Cyberpunk 2077 is filled with choices, and while not all of them matter or have a big impact on how the game shakes out, some are monumental. A lot of these choices are reflected in Cyberpunk 2077’s ending–what you decide to do and who you decide to do it with alters your options as you approach Cyberpunk’s final act, while also changing what you might see when the dust settles.
We’ve compiled all the information you need to know to help you decide how to work through Cyberpunk’s endgame, either to get the ending that best fits your take on protagonist V, or to help you see each and every variation. Be sure to consult our side quest guide that runs down everything you should do before the Point of No Return, so you can make sure to unlock all the possible ending options.
Obviously, this post contains massive spoilers. We’ll try to keep non-essential information to a minimum, but if you want to experience the end of Cyberpunk 2077 organically, we recommend you stop reading now.
How To Choose Which Ending You Get In Cyberpunk 2077
There are a couple of places where your choices influence how the finale of Cyberpunk 2077 plays out. It all starts with the conversation you have with Hanako Arasaka after the Point of No Return, in the Nocturn OP55N1 main job. Not long after that, you’ll return to Vik’s ripper doc operating room, and then accompany Misty up to the balcony to make a decision about how to proceed.
Here, you get several options based on what you’ve done during the game. If you started any romantic relationships with other characters, you’ll have a chance to call them one last time. After that, you’ll have to choose which path to take to Mikoshi.
The default path, if you unlocked none of the others, is to take Hanako’s deal. If you completed Johnny’s side quests Chippin’ In and Blistering Love, Johnny will try to convince you to let him take control of V’s body and assault Arasaka Tower with Rogue. And if you completed Panam’s quest line, you’ll have the option of calling in help from the Aldecaldos.
There are also two less-obvious paths–one of which is a secret, high-level challenge–that we’ll discuss below.
Hanako’s Deal
If you accept Hanako’s agreement, you’ll get a corporate-focused ending in which you help her combat her brother, Yorinobu, for control of Arasaka. The plan is for V to testify about Yorinobu to the Arasaka board. Note that if you take on this ending, you’re basically turning your back on Johnny. This option might represent your best chance of getting the biochip removed, but it stops you from getting the opportunity to destroy Mikoshi.
Make the choice to deal with Hanako and you’ll get an endgame that’s heavily predicated on helping her wrest control of the corporation from her brother, Yorinobu. The missions that take you to the ending also go a little differently depending on your choices during the story mission Play It Safe. If you saved Takemura during that mission, he’ll be around to help you, which can make this ending significantly easier. If not, you’ll have to deal with Hellman, who’s a lot less useful. Here’s what you need to know to save Takemura.
Once you complete the endgame missions, you’ll enter the epilogue mission, called Where Is My Mind. It sees V head to an Arasaka orbital station to get the surgery he needs to save him from the biochip. You’ll have one more choice that determines your final ending: V can either join the Secure Your Soul program, which turns them into an engram like Johnny was, or can return to Earth and an uncertain fate. Again, if you saved Takemura, he’ll play a role in the epilogue. It’s also worth noting that saving Takemura and choosing this ending unlocks an Achievement/Trophy dubbed The Devil.
Your Pal Panam
Completing Panam’s questline will have gotten you in good with the Aldecaldos, allowing you to call in a favor and get backup from the Nomads to fight your way into Arasaka Tower. You’ll spend a bunch of time with the Aldecaldos on this one across multiple missions, with some extra story beats if you’re also in a romantic relationship with Panam.
Over the course of a few missions, you’ll eventually fight into Arasaka and find your way into Mikoshi, with the help of Alt Cunningham. When you get to Mikoshi, you’ll have another choice that dictates the ending: Venture into Cyberspace with Alt and allow Johnny to take over your body, or return to your body and face an uncertain fate. Each choice will result in a different epilogue mission, giving you a sense of the consequences of your actions. If you choose for V to return to his body, you’ll get the All Along the Watchtower epilogue, which will heavily feature the Aldecaldos. If Johnny takes the body, you’ll see the New Dawn Fades epilogue.
Rogue’s Raid
Johnny has a plan of his own: You take Misty’s pills, give Johnny control of your body, and let him raid Arasaka Tower just like he did 50 years earlier. Johnny’s plan is to call up Rogue and blast straight into the tower. You’ll team up with another mercenary, Weyland, who will accompany you into the tower. After you arrive, Weyland will get himself into trouble, and whether you choose to go after him will affect how the mission plays out.
Eventually, you’ll get to Mikoshi, and as with the Panam ending, you’ll face a choice: send Johnny into Cyberspace and return V to his body, or allow Johnny to take the body while V heads to Cyberspace. If Johnny takes the body, you’ll see the New Dawn Fades epilogue, same as with the Panam path. If V returns to his body, he’ll become a Night City legend in the Path of Glory epilogue.
Path of Least Resistance
There’s one ending that lets you skip all the finale missions, if you like, and opt to end V’s journey rather than endanger anyone else. When you head to the roof of Misty’s building to make your choice, choose one of the three options–but then choose the option, “Could just put all this to rest.”
As you might have guessed, on that path, V decides not to fight his fate, opting instead to end things without ever making an attempt at Arasaka Tower and removing the biochip. Instead, he ends his life with his handgun, taking you straight to the end credits and a series of messages from characters you’ve interacted with. They’ve all heard what happened to V and have their various opinions on what happened, with a few making some pretty good points about how your decision has had effects beyond what you might have considered.
The Secret Ending
There’s one more ending you can unlock, dubbed Don’t Fear The Reaper, but it’s tough to find and tougher to complete. This ending requires you to have a solidly positive relationship with Johnny and gives you a chance to assault Arasaka Tower without risking the lives of anyone else–putting you at a significant disadvantage. As Johnny notes, it’s essentially a suicide run, and it’s the most hardcore endgame approach available.
Unlocking The Secret Ending
- Before heading to the Point of No Return in Nocturne Op55N1, raise your relationship with Johnny to 70% or higher.
You can track this at the top of the menu screen–it’s the number beneath the Samurai logo, labeled You Only Live Once. We’re not entirely sure how you can raise this number effectively, but we do know that you’ll need to complete all of Johnny’s side quests starting with Chippin’ In. In general, you want to treat Johnny as a friend and confidant in dialogue choices, especially during the end portion of Chippin’ In and during his other side quests. In general, try not to be antagonistic to Johnny during quests to continue to increase the number.
- Continue through Nocturne Op55N1 until you reach the rooftop conversation with Johnny.
- Choose to let Johnny take on Arasaka Tower with Rogue. When Johnny asks if you’re sure, just wait–it’ll be about five minutes.
- After a while, Johnny should offer you another option to take on Arasaka alone, with no backup. Choose this option to access Don’t Fear The Reaper.
The thing about his ending is that it’s extremely difficult. You’ll face a mess of top-tier enemies without anyone to help you, making this one of the toughest missions in the game. What’s more, if you die, the credits will roll. You only get one shot at the Don’t Fear The Reaper quest (at least, unless you load a save to before Nocturne Op55N1), so make sure you’re very ready. We recommend you craft top-tier equipment and complete as many side quests as you can in order to increase V’s level and make yourself as resilient as possible.
Finishing the Secret Ending unlocks content you can’t get any other way, so it’s worth doing if you’re especially hardcore about the game.
Roll Credits
There’s one last aspect of Cyberpunk 2077’s ending that changes with your choices: the end credits. After the epilogue mission, you’ll get a series of voicemail messages that give you a sense of where each character has ended up in their post-V life, or of how your decisions impacted them. You’ll also see a few characters whose stories you impacted along the way, like Jefferson Peralez if you completed the Dream On quest, or members of the Aldecaldos if you completed Panam’s character arc. There are variations on these messages based on your path through the game and the endgame, and depending on how much information a character has about your final choices.
We’ve got a whole lot more Cyberpunk 2077 coverage to help you through the game as well–be sure to read our Cyberpunk 2077 review, and check out our essential tips, character attributes and build guide, romance guide, life path guide, and where to find Iconic weapons and the best cyberware.
GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.
