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Cyberpunk 2077’s story is a race against time. Through one botched job, your protagonist, V, has a prototype personality engram chip of Johnny Silverman loaded up in their brain. The upside to this is that V gets a fun digital ghost companion to ride along in their head. However, the downside is that it’s killing them whether Johnny means to or not.
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The story progresses as V tries to find ways to save themself while still managing connections and jobs. Eventually, there’s light at the end of the tunnel, and V learns that it could be possible to save them using devices in Alaska headquarters called Mikoshi and Soulkiller. The question becomes how to reach it, and that choice leads to several different endings. Here’s what they all mean.
Arasaka Ending
In this ending, V sides with Hanako Arasaka. This is the most direct ending and the only option for you to choose if you don’t do enough side missions. While the story has a few variations depending on which characters are alive, the main story beats remain the same.
First, you rescue Hanako and help her take over Arasaka by the word of her grandfather, also stored in a personality chip. You then fight Adam Smasher to make her take over completely and confront Yorinobu. Yorinobu intended to dispel the fear set by his father and break his legacy, a plan thwarted by V’s intervention.
You then have one last goodbye with Johnny Silverman. In this conversation, Johnny is disappointed in V’s choice, pointing out they traded their values to a mega-corporation in exchange for survival. As the Silverhand’s engram chip is removed from V, it is destroyed.
V then awakes in a hospital in orbit, undergoing test after test to see how their life could be saved. In the end, they find that it’s all for naught. The chip irreparably damaged V’s body. From there, you have two choices: return to earth, and let V live out what time they have left, or have V become an engram chip just like Johnny and trust that one day in the future, Arasaka will give them a new body.
Night City Legend Ending
In this ending, V decides to let Johnny finish his fight and surrenders control of their body to let him attack Arasaka Tower once again. Johnny knows the only way to save V is to get to Mikoshi and leave their body. His ex, Alt, had retreated inside the net long ago, becoming a powerful AI construct over time. A deal is struck to allow her access to all other personalities stored in Mikoshi, and in return, she saves V.
To reach Mikoshi, Johnny needs allies, so he recruits Rogue into the attack on Arasaka tower. Johnny’s plan takes them under the tower, where they are ambushed by Adam Smasher, who then kills Rogue. He serves as the final fight to this run as well, and Johnny is finally able to take revenge for his failure in 2023.
Upon reaching Mikoshi, Johnny is able to have a conversation with V. Here, Johnny approves of their relationship and chooses to hand back V’s body, but Alt confirms that V has only 6 months to live due to the chip’s damage. Johnny leaves to enter the net with Alt.
Time then jumps forward a few months, with V living as a legend in Night City. Despite having vast resources now at their disposal, the damage from the chip is still killing them. So, with that in mind, they take one last job from a notorious Cyberpunk character: Mr. Blue Eyes. V is to assault the Crystal Palace, a massive orbital space station, and retrieve an object for Blue Eyes, and in return, he will perhaps be able to save V. The ending’s last shot is V in orbit, floating towards their target with nothing left to lose.
Aldecaldos Ending
to achieve this ending, you have to complete all of Panaam’s side quests and become an ally of the Aldecaldos. When the choice arises of how to reach Mikoshi, you can call on them and gain their support. The mission plays out very similarly to Johnny’s assault on the tower, only the early stages of the plan are different.
With help from Panaam, you penetrate the tower from an underground tunnel outside the city. You also get to drive a hover tank, so it’s worth trying the mission for that experience. Once you actually enter the tower, it plays out like the other tower raid. You fight your way through the basement until you get ambushed by Smasher, who kills the Aldecaldos leader, Saul.
You defeat Smasher and proceed into Mikoshi, only this time from V’s perspective. As digital engrams, they and Johnny speak, with Johnny approving of V’s plan. Once again, the choice arises of who gets to keep V’s body, and V chooses to save themself. While they feel guilty, it is the choice Johnny wants, and he follows Alt into the net.
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The six-month life expectancy is still in this ending. V has little time left, but the Aldecaldos, with Panaam as their new leader, take them away from Night City. Panaam says it’s possible they know someone who can help. As V and Panaam flee the city with the nomads, they share a moment of peace in uncertainty. Of all the endings, this one could be considered the most hopeful.
Suicide Ending
This ending has no final mission. Instead, V decides that whatever course they take will probably result in people they care about losing their lives. After talking it over with Johnny, V decides that they are not worth their friend’s sacrifices and believes it would be better if they took themself out. After achieving some measure of peace, V ends their life. It’s a very abrupt end to the story. As the credits roll, you see many of V’s friends calling to reach their voicemail, expressing their shock and sorrow at the decision.
Johnny’s Ending
Any ending that involves V being hit by the Soulkiller will give them a chance to reach this ending. In all the conversations between Johnny and V, you have a choice on who keeps V’s body. Any time Johnny remains in the body, you get this ending.
With Johnny as the personality, V’s body is stable. With the help of a youngmusiciannamed Steve to drive him around town, Johnny visits a few places to get ready to leave Night City. He also visits a memorial center to deliver V’s pendant to their memorial, promising to move on with his life while paying respects. V’s influence on Johnny has made him wiser, and he intends to use this second chance well. Johnny takes a bus out of Night City to live his new life and leaves a new guitar with the young musician.
Secret Ending
To reach this secret ending, V must have a high affinity with Johnny and spend around five minutes in silence deliberating their choices. Once again, not wanting to risk anyone else for themselves, V takes Jonny’s suggestion to shed all caution, walk towards Arasaka Tower’s front door, and do it all themselves.
This is, without a doubt, the hardest mission in the game. You need tobe ready. If you fail, there is no retry. V dies, and the game proceeds to the credits. You have to fight through elite enemies with no help and reach Mikoshi.
The mission beats are similar to the others, find a way down to Mikoshi and keep fighting. Adam Smasher arrives to kill you, not killing anyone else this time, because there is no one else. After defeating him, you head inside Mikoshi. You chat with a very impressed Johnny, and once again, V keeps their body while Johnny leaves. From there, time fast forwards, and events play out just like the legend of night city end, and V assaults the crystal palace.
