Sorry Windows 8 Users, Cyberpunk 2077 Requires DirectX 12

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Time to upgrade if you're using Windows 8

GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Cyberpunk 2077 Edition
(Image credit: Nvidia)

Amidst all the news of Cyberpunk 2077 being delayed, it's refreshing to see something else come along once in a while. Alas, today's news is both good and bad news: it looks like Cyberpunk 2077 will be a DirectX 12 only title on PC. 

The information comes from an interview with PC Games Hardware, where lead graphics programmer at CD PROJEKT RED, Marcin Gollent, told the German publication about this.

In a way, we're happy to hear this. It means that the studio is focusing on just one graphics API, ensuring they don't have to spread their attention across multiple APIs, potentially making sacrifices along the way. This saves them time, and thus ensures that DirectX 12 can be used to its fullest.

However, there is a big catch that comes along with this choice. By limiting the graphics API to DirectX 12, anyone that's running an older graphics card that doesn't support the API, and anyone running an operating system that hasn't been given the full DirectX 12 treatment will be missing out. This includes users of Windows 8, though Windows 7 did get the DirectX 12 goodies -- not that you should be using Windows 7 anymore.

Of all graphics cards, pretty much any GPU that has come out in the last 5 years, and many from before then, supports the API. This might leave some users of older GPUs in the dust, but to be fair, they're probably not powerful enough to run the game anyway.

At the end of the day, we don't think that limiting Cyberpunk 2077 to DirectX 12 only will hamper much -- if anything, we reckon that the ability to fully commit to one API will lead to worthwhile gains, even if it leaves a small group of potential users behind.

Meanwhile, go here to find out what the system requirements are to run Cyberpunk 2077.

Niels Broekhuijsen
Niels Broekhuijsen

Niels Broekhuijsen is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He reviews cases, water cooling and pc builds.

14 Comments Comment from the forums
  • jackhard
    Total madness at microsoft and cdproject ! And there is not even vulkan support !
    I'll have to play it on linux!
    Reply
  • LordVile
    jackhard said:
    Total madness at microsoft and cdproject ! And there is not even vulkan support !
    I'll have to play it on linux!
    Says windows only on steam.
    Reply
  • Kridian
    Everything should just be the open source Vulkan api from here on out.
    Reply
  • Kridian said:
    Everything should just be the open source Vulkan api from here on out.
    Why. For you? That’s not the way it works and if you don’t like Microsoft you don’t have to use their products and it’s time for you to upgrade to windows 10 whether you like it or not and if you don’t like it too bad live with it
    Reply
  • fevanson
    Kridian said:
    Everything should just be the open source Vulkan api from here on out.
    We all new this was coming, with the NVIDIA RTX announcement. If the game has NVIDIA RTX features why would they waste time optimizing for another API, maybe in a future update they will add Vulkan support with ray tracing extensions since they will be doing that on PS5 for next-gen.
    Reply
  • thisisaname
    https://devblogs.microsoft.com/directx/world-of-warcraft-uses-directx-12-running-on-windows-7/


    No reason why they could not have done it for Winodws 8 too.
    Reply
  • JerryC
    Kridian said:
    Everything should just be the open source Vulkan api from here on out.

    Why? Vulkan isn't the end all be all for graphics API so why make everything use that particular API? Oh let me guess, it is made by the GPU manufacturer that you prefer and that's why you want them to use it?
    Reply
  • coolitic
    JerryC said:
    Why? Vulkan isn't the end all be all for graphics API so why make everything use that particular API? Oh let me guess, it is made by the GPU manufacturer that you prefer and that's why you want them to use it?
    Or, yknow, it's open-source, cross-platform, and still better than DX12 functionality-wise even on Nvidia.

    ...inb4 I'm accused of being an AMD user, despite having only ever used Nvidia.
    Reply
  • spongiemaster
    Who does this actually affect? Gamers never embraced Windows 8. I don't know anyone who built their own systems and installed Windows 8 on it. Anyone who has Windows 8 got it when they bought their Dell or HP 7 years ago and you're not going to be playing Cyberpunk 2077 on one of those. Also, Windows 8 users can still upgrade to Windows 10 for free using MS's media creation tool.
    Reply
  • alextheblue
    spongiemaster said:
    Who does this actually affect? Gamers never embraced Windows 8. I don't know anyone who built their own systems and installed Windows 8 on it. Anyone who has Windows 8 got it when they bought their Dell or HP 7 years ago and you're not going to be playing Cyberpunk 2077 on one of those. Also, Windows 8 users can still upgrade to Windows 10 for free using MS's media creation tool.
    Yeah a lot of people went straight from 7 -> 10 via a new build / new system. But pretty much every Windows 8 gaming box upgraded to 10 long ago. This article is like "Sorry, those two guys that somehow are in this situation." Also as you said you can still upgrade.

    I actually had an 8.0 Pro original release disc + key lying around I used on one box, after 10 was out. I upgraded it through the necessary 8.0 upgrades, then 8.1, and then it let me update to 10. It actually went smooth. This was before they let you just use older keys to install 10 out of the gate, mind you.
    Reply