Cyberpunk 2077 endings
Endings of Cyberpunk 2077
The Endings of Cyberpunk 2077 represent the culmination of the player’s journey as V in Night City. The narrative structure of the game allows for multiple outcomes, depending on decisions made during the main questline and—in the case of the Phantom Liberty expansion—choices within the Dogtown storyline. Each ending offers a unique conclusion to V’s struggle with the Relic and the presence of Johnny Silverhand.
Base Game Endings (without Phantom Liberty)
The base version of Cyberpunk 2077 (patch 1.0–1.63) features four main endings, plus a hidden fifth option. The final choice occurs during the mission Nocturne Op55N1, after a rooftop conversation with Johnny Silverhand and Misty.
The Devil: Saburo’s Legacy
- Requirements: siding with Hanako Arasaka at Embers.*
Choosing to trust Hanako leads to the **Arasaka Ending**. V attends a meeting at Arasaka Tower where Hanako exposes Yorinobu Arasaka’s role in Saburo’s death. This triggers the mission Last Caress, culminating in a corporate assault. - V fights through Arasaka Tower alongside Hanako’s forces. - Yorinobu is confronted; the corporation reasserts Saburo’s dominance. - V undergoes the Relic removal procedure aboard the Arasaka orbital station.
- Outcome:** V survives but their body is failing. The player chooses between returning to Earth with a short lifespan or uploading their consciousness to the Mikoshi mainframe, essentially becoming digital property of Arasaka.
- Themes: corporate control, loss of autonomy, survival at a price.*
- Major characters:** Hanako Arasaka, Saburo Arasaka, Yorinobu Arasaka.
The Sun: Johnny’s Legacy
- Requirements: trust Johnny Silverhand during rooftop choice; ask for Rogue’s help.*
This is considered the “Nominally Positive” ending, with V and Johnny teaming up with Rogue Amendiares for one last assault on Arasaka. - Mission: For Whom the Bell Tolls with Rogue leading the charge. - Rogue sacrifices herself during the battle. - V pushes into Mikoshi to separate themselves from Johnny.
- Outcome:** V emerges as a legend of Night City (“The Sun”). Depending on further choices, V either takes over Rogue’s bar and becomes a powerful mercenary or allows Johnny to permanently control the body.
- Themes: sacrifice, legacy, becoming a Night City legend.*
- Major characters:** Rogue Amendiares, Weyland.
Temperance: Johnny’s New Life
- Requirements: same as “The Sun,” but V gives the body to Johnny at Mikoshi.*
- V’s consciousness is permanently digitized and left in Mikoshi. - Johnny awakens in V’s body, free of the Relic, and begins a new life, visiting Alt Cunningham and then leaving Night City behind.
- Outcome:** V ceases to exist physically; Johnny takes over completely.
- Themes: identity, sacrifice, transcendence of self.*
- Major characters:** Alt Cunningham, Rogue Amendiares.
The Star: Nomad’s Path
- Requirements: ask for help from Panam Palmer and the Aldecaldos.*
Considered the “most hopeful” ending. - V joins Panam and the Aldecaldos in an all-out raid against Arasaka. - With Saul and the clan’s support, they storm the underground facilities. - The Aldecaldos smuggle V out of Night City into the Badlands.
- Outcome:** V escapes Night City with Panam and the Nomads, pursuing one last chance to find a cure. Though V’s lifespan is still short, they are surrounded by allies.
- Themes: family, loyalty, freedom from Night City.*
- Major characters:** Panam Palmer, Saul Bright, Mitch Anderson.
(Hidden) Don’t Fear the Reaper
- Requirements: choose to storm Arasaka Tower alone (requires high relationship with Johnny).*
This unlocks a secret suicide mission, inspired by Johnny’s spirit. - V takes on Arasaka Tower solo, fighting through overwhelming odds. - No allies intervene; Rogue, Panam, and others remain uninvolved.
- Outcome:** If successful, V reaches Mikoshi and decides whether to stay in their body or cede it to Johnny. This ending is often called the “true” solo mercenary path.
- Themes: defiance, self-reliance, absolute risk.*
- Major characters:** Johnny Silverhand, Alt Cunningham.
Phantom Liberty Endings
The Phantom Liberty expansion (patch 2.0) introduces Dogtown, Solomon Reed, and the NUSA President Rosalind Myers. It also redefines V’s fate with new endings that branch before the rooftop scene of Nocturne Op55N1. Choices made in Dogtown create **alternate conclusions** to V’s story.
Songbird’s Deal: Space Beyond Reach
- Requirements: side with Songbird instead of Reed.*
- V helps Songbird reach the shuttle to the Moon, enabling her to escape the NUSA’s control. - Depending on whether V betrays Songbird to Reed at the last moment, outcomes diverge:
*Help Songbird:* she leaves Earth, while V gains no cure. *Hand her over to Reed:* V obtains access to experimental treatments.
- Outcome:** V’s fate depends on betrayal; their lifespan may be marginally extended, but at the cost of Songbird’s freedom.
- Themes: betrayal, loyalty, escape vs. survival.*
- Major characters:** Song So Mi (Songbird), Solomon Reed, President Myers.
Reed’s Path: Loyalty to the NUSA
- Requirements: betray Songbird and side with Reed.*
- Reed secures Songbird for the NUSA. - V undergoes an experimental procedure that successfully removes the Relic, albeit with major side effects.
- Outcome:** V survives the procedure but suffers neurological damage, leading to partial disability and a life away from mercenary work. This is the only ending where V “survives” long-term but must retire.
- Themes: survival at a cost, state loyalty, personal sacrifice.*
- Major characters:** Solomon Reed, Songbird, President Myers.
Tower of Song: Phantom Liberty Epilogue
If V sides with Reed and Songbird is captured, V awakens years later in a post-surgery world. Night City has moved on, and their mercenary life is over. - Johnny Silverhand is erased completely. - V lives with chronic impairment, far from the legend they sought.
- Outcome:** This is sometimes viewed as the most “bittersweet realistic” ending: V lives, but cannot return to their old life.
- Themes: mortality, closure, moving on.*
Comparative Themes
All endings explore the central themes of Cyberpunk 2077:
- **Mortality and Transience** — V’s body is dying, and time is finite.
- **Identity and Consciousness** — the Relic blurs lines between self and other.
- **Power and Control** — Arasaka, NUSA, and factions offer Faustian bargains.
- **Freedom vs. Survival** — Nomads, Johnny, and Songbird symbolize escape at the cost of certainty.
See Also
References
- CD Projekt RED, Cyberpunk 2077 (2020).
- CD Projekt RED, Phantom Liberty (2023).
- Night City Lore Archive.