Of all the sprawling, choice-driven narratives in video games, few are as thematically rich and consequentially devastating as the one at the heart of CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077. Your journey as V, a mercenary with a dying relic of a terrorist in their head, is a race against time that culminates in a series of profoundly different conclusions. These endings are not simple good or bad outcomes; they are philosophical statements about life, legacy, and what it means to exist in the nihilistic world of Night City.
Reaching the point of no return, "Nocturne Op55N1," sees V and Johnny Silverhand atop the terrace of the Poniagriest, overlooking the city that chews up and spits out dreams. It is here that you must make a critical decision, one shaped by the relationships you've built (or neglected) throughout the game. This guide will break down all five major story endings, their requirements, and their poignant implications.
1. The Devil (Arasaka's Ending)
This ending is achieved by placing your trust in the very corporation that created your predicament.
- How to Unlock: When on the terrace with Misty, choose the dialog option: "Think Arasaka might have a way to save me." This path is available regardless of your relationship with Takemura. If he survived the attack in the diner (by saving him during the quest "Search and Destroy"), he will be your guide. If he died, you will be dealing with Hellman instead.
- The Mission: Instead of a frantic assault, this is a clandestine operation. V is smuggled into Arasaka Tower and undergoes the Soulkiller process, where their engram is digitized. The final mission is a surreal, psychological test within the Arasaka space station, Mikoshi.
- The Choice: After becoming an engram, you are presented with two devilish choices. You can return to Earth in your original, but now terminally ill, body with only six months to live. Alternatively, you can sign the contract to have your engram stored indefinitely, hoping Arasaka will one day find a body for you, effectively selling your soul to the corporation.
- The Meaning: "The Devil" is a cautionary tale about trading freedom for the false promise of security. It's a bleak ending where V is utterly alone, having betrayed Johnny and often alienated their friends. The tarot card, The Devil, represents bondage and materialism, perfectly encapsulating V's fate.
2. The Star (The Aldecaldos' Ending)
This is widely considered the most hopeful and community-driven ending.
- How to Unlock: This requires a strong relationship with Panam Palmer. You must have completed all her major side quests, including "Riders on the Storm," "With a Little Help from My Friends," and "Queen of the Highway." Most crucially, during her quest "We Gotta Live Together," you must have chosen to help her rescue Saul from the Wraiths. On the terrace, you must choose: "Got a plan. Gonna ask Panam for help."
- The Mission: You rally the entire Aldecaldo clan for a full-scale assault on the Arasaka spaceport. It's a chaotic, explosive battle with tremendous stakes and sacrifice. With their help, you breach the tower, enter Mikoshi, and confront Saburo Arasaka's engram.
- The Choice: In Mikoshi, you choose to return to your body. In the final scene, V and a dying-but-content Johnny say their goodbyes. V, though still facing a uncertain future with their six-month prognosis, leaves Night City with Panam and the Aldecaldos to seek a cure in Arizona.
- The Meaning: "The Star" represents hope, inspiration, and a brighter future. It underscores the game's core theme that connections with others are the only true salvation in a cruel world. V may not be cured, but they are not alone.
3. The Sun (The Afterlife Ending)
This ending sees V become the undisputed king of the afterlife, but at a great personal cost.
- How to Unlock: There are two paths:
- Rogue's Path: On the terrace, choose "Wanna do this alone." Then, in the follow-up dialog, you must choose to "Ask Rogue for help." This requires having completed Rogue's side quest, "Blistering Love," and having the eddies to pay her hefty fee (or a high enough skill check).
- Johnny's Path: If your relationship with Johnny reached 70% or higher during the quest "Chippin' In" and you made specific dialog choices (telling him he was a good friend at the oil fields), a new option appears. On the terrace, choose "Wanna do this alone." Then, Johnny will suggest he takes over your body to lead the assault. Agree to let him do it.
- The Mission: A legendary, solo-blast through Arasaka Tower, reminiscent of Johnny's own failed raid 50 years prior. It's a spectacular, punishing mission filled with iconic moments.
- The Choice: In Mikoshi, you choose to return to your body. Later, you find yourself back in a changed V's body. In Rogue's path, she dies in the assault, and you become the new owner of the Afterlife. In Johnny's path, he keeps his promise and gives the body back. The ending culminates in V embarking on the most dangerous heist imaginable: a solo run on the Crystal Palace space station.
- The Meaning: "The Sun" is about achieving your dream of becoming a Night City legend, but it's a hollow, lonely victory. You have all the fame and glory, but you are dying and isolated from your friends, destined to go out in a final blaze of glory.
4. Temperance (The Johnny Silverhand Ending)
This is the ultimate act of self-sacrifice, granting a form of rebirth.
- How to Unlock: This ending is a direct result of a choice within Mikoshi. You can reach Mikoshi via any of the assault paths (Aldecaldos, Rogue, or Johnny). Once there, instead of returning to your body, you must choose the option: "Give Johnny your body."
- The Mission: V's consciousness is digitized and merged with Alt, becoming part of the beyond. Johnny, now permanently inhabiting V's body, must leave Night City.
- The Aftermath: Johnny, a changed man humbled by V's sacrifice, honors their memory. He leaves Night City, promising to live a better life. He gives V's assets to Viktor and says a final goodbye to the few friends V had, offering them closure but no real explanation.
- The Meaning: "Temperance" is about balance, sacrifice, and finding peace. V is gone, but their sacrifice gives Johnny a second chance he never thought possible. It’s a bittersweet ending about the legacy we leave behind and the cost of redemption.
5. (Don't Fear) The Reaper (The Secret Ending)
This is the secret, "canon" suicide run that only the most determined Vs can unlock.
- How to Unlock: This is the most demanding ending. During the side job "Chippin' In," when Johnny offers you his hand at his grave in the oil fields, you must wait for exactly five minutes without choosing a dialog option. He will then offer a new line. Later, when you are in the hotel room with him, you must choose the correct dialog sequence:
- "The guy who saved my life."
- "What do you want from me?"
- "OK. But as second chances go, this is your last."
- "You were a real dick in the beginning."
- "When you said you let down your friends..."
- "Nah. Finished." This must result in your relationship with Johnny reaching 70%. On the terrace, when Misty leaves, you must wait silently for five minutes. Johnny will then propose a new plan: a solo attack on Arasaka Tower.
- The Mission: This is the game's ultimate challenge. You assault Arasaka Tower completely alone, with no help, on the hardest difficulty. It is a brutal, unforgiving test of skill and build optimization.
- The Choice: Despite the different entry, you still reach Mikoshi and face the same choices as in "The Sun" or "Temperance" paths. The significance is in the journey itself—a defiant, near-mythological act of will that defines V as the ultimate solo.
- The Meaning: This path embodies Johnny's ideal of "going out in a blaze of glory" on your own terms. It is the purest expression of agency, refusing to sacrifice others for your own survival. It makes the subsequent choices in Mikoshi feel even more earned and poignant.
Each ending in Cyberpunk 2077 is a mirror reflecting a different aspect of V's journey. There is no truly happy ending, only different shades of sacrifice and resolve. The choice isn't about finding a way to live forever, but about deciding what kind of legend you want to be, and who you want to stand with when the final curtain falls.
