Gamers waiting forCyberpunk 2077will be entering a world of robust implants, artificial intelligence, cybernetic warfare, and a whole lot of punk. Ideally, players excited to playCyberpunk 2077will want to look at its TTRPG counterpart,Cyberpunk 2020. After all, a significant portion of the game’s mechanics and themes come from its TTRPG source. However, players not in the mood to learn a whole new system may be able to play their own cyberpunk game in another system:Dungeons & Dragons.
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Interestingly,D&D’s D20 Roleplaying System may be modified to fit a modern, futuristic, or even a cyberpunk setting. Moreover, certain Fifth Edition-compatible sourcebooks exist to make this possible. For interested Dungeon Masters out there, just how can someone make a cyberpunkD&Dcampaign?
Updated on August 11, 2025, by Rhenn Taguiam:Thanks to the release and positive reception of theCyberpunk: EdgerunnersNetflix anime this 2022, Cyberpunk 2077 has seen a resurgence in player numbers. And with Cyberpunk 2077 being dead set on its Phantom Liberty DLC with a 2023 release, this marks a perfect time for tabletop RPG (TTRPG) enthusiasts to consider transforming a dystopian sci-fi setting into their Dungeons & Dragons 5e sessions. Thankfully, players can look at Cyberpunk 2077 and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners as inspiration for their planned campaign, with additional input from concepts such as artificial intelligence and other current events. Just how else can players create an engrossing cyberpunk setting?
19Include Content From Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Considering howCyberpunk 2077has seen a resurgence with the release ofCyberpunk: Edgerunnersin September 2022, players who love anime but don’t have the time to play through2077may do well with just usingEdgerunnersas an inspiration for theirD&Dcampaign. This time around, the vibrant take of Studio Trigger into the anime and how it contributed to a fresh take on2077’s worldbuilding could help players and DMs-to-be get visual cues on their depiction of a dystopian cyberpunk society.
In the anime, street kid David Martinez decides to “renew” his life after losing everything to a drive-by shooting, transforming into an edgerunner and diving headfirst into the exciting yet dangerous and refreshing yet deadly world of the underground. Players may want to include plot points fromEdgerunners,general concepts fromCyberpunk 2077, or even player’s own theories on questions they have abouttheCyberpunkseries- including rampant addiction to cybernetic implants, the rise of violence among the dissatisfied populace, and the deployment of the Psycho Squad to eliminate threats.
18Incorporate Real Puzzles To Simulate Hacking
It’s common for sci-fi titles likeCyberpunk 2077and other futuristic games to include various minigames to simulate advanced concepts, such as hacking.Cyberpunk 2077’s hacking takes the form of a minigame that allows players to “simulate” the feeling of manipulating the game environment through simple puzzles, allowing them to achieve various results.
Those aiming to include a “deep” hacking component into theirD&Dcyberpunk storymight consider applying a similar concept. However, instead of using a complicated riddle or a puzzle, hacking minigames can take the form of simple puzzles. Players can take cues from daily brain teasers, where they have to guess a chess move that results in a checkmate, completing a sudoku puzzle, or other logic tests. This can occur during an active encounter, where the hacker can’t do their turns unless they complete said puzzle. Using this approach to the mechanic can add a more “immersive” component to the cyberpunk experience, even if said puzzles are rather rudimentary.
17See If Artificial Intelligence Applies
Witha Midjourney-based piecesparking controversy on AI-generated art, people are now seeing the immediate impact of artificial intelligence outside conventional fiction. And in the context of a cyberpunkD&Dcampaign, integrating artificial intelligence from real-world events could add much realism to concepts players and would-be-DMs aspire to apply to their setting.
Aside from the typical trope of an AI-gone-haywire a laThe MatrixorTerminator, players may want to consider looking into the day-to-day impact of AI-like variants to have a more realistic, close-to-the-real depiction of intelligence devices. These include concepts such aswholesomeCyberpunktools, smart assistants, and smart gadgets - devices and technologies people already use today but could be twisted to accommodate a dystopian setting.
16Consider Future Effects Of Modern Situations
Aside from focusing solely on technological concepts that may be applied in a player’sD&Dversion of a cyberpunk dystopia, players may want to consider looking at recent historical developments for inspiration - similar to howthe world ofCyberpunkworldwas created. Players may want to see whether these current events could become a “divergence point” that could spark the development of concepts and technologies that will inevitably lead to their cyberpunk setting.
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For instance, with any real-world ongoing wars, history fans may want to consider thinking about the far-reaching consequences of a long-term war going into the future. For instance, would a cyberpunkD&Dcampaign set in Europe be affected by the war in the future?
15Define “Cyberpunk”
DMs planning to make aD&Dcampaign with a cyberpunk setting should understand what “cyberpunk” as a setting means first. Literary fans can trace the origins of cyberpunk back to William Gibson, whose pieces since the 1970s became pivotal in defining the subgenre.
Mainly, “cyberpunk” describes a setting where advanced achievements in science and technology juxtapose a shift in the social order. This definition explains how most cyberpunk works such asAkira,The Matrix, andGhost in the Shellfind protagonists in futuristic but dystopian environments.
14Redefine the History
Before DMs get into the nitty-gritty of their cyberpunk world, they need to know what changed civilization. Did humanity stumble upon an alien relic that paved the way for advanced technology? Did a sentient AI go rogue, forcing corporations into an arms race for the “perfect AI” to counter it? Grasping into that defining moment in history can help DMs forge a more coherent and unified cyberpunk setting. It also helps DMs make their cyberpunk world unique. Remember, this technological disruption will shape everything else in the cyberpunk setting.
For instance, inGhost in the Shell, the propagation of AI through cybernetics led to the transhuman philosophical crisis of “the depth of humanity”. InThe Matrix, it’s the machine revolt and the creation of the Matrix that forever redefined humanity.
13Get Corporate
What’s a cyberpunk campaign without corporations representing major powers? In any cyberpunk story, it’s corporations that benefit the most from existing technological advancements in the setting. Moreover, it’s the same corporations that propagate – and sometimes fight for – the evolution of said technologies. These conflicts jumpstart the story’s narrative.
To avoid the “usual corporation” route, DMs shouldn’t just focus on making random “big corporations” for the setting. Rather, DMs should build power players that have a legitimate stake in what happens within the world. That way, DMs end up with factions than those that only exist for cosmetics.
12Include The Resistance
In any cyberpunk story, resistances show “the other side” of present technological advancements. Whereas corporations struggle to evolve and profit from technology, it’s resistance that struggles to undermine the authority of corporations and reject modern reality. They aren’t necessarily terrorists or juvenile rebels in technicolored outfits. Rather, resistances show a more outward and sometimes more proactive take on their desire to redefine society.
DMs should focus not just on why these factions hate a facet of their present dystopia. Focus on the change these resistance groups want to impart to the world. For example, inThe Matrix, Morpheus and the rest of Zion hope to win the war against the Machines. Moreover, resistance groups don’t always have to come in the form of gangs and unruly groups. Sometimes, resistance groups begin in more hidden cadres; for example, a group of employees who have unraveled a company secret.
11Find A Common Threat
Cyberpunk settings remain dystopian because of their sense of impending doom. A DM who wants to create a cyberpunk setting should focus on a looming threat that comes with the setting’s technological breakthrough. Perhaps, upon discovering the alien relic, humanity has activated a call to outer space – and someone finally answered? Or, in humanity’s fight against a rogue AI, is their own “counter-AI” about to gain sentience of its own?
This threat should affect all factions in radical ways. For instance, Agent SmithinThe Matrixoriginally served as an agent of the simulation. However, with Neo’s “code,” he gained sentience and sought to take over the Matrix, threatening both Machines and the remnants of humanity. In a D&D campaign, a common threat can force corporations and resistance groups to work together. On a more cynical level, a threat to all factions can help once again reshape the current status quo of the cyberpunk setting. Either way, this is a great way to introduce a new change to the setting and continue the story.
10Test Players' Resilience
Cyberpunk settings shine not in the future dystopia they present, but rather in the conflict that forces new change. DMs should find avenues that will pave way for character growth. These come in the form of challenges that will test the player characters’ resilience and willingness to see the world change. Unlike common threats that pit corporations and resistances together, character challenges find personal connections between player characters and their current situations.
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For instance, a PC may discover that the corporation they’re employed in is also responsible for the death of their parents. Likewise, a PC may realize that the modus operandi of the resistance group they’re joining is the same MO that resulted in the accident that changed their life forever. Unlike usual personal plots in typical campaigns, a personal narrative in cyberpunk stories will almost always lead to a character’s transformation – for better or worse.
