the post-credits reload or a manual save before the point of no return. Cyberpunk 2077 returns you to a save just before the final mission once the credits roll, which means you can still start Phantom Liberty afterward if that pre-ending save is intact. This approach gives you the base game’s ending closure before you explore Dogtown and its spy-thriller storyline.
• Good fit: Your active character is already past the point of no return but the save still sits before the final mission, and you prefer to tackle the expansion with endgame gear, levels, and a completed build. Because Phantom Liberty’s content scales to your level, entering Dogtown after the main story can make combat feel less punishing and let you experiment with late-game cyberware and perks.

When You Should Avoid It

• Warning sign: You have already passed the point of no return and overwritten any earlier save. Phantom Liberty is not a separate post-game chapter; it is integrated into the main campaign. If your only remaining save is past the final-mission lock, you will not be able to start the expansion in that playthrough without loading an earlier backup or beginning a new game.
• Warning sign: You want the expansion to unlock its new ending option on your first run without replaying the final mission. The additional ending tied to Phantom Liberty becomes available during the base game’s final mission only if you have completed the expansion beforehand. Doing the main story first and then jumping into Phantom Liberty means you may need to replay the ending sequence to see that outcome.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Base-game closure first. Completing the main story before side content gives you a clear narrative endpoint. You can experience V’s core journey from start to finish without an unresolved ending hanging over your time in Dogtown, which some players find more satisfying on a story-focused playthrough.
• Stronger character and loadout. Returning to Phantom Liberty after the main story often means you have higher-level abilities, better weapons, and more eddies to spend on cyberware and vehicles. That can reduce early expansion friction and let you focus on story choices rather than survival.

Cons

• Pacing and continuity can feel off. Phantom Liberty’s events are written to occur while V is still searching for a cure and working with Johnny Silverhand. If you play it after the main story, some dialogue, references, and emotional stakes may feel slightly disjointed because the expansion assumes you are still in the middle of the base game’s timeline.
• You may lock yourself out of the new ending. Because the expansion-linked ending is triggered during the final main-story mission, finishing that mission before Phantom Liberty forces you to replay the ending or reload an earlier save if you want to see that conclusion. Overwriting your pre-point-of-no-return save makes this impossible without starting over.

Decision Checklist

• Have you reached the main-story point where Phantom Liberty unlocks, typically after the quest “Transmission,” and do you have a clean save before the point of no return?
• Do you care about unlocking the expansion’s new ending option on this character, and are you willing to replay the final mission if you already completed it?
• Is your current save actually positioned before the final mission, or have you overwritten the only copy that lets you access mid-game content?
• Do you prefer chronological story flow, or would you rather have the base game’s ending resolved before exploring Dogtown?

Alternatives to Consider

The most common alternative is to play Phantom Liberty in its intended slot: start it after “Transmission” and complete it before meeting Hanako at Embers in “Nocturne Op55N1.” This preserves narrative continuity and ensures the new ending is available when you reach the finale. Another practical option is to maintain dedicated save slots—one before Phantom Liberty begins and one before the point of no return—so you can experience both orders without losing progress. If your current save is already past the point of no return with no backup, starting a fresh character for a Phantom Liberty-focused run is a clean way to see the expansion at the level it was designed for. Finally, some players simply wait until after the main story on a second playthrough, treating Phantom Liberty as an alternate-route experience rather than part of their first canon run.

Final Recommendation

For the smoothest experience and full access to the new ending, do Phantom Liberty before the base game’s final mission, while your save is still before the point of no return. If you have already completed the main story, check whether your active save is the pre-ending reload; if it is, you can still play Phantom Liberty, though you may need to replay the finale to see its ending option. If you have no eligible save, your best path is to start a new playthrough. Because this is a gameplay preference question rather than a medical, legal, or financial decision, choose the order that fits your enjoyment and time; just be careful not to overwrite the save you will need.