Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: complete game overview
Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth is the turn-based RPG that turned a Vita exclusive into the best-selling Digimon game era in the West. You play a half-digital detective in Tokyo, recruit Digimon by scanning them in battle, and chase a mystery that runs through EDEN, the game’s cyberspace. This overview covers release dates, platforms, gameplay, how the game runs, and what to expect before you start.
What Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth is
Media.Vision developed the game and Bandai Namco Entertainment published it. It belongs to the Digimon Story line, which started on the Nintendo DS with Digimon World DS and Dawn/Dusk and recently continued with “digimon story time stranger”. Cyber Sleuth was the first entry to use the Story branding outside Japan, and it is the reason most Western fans know the sub-series at all.
You pick a protagonist, Takumi Aiba or Ami Aiba, and end up with a half-cyber body after a hacking incident goes wrong. Kyoko Kuremi of the Kuremi Detective Agency takes you on as a Cyber Sleuth, and the cases pull you between real Tokyo districts such as Shinjuku, Nakano Broadway and Shibuya and the online world of EDEN. The cast includes Nokia Shiramine, Arata Sanada and Yuuko Kamishiro, plus the Eaters, data-devouring monsters that drive the main plot.
Release dates and platforms
The release history is messy, so here is the full picture.
| Version | Platforms | Japan | North America | Europe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth | PS Vita | 12 March 2015 | 2 February 2016 (digital only) | 5 February 2016 (digital only) |
| Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth | PS4 | Not released separately | 2 February 2016 | 5 February 2016 |
| Hacker’s Memory | PS4, PS Vita | 14 December 2017 | 19 January 2018 | 19 January 2018 |
| Complete Edition (both games) | Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam) | 17 October 2019 | 18 October 2019 | 18 October 2019 |
If you are buying today, the Complete Edition on Switch or PC is the version to get. It bundles Cyber Sleuth and Hacker’s Memory with all 341 Digimon, while the original Western PS4 and Vita release had 249 once DLC and Western-exclusive Digimon are counted.
Gameplay: how the game actually plays
Cyber Sleuth is a classic turn-based RPG with a monster-collecting loop. You carry a party of up to 11 Digimon, with three fighting on the field and the rest in reserve earning experience. Each Digimon costs memory, so your party is limited by your current memory cap rather than a flat number. Memory Up items raise that cap as you explore.
Battles use two layers of weakness. The attribute triangle is the one every Tamer should memorise.
| Attribute | Beats | Loses to |
|---|---|---|
| Vaccine | Virus | Data |
| Data | Vaccine | Virus |
| Virus | Data | Vaccine |
| Free | Neutral to all | Neutral to all |
On top of that sit the elements: Fire, Water, Plant, Earth, Wind, Electric, Light, Dark and Neutral. Fire beats Plant, Plant beats Water, Water beats Fire, Earth beats Electric, Electric beats Wind, Wind beats Earth, and Light and Dark hit each other. Stack an attribute advantage with an element advantage and ordinary attacks turn into one-hit knockouts.
Scanning and the DigiLab
You do not catch Digimon with items. Every time you fight a wild Digimon, your scan percentage for that species rises. Once it hits 100% you can convert it at the DigiLab.
How to recruit a Digimon in Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth
- Fight the Digimon in the wild and let the battle run a turn or two so the scan registers.
- Keep fighting the same species until the Field Guide shows 100% scan, or push to 200% for bonus stats.
- Return to the DigiLab through any access point and choose Convert.
- Check its memory cost, then add it to your party or send it to the DigiFarm.
Tamer tip
Converting at exactly 200% gives the new Digimon a stat bonus it keeps forever. Patient scanning early saves you hours of training later.
Digivolution and ABI
Evolution in Cyber Sleuth is governed by level, stats, and ABI (Ability). ABI rises every time you digivolve or de-digivolve, and high-tier Mega forms demand a lot of it. Building a strong Mega often means evolving to Champion, dropping back to Rookie, and climbing again several times. De-digivolving also keeps the Digimon’s level ceiling rising, which is why veterans treat it as the core progression loop rather than a side trick.
Support Skills add another layer. Each Digimon carries a passive that applies to the whole field party, so three well-chosen skills can boost damage, cut SP costs or keep status effects away.
Starter Digimon
At the start you pick one of three Rookies. Terriermon is the one most new players grab, and it is a solid choice.
The other two options are Hagurumon (Virus, Machine) and Palmon (Data, Plant). Your starter choice barely matters by chapter five because scanning lets you build any team you want. In Hacker’s Memory the starters change to Gotsumon, Tentomon and Betamon.
How long to beat and how many chapters
Cyber Sleuth runs 20 chapters. A focused run through the main story takes around 25 to 40 hours on most players’ reports, and a full completion with every Digimon scanned, every case cleared and the post-game dungeon finished pushes past 100 hours. Hacker’s Memory has 18 chapters and runs a similar length, so the Complete Edition comfortably tops 60 hours even before you start collecting.
English dub and multiplayer
There is no English dub. Both games ship with Japanese voice acting and English text, and that has never changed across any platform, including the Complete Edition. Expect to read.
Multiplayer is competitive only. You can battle other players online with your own Digimon team, and the Complete Edition on Switch and PC supports online battles. There is no co-op story mode, and the main campaign is entirely single player.
Cyber Sleuth vs Hacker’s Memory
| Cyber Sleuth | Hacker’s Memory | |
|---|---|---|
| Protagonist | Takumi or Ami Aiba | Keisuke Amazawa |
| Faction | Kuremi Detective Agency | Hudie hacker group |
| Timeline | Main events | Runs parallel to Cyber Sleuth |
| Starters | Terriermon, Hagurumon, Palmon | Gotsumon, Tentomon, Betamon |
| Chapters | 20 | 18 |
| Digimon count | 249 in the Western release | 341 (shared with Complete Edition) |
Play Cyber Sleuth first. Hacker’s Memory assumes you know the cast and spoils several twists.
Before you start: what you need and common mistakes
Prerequisites are simple: a Switch, PC, PS4 or Vita, the Complete Edition if you can get it, and patience for text-heavy cutscenes.
Common mistakes new Tamers make:
- Rushing to Mega before raising ABI, then hitting a wall at Ultimate.
- Ignoring the DigiFarm, which trains reserve Digimon while you explore.
- Converting at 100% instead of waiting for 200%.
- Skipping side cases, which hand out Memory Up items and money.
Do those four things right and by the end of chapter 10 you will have a party of three Ultimates with matching Support Skills, and the mid-game stops feeling like a grind.
FAQ
Is Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth still worth playing?
Yes. The Complete Edition is the best monster-collecting Digimon game available on modern hardware, and it is the natural warm-up before the newer “digimon story time stranger”.
Does Cyber Sleuth have an English dub?
No. Every version uses Japanese voices with English subtitles.
How many Digimon are in Cyber Sleuth?
The original Western PS4 and Vita release had 249, including DLC and Western-exclusive Digimon. The Complete Edition raises that to 341 by adding Hacker’s Memory roster.
Can you play Cyber Sleuth online?
You can battle other players online with your team. There is no online co-op or shared story mode.
