Another big piece of trivia was offered by CD Projekt Red: a fully player-created radio station, 89.7 GROWL FM. That’s right! The most rebellious station in Night City? It was actually put together by the community! Two years ago, the station came into existence just as the players were gearing up to gain entry into Dog Town in the expansion called Phantom Liberty, with tracks submitted as part of a music contest. GROWL FM is just as wildly preem after all.
What really is the story behind GROWL FM, then? So, basically, CDPR held this contest where players could submit their own original tracks to be in the game. The best as well as the curated ones made it onto this really nifty in-game radio station one could listen to from anywhere within Night City, although the devs specify that hanging out along the embankment near Batty’s Hotel somehow enhances the experience better. The station is described as the voice for “those who care, who continue to fight,” which fits so well with the whole anti-corporate, rebel theme of Cyberpunk 2077.
The community response to GROWL FM has gone completely bonkers. One user known as @ScramblinScribe gave a full shout out to the creators of the GROWL FM tracks: “boy, I sure would love a CD with all these songs on it hint hint wink wink.” Surely that user is not alone in that statement. @mahweissu stated, “Damn thought this was an announcement for a Growl FM LP for a second,” meanwhile @CyberSota wants even more contests, “Hoping you do another one…in the future because I neeeeed my single on a station – its destiny.”
Yet, there’s more to GROWL FM than just wanting physical releases or more contests. Players truly integrate this station into their gameplay. “@WyrmStar: I confess to turning all radios in the wild to Growl FM when I’m running around offing ‘Saka gonks.” That’s big-time roleplay energy right there. Then again, @cybertronic08 ranked it as one of the top three stations, putting it above VEXELSTROM and THE DIRGE but never mentioned what was number one.
Musician-wise, it’s brought on some… interesting conversations. @MingoHatesYou declared, “Honestly, the music in this game is horrible. There wasn’t one song I heard that was good.” But:@Alejandrop627 shot back with a list of bangers, including “Phantom liberty, who’s ready for tomorrow, I really want to stay at your house, the rebel path, never fade away, etc.” “Like, have ur options, but I just can’t agree,” they added. That’s the thing about music taste: completely subjective; but people will defend their favorites like they’re protecting their own child.
There is a little confusion about availability outside the game. @ShadowRunner_86 said, “It would be good if the ‘More Music from Night City Radio’ was on iTunes, guys. It’s the only Cyberpunk 2077 album that isn’t on catalog.” This sparked a whole thread about streaming platforms versus purchasing music, with @7acidangel eventually conceding, “justified in this situation, esp if its not available to buy outside of streaming it 😔
Really impressive is how CDPR has managed to create this lasting community feature that players are still engaging with years after release. @Edmitsu said, “The radios don’t get enough praise. Learning they were all original music impressed the hell out of me.” @stop_Now_Go added, “It’s little details like this that make this game so great.” They’re not wrong—having an entire radio station created through community submission? That’s next-level immersion.
The creativity doesn’t stop at just the listening. @vvstrunks shared their own artwork inspired by the station, writing “consider this me not hesitating 🌕” alongside their creation. CDPR’s call for players to share their own creations if the music inspires them is clearly working.
With all the praise being shared, there’s that one person—@alewis478 joked, “Surprised Trump hasn’t shut down GROWL yet.” Political jokes, as always, manage to worm their way into Cyberpunk discussions.
At the end of the day, GROWL FM represents what makes Cyberpunk 2077’s community so special. It’s not really about playing the game-it’s about becoming part of the culture of Night City itself. Regular players providing music that now plays in other people’s gameplay sessions? That’s cyberpunk to the core! The station so much encases the spirit of the game itself-rebels with a cause against monstrous corporations, even if that “fighting” is just making some wicked beats.
So, next time you are cruising Night City, flip on 89.7 and listen to what this community has assembled. It may spark something inside you. If it doesn’t, however, brace yourself to have your feelings articulated by @equalasdust, who said this thing “Goes hard” and was worth sharing with his followers. The station has been voiced for two years now and judging by the reaction to the players, it seems to have been permanently implanted there. The more these community-directed initiatives keep surfacing, the more intertwined the game community and its player-community get long after the end of the main story.
PlayStation and Xbox players alike can enjoy this incredible community creation.
