You're staring at a rulebook that’s nearly 500 pages long. It’s dense. It’s chunky. It’s got a lot of math about how exactly a bullet interacts with a Kevlar vest. For a lot of people looking to jump into the Time of the Red, that wall of text is a massive "keep out" sign. That is why Cyberpunk Red Easy Mode exists. It’s not just a "lite" version of the game; it’s a streamlined, free entry point that R. Talsorian Games dropped to get people playing instead of just reading.
Honestly, the name is a bit of a misnomer. You aren't playing on "easy" difficulty—the world of Night City is still going to try and kill you. It’s the onboarding that’s easy.
What is Cyberpunk Red Easy Mode actually?
Basically, it's a 48-page PDF. That's it. Compare that to the core rulebook and you realize just how much fat they trimmed. You get the essential lore, the core mechanics, some pre-generated characters, and a mission called "Getting Paid."
Most people think they need to memorize the entire Interlock System before they can roll a d10. They don't. R. Talsorian Games realized that the biggest barrier to TTRPGs isn't the difficulty of the math, but the sheer volume of choices. Cyberpunk Red Easy Mode solves this by stripping away the "lifepath" character creation—which can take hours for a newbie—and handing you a sheet that's ready to go. You want to be a Solo? Here's your gun. You want to be a Tech? Here's your wrench.
The Lore Dump (The Short Version)
It’s 2045. The world is a mess. The 4th Corporate War literally blew up the sky, leaving it a permanent, sickly shade of red. This isn't the high-tech, neon-drenched 2077 you saw in the video game. It's grittier. Resources are scarce. Shipping lanes are dead. If you want a new cybernetic arm, you don't just go to a mall; you find a Fixer who knows a guy who robbed a warehouse. This "scarcity" is the heart of the setting, and Easy Mode does a decent job of explaining why you're hungry and desperate without making you read a history textbook.
Mechanics That Won't Melt Your Brain
The core of the system is $STAT + SKILL + 1d10$. If that total beats a Difficulty Threshold (DV), you succeed.
That's the whole game.
Everything else—the netrunning, the combat modifiers, the specialized gear—is just flavor on top of that base formula. In Cyberpunk Red Easy Mode, the designers focused on the most common DVs. You aren't hunting through tables to find out what happens if you're shooting through a glass window in the rain while standing on one leg. The booklet gives you the "Common DV Table," which covers about 90% of what a GM actually needs during a session.
Combat: Fast and Lethal
One thing most players get wrong about Cyberpunk is thinking they can tank hits like a D&D Barbarian. You can't. Even in Easy Mode, the damage is scary. Armor gets "ablated," meaning every time it stops a bullet, it gets weaker.
- You get hit.
- Your SP (Armor) goes down by 1.
- The next hit is more likely to hurt.
It’s a death spiral. It forces players to actually use cover and think like mercenaries rather than superheroes. In the Easy Mode rules, the combat is simplified to keep things moving. You don't have to worry about the complex "Critical Injury" tables of the full game, though the threat of dying is still very real.
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The Mission: Getting Paid
The included adventure, "Getting Paid," is the perfect "slice of life" for a group of Edgerunners. It’s not about saving the world. It’s about a job. You need money for rent and kibble (which is exactly what it sounds like—dog food for people).
The mission introduces you to the concept of "The Beat." In Night City, the environment is an NPC. The mission walks the Game Master through how to handle a heist, a negotiation, and the inevitable firefight. It’s scripted enough to help a first-time GM but open enough that players can do something stupid—like trying to talk their way out of a fight with a group of Bozos (the clown-themed gang that everyone in Night City hates).
Why You Should Start Here (Even If You Own the Core Book)
I’ve met plenty of GMs who have the $50 hardcover on their shelf but still use the Cyberpunk Red Easy Mode booklets for their first three sessions. Why? Because teaching five people how to play a new system is exhausting.
If you give a new player the core book, they get overwhelmed by the gear lists. They start looking at "Internal Linear Frames" and "Cyberdeck Programs" and their eyes glaze over. Easy Mode gives them a focused experience. It’s the "tutorial level." You wouldn't throw a new gamer into a Level 80 raid; you start them in the starting zone.
Also, it's free. You can find it on DriveThruRPG or the R. Talsorian website. Zero risk.
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Nuance: What's Missing?
Look, it’s not perfect. If you want to play a Media or a Rockerboy, you might feel a bit limited. The "Role Abilities" in Easy Mode are simplified. In the full game, a Rockerboy’s "Charismatic Impact" has layers—they can influence small crowds, large crowds, or even fanatical devotees. In Easy Mode, it’s a bit more "flat."
Netrunning is also significantly stripped down. Netrunning in the full Cyberpunk Red game is essentially a "game within a game," involving 3D architecture and programs like "Hellhound" or "Killer." In the Easy Mode version, it’s handled with a few simple checks to keep the non-hackers at the table from getting bored while the Netrunner does their thing.
Practical Steps for Running Your First Session
If you’re ready to dive in, don’t just read the book and hope for the best.
- Print the Character Sheets. Do not let people use digital versions for their first time. There is something about physically marking off HP and armor ablation that makes the stakes feel real.
- Lean into the Style. In Cyberpunk, style over substance is a literal rule. If a player describes a cool move, give them a +1 bonus. Don't worry about the exact math. If it sounds cool, let it work.
- Use the "Friday Night Firefight" mindset. Combat should be loud, fast, and dangerous. If the players are taking too long to decide what to do, have an NPC start shooting or a siren go off.
- Focus on the "Kibble." Remind the players why they are doing this. They aren't heroes; they are freelancers. If they don't finish the job, they don't eat. That pressure makes the decision-making much more interesting than "save the princess."
Once you’ve run "Getting Paid," you’ll know if your group likes the "vibe." If they do, that’s when you go buy the core rulebook. You’ll find that everything you learned in Easy Mode translates perfectly—you're just adding more layers to a foundation you already understand.
The transition from Easy Mode to the full game is seamless because the math stays the same. You just get more toys to play with. More cyberware, more guns, and more ways to get into trouble in the most dangerous city on Earth.
Next Steps for Players:
Download the PDF from DriveThruRPG. Grab three friends. One person agrees to be the GM (the "Ref"). Spend 20 minutes reading the rules, and just start the mission. Don't overthink it. The beauty of Cyberpunk is that even if you fail, you usually end up with a great story about how your character lost their favorite jacket in a warehouse explosion.