The Endings Of Cyberpunk 2077 Explained
Cyberpunk 2077 might have come from the same minds that brought you The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, but it isn't as ambitious a title, at least in terms of length. That is hardly the fault of the folks at CD Projekt Red, though — the company shortened Cyberpunk 2077 because of all the gamers who never finished The Witcher 3. You only need 15 hours to make it from the beginning of Cyberpunk 2077 to the end (assuming you don't stop to smell the roses), and depending on your decisions, the game's story will end one of several ways.
Even though critics have praised the number of choices in Cyberpunk 2077, it seems that ultimately very few actions actually matter in the long run. In the game, all roads lead to Rome — or in this case, Arasaka. Also, what happens in Arasaka (and afterwards) hinges on a few key decisions.
If you are wondering about the hows and whys of each ending — or want to figure out how to earn each ending — keep reading. Just remember: There are spoilers from here on out. No going back, you dig?
Where Is My Mind? - Arasaka Ending
Throughout Cyberpunk 2077, the Arasaka Corporation remains a thorn in V's side, but it isn't (completely) moustache-twirlingly evil. One shareholder, Hanako Arasaka, is willing to help remove the biochip holding Johnny Silverhand's personality, since it's killing V — for a little quid pro quo, that is. Once V helps Hanako with her family spat (involving assault rifles and cyborgs), she is ready to solve V's problem in Arasaka's space station hospital.
At first, the recovery period is something out of a horror movie. Doctors force V to perform simple tests. The days blend together. Did Hanako trick V? No. The procedure went off without a hitch, but V was too far gone. Their body will give out in a few months, so they are given two choices: Submit to the Soulkiller process — ironically saving their life by downloading their mind and erasing their brain — or live out their last few months however they want. This no-win scenario forces V to make the best out of the hand they're dealt, which is a running theme in Cyberpunk 2077.
To pick this ending, tell Johnny, "Think trusting Arasaka's risky but worth it."
All Along the Watchtower - Panam Ending
If you don't feel like trusting anyone at Arasaka, you're going to need a little help storming the castle to find their mind-storing server Mikoshi, the only thing that can separate V and Johnny. You'll need an army, and you will get one if you ask Panam Palmer and the Aldecaldos for help. They will aid V and, more importantly, accept them as family.
A few firefights later, V finally finds Mikoshi and separates Johnny from their brain, but the good news doesn't last. Turns out the biochip wasn't killing V's body but changing it at a genetic level, and now it thinks V is an intruder. Johnny can inhabit the body with no repercussions, but V will burn it out in a couple months. Throughout Cyberpunk 2077, V and Johnny have become friends, so Johnny doesn't object to V keeping the body. Unfortunately, V needs to also flee Night City. Thankfully, they now have a new Aldecaldo family, who will let V live among them for V's few remaining months. Dying among friends sure beats dying alone in a back alley.
To pick this ending, complete all of Panam's side missions and then tell Johnny, "Gonna ask Panam for help."
Path of Glory - Rogue Ending
Since Johnny started the fight with Arasaka, you can let him finish it along with his old pal Rogue. If you do this, it's just Johnny (well, Johnny controlling V) and Rogue storming the castle, just like old times. Everything seems to go smoothly until Adam Smasher appears and lives up to his name by killing Rogue. Thankfully, Johnny/V is there to kill Adam once and for all.
After connecting to Mikoshi, Johnny and V are separated, and the game plays out as it does in the Panam ending. V's body has been altered, and it won't accept their mind anymore. This time, Johnny is in the driver's seat, and since he and V are now friends, he sacrifices himself to give V a new, albeit brief, life. But great minds think alike, and V wants to forcefully give their body to Johnny. But, V eventually relents. Unlike Panam's ending, V stays in Night City, and they inherit Rogue's bar, but that's not the end. Shortly after, V prepares to rob a casino in outer space, courtesy of Mr. Blue Eyes.
To pick this ending, complete all of Rogue's side missions and tell Johnny, "Think you and Rogue should go."
New Dawn Fades - Johnny Ending
Regardless of who you want watching your back in Arasaka, you can always pick between V and Johnny for body ownership rights. If you choose V, they either end Cyberpunk 2077 with the Aldecaldos or owning the Afterlife bar, but what if you pick Johnny? Well, he berates V for choosing the easy way out and just giving up, but he eventually accepts V's decision and lives his new life in his new body,
Even with V gone, Johnny is a changed man, much kinder and gentler. Johnny decides to make a new life for himself far away from Night City, but not without paying it forward. He gives his young neighbor Steve some music and life lessons, and does the most un-Johnny move possible by purchasing Steve a guitar. Thus, Johnny paves the way for Steve to become the next big musician of Night City — and demonstrates how far Johnny has come thanks to V.
To pick this ending, just let Johnny keep the body. It doesn't matter if V or Johnny makes the decision, just so long as V crosses the bridge into cyberspace and not Johnny.
Suicide Ending
Regardless of how you stage an assault on Arasaka, people will die, either by allying themselves with V or standing in their way. Peace isn't an option. No matter what, there will be blood, which gets V wondering: can they minimize the number of deaths? V thinks so.
After a bit of self-reflection, V realizes that no matter what, people will die for or because of them, so why not sacrifice themselves to prevent more needless deaths? In V's eyes, suicide is the cleanest option — two willing deaths to prevent hundreds of unwilling ones. At first, Johnny is against this, but he eventually comes around to V's way of thinking and welcomes oblivion.
Of course, since this is suicide we're talking about, all the friends V/Johnny made throughout their journey are aghast and send them emails during the credits, furious with them for the decision they've made. V might have done it for their friends, but they don't see it that way.
To pick this ending, select any other ending option, but before you go through with it, tell Johnny, "Could also just put all this to rest."
(Don't Fear) The Reaper - Secret Ending
It isn't easy deciding who to take on what is essentially a suicide mission. Who is V willing to ask to risk their lives, just so V can dig a digital phantom out of their brain — and keep the biochip that houses it from killing them? Well, if V can't make up their mind, Johnny offers a different option: Just him and V, alone together. Either they succeed without their friends' blood on their hands or die in a blaze of glory.
The mission "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" is only available by waiting, and it is easily the hardest one in the game. If you die — which is pretty easy — the credits roll. But, if you somehow survive, you will realize that calling this an ending is a misnomer. Jacking into Mikoshi afterward gives you the same epilogue choices as the Rogue and Johnny endings. The only difference is Rogue still lives.
If you have the stomach to take the worst Cyberpunk 2077 can throw at you, first maintain a good relationship with Johnny by completing certain missions and picking the right dialogue choices. When the time comes to solidify a final decision, wait around five minutes, and Johnny himself will offer this alternative.