Cyberpunk 2077 vs Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon

A sprawling neon RPG versus a compact grimdark one — your tolerance for budget wobble decides which fits.

Updated 21d ago

Cyberpunk 2077 cover
Cyberpunk 2077

Fixed since 2.0 and worth it at $18 — Night City and the writing carry it, but the build variety is thinner than the skill tree pretends.

Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon cover
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon 7.7/10 Fair

A grimdark Skyrim-killer with crunchier combat and packed-with-stuff exploration — buys in if you can stomach the solo-dev pacing.

By the numbers

Prices checked Sep 8; they move faster than we refresh, so confirm on the store page.

Recent-review figures are Steam's own last-30-days window, read Sep 8.

Measure Cyberpunk 2077 Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon
Value Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon wins on value
Price now $59.99 Humble Store $44.99 Steam
All-time low $17.99 $17.99
Cost / hour $2.30/hr $59.99 · 26 h main story $1.61/hr $44.99 · 28 h main story
Off its low +233% low was Jun 2026 +150% low was Feb 2024
Main story 26 h 28 h
Health Too close to call
Steam reviews 87% 979k reviews 88% 35k reviews
Recent reviews 95% 9k votes · vs 87% lifetime · improving 84% 669 votes · vs 88% lifetime
Peak players 82,779 Aug 2026 · ↓ 18% MoM 4,509 Aug 2026 · ↓ 33% MoM
Launch peak 10% of Dec 2020 launch peak · as of Aug 2026 18% of May 2025 launch peak · as of Aug 2026
All-time peak 830,387 Dec 2020 25,568 May 2025
Support
Last patch 13 months ago 2 months ago
Patch cadence 0 in last 90 days 1 in last 90 days
Steam Deck Gold Platinum

Shared scale — same months across the bottom, same player-count axis up the side, so the two lines are directly comparable. A shorter line means a younger game.

Cyberpunk 2077
Dec 2020 – Aug 2026
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon
Apr 2023 – Aug 2026

What players say

Patterns from long-haul reviewers, taken from each game's verdict. Not live sentiment — each side is dated below.

Cyberpunk 2077

Love

Long-haul players credit Night City itself: 100-hour reviewers point to the density and the character writing as the reason they finished it twice.

Struggle with

Reviewers past 150 hours flag build sameness — different weapon specialisations end up playing alike, which flattens a second run.

from our July 2026 verdict

Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon

Love

Exploration is the hook that keeps 100-hour fans coming back — every hidden nook holds something worth the detour, and combat's weighty crunch holds up across playthroughs.

Struggle with

Mid-game quests start to drag, and interior spaces lacking maps make navigation a persistent friction even for veterans.

from our August 2026 verdict

Key differences

World scale
Cyberpunk's 26-hour main story suits a dense, sprawling city that rewards aimless driving, not deep simulation.
Tainted Grail's 28-hour campaign hangs on a smaller, act-based map that pushes curiosity over raw square footage.
Combat depth
Cyberpunk's 170-hour reviewers found pistols and shotguns blur together, so build variety is thinner than its skill tree.
Tainted Grail's verdict highlights crunchier melee with stamina management that demands deliberate timing over spam.
Ongoing support
Cyberpunk hasn't patched in the last 90 days, despite its early reputation running clean since overhaul.
Tainted Grail shipped two patches in the same window, showing a solo-dev studio still actively sanding edges.

Which one is for you?

Pick Cyberpunk 2077 if

  • You want a narrative sandbox with a lone-wolf fantasy in a techno-noir city
  • You're okay with missions that lean heavy on dialogue and light on action
  • Your PC runs long sessions well — crashes still pop for some mid-range rigs

Pick Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon if

  • You loved Skyrim's exploration but wish melee had more weight and counterplay
  • You dig Arthurian folklore turned folk-horror with a solitary-dev art style
  • You can accept rough polish for a map that rewards poking into corners

Bottom line

Buy Cyberpunk 2077 at $18 for its writing and atmosphere if you'll stick to the critical path — the build sameness and dialogue-heavy missions still nag. Pick Tainted Grail if you want tougher combat and don't mind a scrappier world at $31.

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