PC Games: Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty vs Alan Wake 2 Best Looking of 2023

When it comes to stunning visuals in gaming, two titles stood out in 2023: “Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty vs Alan Wake 2 Best Looking PC Games of 2023: Stunning Graphics & Visuals.” Both games pushed the boundaries of realism, lighting effects, and graphical fidelity, but which one truly reigns supreme?

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty takes players into a neon-soaked, futuristic city, showcasing cutting-edge ray tracing and an ultra-detailed open world. On the other hand, Alan Wake 2 delivers an atmospheric, horror-driven experience with hyper-realistic character models, cinematic lighting, and an immersive environment.

In this in-depth comparison, we’ll break down the graphics engines, lighting technology, realism, and performance of both games to determine which one truly deserves the title of the best-looking PC game of 2023

Graphics Engine & Technology

Both Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty and Alan Wake 2 utilize advanced rendering technologies to create breathtaking visuals. However, they achieve their stunning graphics through different engines and techniques.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty – RedEngine & Ray Tracing Overdrive

• Powered by CD Projekt Red’s RedEngine, Phantom Liberty takes full advantage of Ray Tracing: Overdrive Mode, featuring path tracing for incredibly realistic lighting.
• Utilizes DLSS 3.5 (Deep Learning Super Sampling), enhancing performance while maintaining high-quality textures and reflections.
• Features global illumination, realistic shadows, and ultra-detailed urban environments.
• NVIDIA’s RTX Direct Illumination (RTXDI) brings dynamic lighting to the streets of Night City.

Alan Wake 2 – Northlight Engine & Cinematic Horror

• Built on Remedy Entertainment’s Northlight Engine, which emphasizes photorealistic environments and detailed character models.
• Features real-time ray-traced global illumination (RTXGI), providing a cinematic horror atmosphere with realistic lighting and deep shadows.
• Uses AI-powered upscaling (DLSS/FSR) to balance visual quality and performance.
• Implements volumetric fog and particle effects, creating an immersive and eerie world.

Winner: Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty

Both games showcase next-gen visuals, but Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty takes the lead with its path-tracing technology, ray-traced reflections, and cutting-edge DLSS 3.5 support, making it the more technically superior game in terms of graphics rendering.

Realism & Environmental Detail

Both Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty and Alan Wake 2 offer breathtaking realism and environmental detail, but their approaches are vastly different.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty – A Lifelike Cyberpunk Metropolis

• Night City feels alive with densely packed streets, towering skyscrapers, and neon-lit billboards.
• Ray-traced reflections and shadows create a photorealistic urban environment.
• Dynamic weather system includes realistic rain, fog, and sunrises that transform the city’s ambiance.
• NPC behavior and crowd density add to the immersion, making the city feel bustling and organic.

Alan Wake 2 – A Cinematic Horror Experience

• Dark, eerie forests, abandoned towns, and dimly lit interiors create a spine-chilling atmosphere.
• Photorealistic textures and lifelike character animations enhance immersion.
• Advanced lighting effects—such as flickering streetlights and moving shadows—heighten suspense.
• Environmental storytelling makes every detail, from fallen leaves to bloodstained walls, feel meaningful.

Winner: Alan Wake 2

While Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty excels in open-world realism, Alan Wake 2 offers unparalleled environmental storytelling and atmospheric depth, making it the more immersive and emotionally gripping experience.

Character Models & Animations

Both Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty and Alan Wake 2 showcase highly detailed character models and lifelike animations, but their approaches differ significantly.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty – Hyper-Realistic Characters in a Futuristic World

• Ultra-detailed character models with high-resolution textures and realistic skin shading.
• Advanced facial animation system brings NPCs to life, making conversations feel natural.
• Motion-captured combat animations, including fluid melee attacks, gunplay, and dodging mechanics.
• Improved character physics, ensuring realistic hair movement, clothing dynamics, and body interactions.

Alan Wake 2 – Photorealistic Horror with Unmatched Facial Expressions

• Facial animations and motion capture create some of the most realistic character expressions in gaming.
• Highly detailed skin rendering, showing pores, wrinkles, and sweat for added realism.
• Seamless transitions between gameplay and cinematics, making every cutscene feel like a Hollywood production.
• Natural and eerie movement, enhancing the horror experience with lifelike gestures and fear-inducing body language.

Winner: Alan Wake 2

While Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty has impressive character details, Alan Wake 2 takes realism to another level with unmatched facial expressions, motion capture, and cinematic immersion, making its characters feel more emotionally engaging and lifelike.

Performance & Optimization

Both Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty and Alan Wake 2 push gaming hardware to its limits, but their performance and optimization vary depending on system specifications.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty – Cutting-Edge but Demanding

• Requires high-end hardware for ultra settings, especially with Ray Tracing: Overdrive Mode enabled.
• DLSS 3.5 and Frame Generation significantly improve performance on NVIDIA RTX 40-series GPUs.
• Well-optimized on modern systems, but older hardware struggles with ray tracing and path tracing.
• Better performance post-update, with fewer crashes and improved stability compared to the original 2020 launch.

Alan Wake 2 – Beautiful but Heavily Taxing

• One of the most demanding games of 2023, requiring an RTX 30-series or higher for smooth gameplay.
• DLSS, FSR, and XeSS support helps improve frame rates, but Ray Tracing greatly impacts performance.
• Higher VRAM usage, especially on ultra settings, making it tough on mid-range GPUs.
• Limited optimization options—even on high-end PCs, stuttering and frame drops can occur in intense scenes.

Winner: Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty

Despite its demanding graphics, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty offers better performance scaling, superior DLSS integration, and smoother gameplay on a wider range of systems, making it the better-optimized game overall.

Which One Should You Play?

Choosing between Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty and Alan Wake 2 depends on your gaming preferences and what kind of experience you’re looking for.

Play Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty If You Want:

A massive open-world RPG with deep customization and exploration.
Futuristic cyberpunk aesthetics with neon-lit cities and high-tech gadgets.
Fast-paced action with intense gunfights, hacking, and stealth mechanics.
Branching narratives and player choices that impact the storyline.
Better performance optimization across a range of hardware.

Play Alan Wake 2 If You Want:

A gripping psychological horror experience with a deep, mysterious narrative.
Dark, atmospheric environments that keep you on edge.
Next-level storytelling with photorealistic character models and facial animations.
Survival horror gameplay with limited resources and intense enemy encounters.
A cinematic experience that blends gameplay with Hollywood-quality visuals.

Final Choice: It Depends on Your Style!

• For action-packed open-world RPG lovers → Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
• For horror and story-driven adventure seekers → Alan Wake 2

Both games deliver stunning visuals, immersive worlds, and unique gameplay, making them top contenders for the best-looking PC games of 2023

Final Verdict

Both Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty and Alan Wake 2 are among the most visually stunning games of 2023, but they excel in different areas.

• Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty offers a vast, futuristic open world, cutting-edge ray tracing technology, and fast-paced action gameplay. It’s a technical marvel with great performance scaling, making it an excellent choice for players who love RPGs, exploration, and customization.
  
• Alan Wake 2 delivers unmatched cinematic realism, photorealistic character models, and an atmospheric horror experience. Its detailed lighting, facial animations, and storytelling make it one of the most immersive horror games ever created, though it demands high-end hardware for the best experience.
  

Which Wins?

• For the best overall graphics technology & performance → Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
• For the most realistic character animations & storytelling → Alan Wake 2

FAQs

1. Which game has better graphics, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty or Alan Wake 2?

Both games feature stunning visuals, but in different ways. Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty excels in ray tracing, open-world detail, and futuristic aesthetics, while Alan Wake 2 delivers photorealistic character models, lighting, and atmospheric horror elements.

2. Is Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty well-optimized for PC?

Yes! After multiple updates, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty runs much better than the original launch version. Features like DLSS 3.5, frame generation, and optimized settings allow it to scale well across different PC configurations.

3. Does Alan Wake 2 run well on mid-range PCs?

Alan Wake 2 is highly demanding, especially with ray tracing enabled. It requires a powerful RTX 30-series or higher GPU for smooth performance. However, DLSS and FSR support help improve frame rates on lower-end systems.

4. Which game has a better storyline?

• Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty offers an interactive RPG experience with multiple endings and deep character interactions.
• Alan Wake 2 is more linear but highly immersive, delivering a cinematic horror narrative with psychological depth.

Both stories are fantastic, but if you prefer player-driven choices, Cyberpunk wins, while Alan Wake 2 is best for horror and storytelling lovers.

5. Which game is more replayable?

• Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty has multiple endings, side quests, and different playstyles, making it highly replayable.
• Alan Wake 2 offers a gripping story, but its linear structure limits replay value compared to an open-world RPG.

6. Can I play these games on consoles?

Yes, both games are available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, but Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is not available on older consoles (PS4/Xbox One).