Cyberpunk 2077’s one-and-done expansion, Phantom Liberty, arrived on September 26, 2023, bringing with it a new story and a new location to explore. But fans have found another unique addition the expansion introduces: a subtle reference to another open-world game also set in a fictional take on California.
Early on in Phantom Liberty, V must make a phone call to a certain character to get the plot moving. As some fans have pointed out, there’s a cryptic set of numbers scratched into the phone:
2 x 9
1 x 9 L
1 x 6
1 x 7
2 x 45
Cyberpunk sleuths have been quick to call out the similarity to a particularly epic fast food order in 2004’s Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
Early on in San Andreas, CJ, Sweet, Ryder, and Big Smoke hit up a Cluckin’ Bell, one of GTA’s fast food parodies. While everyone else orders one meal, Big Smoke takes the opportunity to get in his day’s-worth of calories with the following order:
I’ll have two number 9s, a number 9 large, a number 6 with extra dip, a number 7, two number 45s, one with cheese, and a large soda.
Cyberpunk 2077 is no stranger to video game references and easter eggs. During the Delamain side quest, a certain homicidal AI sounds an awful lot like another digital lady prone to killing. Naturally, there are several references to The Witcher 3 which, like Cyberpunk, was also developed by CD Projekt Red. There are other San Andreas references in Cyberpunk too, such as another instance of Big Smoke’s order at a Capitan Caliente restaurant, and a recreation of Grove Street, a key San Andreas location, in the Santo Domingo district of Night City.
The same phone in Phantom Liberty can also be used to dial up other cute game references, such as The Witcher 3’s theme.
It’s nice to see subtle nods and references to gaming’s recent past. I just wish they didn’t make me so damn hungry.