Netflix and Studio Trigger’s “Cyberpunk Edgerunners” season two debuted on Oct. 20, 2026, with mixed-to-positive reviews. The show takes place in 2078, one year after the events of the game. (Minor spoilers ahead.)
The world of “Cyberpunk” presents a dystopian vision of the future, one where technological advancements are so beyond that people replace limbs for cybernetic augmentation. Taking place in the fictional location of “Night City” or in other words, a futuristic “Gotham City”.
Its society is dominated by powerful corporations, organized crime, and an ever growing dependence on technology. The towering skyscrapers and vibrant neon lights create the illusion of a utopia, but underneath all that lies a world plagued by corruption, violence and desperation. Even with all the technological advancements, everyday struggles still exist.
Season two starts off with a bang. King going cyberpsycho! Here’s the catch, it wasn’t the end for him. Turns out he makes a full recovery after going cyberpsycho but he has to cut the chrome permanently.
Cyberpsychosis (cyberpsycho) is a severe dissociative mental disorder in the “Cyberpunk” universe caused by excessive cybernetic augmentation (“chrome”) that overwhelms the human mind. In other words, you go berserk.
The first season made cyberpsychosis seem like something that you cannot come back from, but season two changes it to where the person has to permanently cut down on the chrome.
“Arasaka,” the megacorporation company, isn’t as much of a threat as it is in season one. In fact, you kinda feel sorry for them seeing how they’ve become a joke in this season rather than the tyrant that it was in season one.
Unlike the first season, the second season follows multiple stories rather than focusing on one singular story that takes time tying everything together, eventually converging into one story. It mainly follows four protagonists: Roman a kid who loves film; D a nomad netrunner who is on a revenge quest with a rogue AI construct named Capri; Talia a rebellious teenager who heavily modified her body with cyberware; and King a former edgerunner and legend who was hired to track down Talia.
Following multiple stories in a span of 10 episodes hurt the pacing a little and can make you feel disconnected from the cast. The first season was filled with hard hitting emotional scenes but that was because viewers felt a connection with characters. Season two doesn’t offer nearly as many emotional scenes — and when they happen there’s barely anything to feel because there isn’t much time to connect with the new characters.
Some of the main characters actually felt like supporting characters for the other main characters. Their story arcs feel incomplete by the ending with little to no progress.
Jose Alvarez, a big “Cyberpunk” fan said, “I don’t think we really connected to any characters at all other than D (david2.0) so it didn’t feel as emotionally impactful as the first. I do like the story, I just wish they gave certain characters more screentime, like King.”
The music was awesome with an all new soundtrack. The opening song featuring “10:15 Saturday Night” by The Cure. The opening music video is very similar to the one for season one, with similar art choice and similar music.
Fans are split on deciding whether they like the season or not. There are many comparisons to season one mainly because it’s known for being tragic and depressing and season two shifts from that tone. Another issue for some fans was the expectations they had for this season. Season one set a pretty high bar, and fans were expecting season two to top that.
Eduardo Cordero Correa, another “Cyberpunk fan” said, “The show is fun but it felt disconnected. I didn’t feel invested enough because it felt more like I was spectating this group doing random things than actually being interested in their goals.”
Overall, “Cyberpunk Edgerunners II” is a fun watch even with its flaws, and can still be enjoyed fullheartedly. Is it as good as season one? Definitely not, but don’t let that stop you from watching the second season!