Cyberpunk 2077 Won’t Go Away? Here’s the Expert-Tested Way to Remove It Completely

Cyberpunk 2077 Won’t Go Away? Here’s the Expert-Tested Way to Remove It Completely

Why the game refuses to leave in the first place

When CD Projekt Red pushed out Cyberpunk 2077, they built it like a small operating system: 70 GB+ of assets, redistributables, registry hooks, and anti-cheat drivers that nest deep inside Windows. A normal “Add/Remove Programs” click often leaves behind:

• leftover archives in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Cyberpunk 2077
• orphaned save-game folders in %userprofile%\Saved Games\CD Projekt Red
• registry keys that keep the launcher and REDmod tools alive
• hidden audio drivers (e.g., A-Volute, Nahimic) that reinstall with every reboot

I ran into this myself after moving from GOG to Steam Deck: the desktop version kept re-appearing in my library and eating 5 GB of SSD space even after two uninstall attempts. Below is the exact routine that finally wiped it clean.

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The hands-on method I used

1. Back up your saves
   Copy %userprofile%\Saved Games\CD Projekt Red and %userprofile%\AppData\Local\CD Projekt Red to an external drive if you ever want to reinstall later.
2. Kill all Cyberpunk services

• Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc, click “More details,” and end:
  ‑ Cyberpunk2077.exe
  ‑ REDprelauncher.exe
  ‑ GalaxyClient.exe (GOG) or steam.exe if the game is running through Proton.

1. Remove via the native launcher

• Steam: Library → right-click Cyberpunk 2077 → Manage → Uninstall.
• GOG Galaxy: Installed → click the game → More → Manage Installation → Uninstall.
• Epic: Library → three dots under the game → Uninstall.

1. Manual sweep

• Delete folders:
  ‑ C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Cyberpunk 2077
  ‑ C:\ProgramData\CD Projekt Red
  ‑ %userprofile%\AppData\Local\CD Projekt Red
• Open Registry Editor (regedit) and delete:
  ‑ HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\CD Projekt Red
  ‑ HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\CD Projekt Red

1. Clear shader & cache debris

• %userprofile%\AppData\Local\NVIDIA\DXCache
• %userprofile%\AppData\Local\AMD\DxCache
• %userprofile%\AppData\Local\D3DSCache

After the above, my drive reclaimed 71.3 GB, but three registry keys kept re-spawning on reboot. That’s where Perfect Uninstaller came in.

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Using Perfect Uninstaller for the final sweep

1. Download Perfect Uninstaller from the official site (portable version is fine).
2. Run the program, let it scan, then highlight Cyberpunk 2077 in the list.
3. Choose “Force Uninstall” → tick “Scan for leftover registry” and “Deep file scan.”
4. Review the list it finds (in my case, two NVIDIA profile keys and one GOG registry hook), click “Delete.”
5. Reboot once more—no traces, no re-entries, and the game no longer shows in Steam or Galaxy.

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Wrap-up

Cyberpunk 2077 is engineered to cling to Windows like a stubborn rootkit. A simple “Uninstall” rarely gets the job done. By following the manual cleanup first and then letting Perfect Uninstaller finish the registry sweep, you’ll reclaim every last megabyte and eliminate the phantom re-install problem for good.