I still can't believe it took me 200 hours of playing Phantom Liberty before I discovered something so simple yet game-changing - you can actually enter Dogtown on foot! All this time I've been fast-traveling between Night City and Dogtown like some kind of corpo tourist, completely oblivious to the fact that there's a direct route connecting these areas.

The Moment of Discovery

It happened last week when I was exploring the southern edges of Pacifica. I was just wandering around, taking in the sights of 2026 Night City when I noticed something peculiar - a path that seemed to lead directly toward Dogtown's border. "No way," I thought to myself, "This can't possibly work." But curiosity got the better of me.

I approached the checkpoint, fully expecting to be turned away by some invisible wall or trigger a 'restricted area' notification. Instead, I just... walked right through. 😲

The border guards barely gave me a second glance! After 200 hours of gameplay, this felt like discovering a secret passage in my own apartment.

Why Didn't I Know This Before?

Looking back, it makes perfect sense why I missed this feature. When Phantom Liberty first introduces you to Dogtown during the "Dog Eat Dog" quest, you're funneled through a very specific, linear path. The area is completely locked down at that point, creating the impression that Dogtown exists in its own separate instance.

After completing that initial mission, the game never explicitly tells you, "Hey, by the way, you can now freely walk between Night City and Dogtown!" There's no pop-up notification, no journal entry - nothing.

And apparently, I wasn't alone in my ignorance! When I shared my discovery online, hundreds of other players admitted they had no idea this was possible either. Some had even spent more time than me in Dogtown without realizing they could simply stroll across the border.

The Different Ways to Cross

There are actually multiple ways to enter Dogtown without fast-traveling:

1. On foot - Just walk right up to the checkpoint from Pacifica

2. By civilian vehicle - Drive through the road entrance to the left of the pedestrian path

But here's a cool detail I discovered through experimentation - if you try to approach the border in an NCPD vehicle, you'll be greeted with an unfriendly holographic message instead of an open gate. It's these little immersive touches that make Night City feel so alive and consistent with its own lore.

After all, Dogtown has been abandoned by Night City law enforcement for years. Of course they wouldn't welcome police vehicles!

The Hidden Tutorial

I later realized that CD Projekt Red does try to show you this feature, albeit subtly. If you pursue the Vehicle Contracts in Phantom Liberty, one of them eventually requires V to drive across the district border.

But who does all the side content before exploring everything else? Not me, apparently! 🤦‍♂️

Why It Matters

This discovery has completely changed how I experience the expansion. There's something immensely satisfying about the continuity of driving from the heart of Night City all the way to Dogtown without a loading screen or fast travel.

It makes the world feel more cohesive and real. Plus, the border area itself is fascinating - a perfect transition zone that shows how Dogtown's lawlessness gradually bleeds into Pacifica's already troubled streets.

I've now taken to always traveling between regions the old-fashioned way, discovering new little details along the border that I never noticed before. Sometimes I'll even park nearby and just watch the NPCs cross back and forth, each with their own animations and sometimes even snippets of dialogue that hint at life between these two worlds.

For New Players in 2026

If you're just picking up Cyberpunk 2077 and its Phantom Liberty expansion in 2026, here's my advice: after you complete the initial "Dog Eat Dog" mission, take some time to explore the borders of Dogtown. Don't fall into the same trap I did, thinking that fast travel is your only option.

The journey between locations often holds as many interesting moments as the destinations themselves. Night City rewards the observant, and sometimes the most obvious paths are hiding in plain sight.

And if you see someone in an NCPD vehicle banging their head against the Dogtown checkpoint barrier... well, now you know why. 😉

What other obvious features have you missed in your favorite games? I can't be the only one who overlooks these things, right? RIGHT?!