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Cyberpunk 2077 Patch 2.21, released January 23, 2025 for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, added DLSS 4 support on PC and delivered a wide-ranging repair pass for Photo Mode, SmartFrames, character creation, vehicles, quests and console features. Multi Frame Generation is not available to every RTX card: native 2x, 3x and 4x modes require an RTX 50-series GPU, while older RTX owners receive more limited DLSS 4 improvements.
Patch 2.21 is no longer the newest major game update—Update 2.3 arrived in July 2025—but it remains the key patch for understanding Cyberpunk’s original DLSS 4 integration and its unusually large set of fixes.
What Patch 2.21 actually added
CD Projekt Red’s official Patch 2.21 notes describe two separate parts of the release:
- PC graphics updates: DLSS 4’s Transformer model, updated single Frame Generation and native Multi Frame Generation support.
- Cross-platform fixes: extensive Photo Mode, SmartFrame, Gallery, character, vehicle, quest, audio and user-interface corrections.
Although the patch was dated January 23, the notes said Multi Frame Generation would become enabled on January 30, 2025. Players who installed the patch before that date should not have interpreted the missing option as a hardware failure.
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DLSS 4 features and GPU compatibility
“DLSS 4” is a collection of technologies rather than one feature that every GeForce card receives.
| GPU | Multi Frame Generation | Updated single Frame Generation | Transformer model |
|---|---|---|---|
| RTX 50 series | Yes; 2x, 3x and 4x modes | Yes | Yes |
| RTX 40 series | No native MFG in Patch 2.21 | Yes | Yes |
| RTX 20/30 series | No | No Frame Generation | DLSS model upgrades where supported |
| AMD/Intel | No DLSS features | No DLSS features | No DLSS features |
Multi Frame Generation
On RTX 50-series cards, Multi Frame Generation can create up to three additional AI-generated frames for each traditionally rendered frame. The game exposes selectable 2x, 3x and 4x modes. A 4x setting therefore does not mean the GPU is rendering four times as many fully simulated frames; most of the displayed images are generated between traditionally rendered frames.
That distinction matters. Generated frames can raise the displayed frame-rate counter, but they do not remove a CPU bottleneck or make a low underlying render rate feel equivalent to high native performance. Judge responsiveness and frame pacing from the base rendering rate as well as the generated output. NVIDIA’s performance figures are vendor benchmarks, not independent guarantees.
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Transformer model and single Frame Generation
The new Transformer model is the broader DLSS 4 benefit. CD Projekt Red says it is available for DLSS Super Resolution, Ray Reconstruction and DLAA on supported GeForce RTX hardware. NVIDIA and CDPR describe potential improvements to temporal stability, lighting, detail, aliasing, ghosting, noise and reflections; results vary by scene, resolution and settings.
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RTX 40- and RTX 50-series owners also receive the updated single Frame Generation implementation, which CDPR specifically says uses less memory. This is separate from Multi Frame Generation and is not RTX 50-exclusive.
How to enable the features on PC
- Update Cyberpunk 2077 to Patch 2.21 or a later build.
- Install a current NVIDIA driver that supports the relevant DLSS 4 features.
- Open Settings → Graphics.
- Enable DLSS Super Resolution or DLAA, and Ray Reconstruction where appropriate.
- Enable Frame Generation. On an RTX 50 card, choose Multi Frame Generation and select 2x, 3x or 4x if the option is available.
- Choose the Transformer model instead of CNN where the game exposes that selector.
Menu wording can differ in later builds. If an option is absent, check the game version, driver, GPU generation and whether Resolution Scaling is enabled; Patch 2.21 also fixed a case where the Frame Generation field failed to reset after Resolution Scaling was switched off. A restart may be required. Cyberpunk has native DLSS 4 integration, so an NVIDIA App override is normally unnecessary; overrides are mainly for games without native support.
The major fixes beyond DLSS
Photo Mode
Photo Mode received the largest group of changes. Nibbles and Adam Smasher can now be spawned while V is airborne or underwater; Adam Smasher’s facial-expression control and glowing chest cyberware were restored; Johnny’s default and alternate appearances spawn correctly; and characters no longer snap to the ground in airborne or underwater shots.
Presets now correctly save spawned characters, V’s position and rotation. Spawned characters remain visible after adding a background, the Up/Down position slider works across its affected range, and disabled invisible NPCs no longer retain collision. Preset lights no longer appear unexpectedly or in the wrong place. Full Collision no longer traps the camera against walls, camera settings no longer require loading a preset twice, and backgrounds no longer change camera position or break camera rotation.
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The patch also corrected misleading movement prompts, camera movement after spawning a character while Edit Character is selected, Chromatic Aberration adjustment interference, disappearing scene items when Surrounding NPCs is disabled, PhysX Cloth unfreezing NCPD vehicles, and Rule of Thirds behavior across aspect ratios. SmartFrame images now display correctly when V is not facing the frame. Opening Photo Mode beside Wardrobe or Stash no longer makes the game unresponsive, and Photo Mode cannot be opened before a save has finished loading. Numerous UI, localization, slider and sound-effect issues were fixed as well.
SmartFrames, Gallery and Xbox
Xbox HDR10 screenshots no longer appear blank in Gallery. Gallery now warns when privacy settings block screenshot access, and screenshots deleted outside Gallery are removed from occupied slots after reopening it. Xbox Series S graphics mode also no longer defaults incorrectly to Quality instead of Performance.
Character creation
Randomizer settings are retained when advancing to Customize Attributes. The Piercing Color option appears after piercings are enabled, alongside fixes for additional appearance, clipping, interface and randomizer problems.
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Vehicles and customization
CrystalCoat texture and color inconsistencies were corrected, the missing spray-paint explanation returned to the Autofixer tutorial, and minor CrystalCoat and TwinTone menu problems were fixed.
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Quests, NPCs, vendors and audio
- Fixed a Run This Town issue involving deactivating the Aguilar imprint after meeting Bennett.
- Corrected several cases of duplicated Johnny appearances in the passenger seat and adjusted how often that appearance occurs.
- Fixed NPC and vehicle behavior in smaller Night City events.
- Restored interaction with vendors that could become unusable.
- Restored missing or unusually quiet TV-news voiceovers.
- Corrected the Quadra Turbo-R V-Tech description.
- Restored the missing Update 2.2 “check what’s new” menu notification.
DLSS-specific repairs
Patch 2.21 fixed artifacts and smudging on in-game screens while using DLSS Ray Reconstruction. It also corrected the Frame Generation field’s failure to reset when Resolution Scaling was disabled.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Should you update?
Yes, if you are on a supported platform: the patch is free and its fixes are not limited to RTX owners. RTX 50 users gain native Multi Frame Generation; RTX 40 users gain the newer Transformer-based reconstruction and updated single Frame Generation but not native MFG; RTX 20/30 users may gain image-reconstruction improvements but should not expect Frame Generation. Console players receive none of the DLSS features, yet still benefit from the Photo Mode, Gallery, quest, vehicle and UI fixes.
Do not treat Patch 2.21 as the current version. Update 2.3, released in July 2025, later added features including new vehicles, AutoDrive, AMD FSR 3.1 Frame Generation, Intel XeSS 2.0, HDR10+ Gaming and Mac support. Those later additions can change available settings and make a fully updated installation behave differently from the original 2.21 menus.
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An RTX 50-series card is the route to Patch 2.21’s native Multi Frame Generation, but buying one solely for that switch is not automatically good value. Consider native performance, VRAM, resolution, ray-tracing use, power and case requirements, CPU limits, price and the other games you play. An RTX 40 card is a reasonable DLSS and single-Frame-Generation option, but it is the wrong purchase if Multi Frame Generation is the specific requirement. Later Update 2.3 also gives AMD and Intel owners additional frame-generation and upscaling paths, so NVIDIA is not the only modern option for the game as a whole.
Quick Recap
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