Cyberpunk RED RPG sells out in the leadup to Cyberpunk 2077 launch

What you need to know

• Cyberpunk RED is fourth edition of the popular tabletop RPG and is a direct prequel to Cyberpunk 2077.
• R. Talsorian Games announced that the first run completely sold out in just over two weeks.
• The company worked with CD Projekt Red to ensure the timelines

We don't have numbers yet, but Cyberpunk 2077 is looking to be a massive hit — at least if you look at how it's dominated the conversation online over the past couple of weeks leading up to the launch on Dec. 10. It's heavily based on the Cyberpunk tabletop roleplaying game, so it only makes sense that the latter is also seeing a resurgence during launch week.

R. Talsorian Games, which has been publishing versions of Cyberpunk since 1988, announced on Twitter earlier this week that the core rulebooks for Cyberpunk RED, the fourth edition and the prequel to the video game, and Cyberpunk 2020, its second edition, completely sold out on its online store.

In an email to Windows Central, the company clarified that Cyberpunk RED's first printing was the "largest print run our company has done in over 30 years of operating" and that it sold out in just over two weeks. Currently, it's working on a second run, but doesn't have any details on when it'll be available.

Cyberpunk 2020 is the second edition of the Cyberpunk tabletop RPG, and has been sort of the default version of the game (the third edition, Cyberpunk V3.0 takes place in an alternate timeline). Cyberpunk 2077 is a direct adaptation of it, which explains why interest in the pen-and-paper version might be high. However, both CD Projekt Red and R. Talsorian Games have been working together to unite the two games even further.

Since Cyberpunk 2077 takes place further into the future (the years in the titles aren't just placeholders), Cyberpunk RED was created to link the two games. It takes place in 2045, and is a prequel to explain some of the events in Cyberpunk 2077. Mike Pondsmith, the founder of R. Talsorian Games and one of the creators of the Cyberpunk TTRPG, was a consultant and is credited as a co-creator on Cyberpunk 2077. He helped to create Cyberpunk RED, along with a team of writers and artists.

Cyberpunk RED debuted at GenCon 2019 with a Jumpstart Kit, which was setup to introduce new players to the universe. It featured a lorebook, custom dice, an adventure scenario, character templates, maps, and in-universe news clippings. The core rulebook was available digitally on Nov. 14 and physically on Nov. 19 on R. Talsorian's website.

"We're very fortunate to share the world with CD Projekt Red and think the world of Cyberpunk is stronger because we coordinate and work together so well," media ambassador J Gray told us in an email.

Interest in the tabletop RPG has a history of ebbing with major Cyberpunk 2077 announcements. A company representative told Polygon that after E3 2018, it saw a rise is in sales "of roughly 400 percent." It ordered a larger run ahead of E3 and still sold out.

In the meantime, if you're interested in Cyberpunk RED, you can still buy and download a PDF of the core rulebook for $30. The Jumpstart Kit is also still available for $30.