🎬 All Endings Explained & How to Unlock Them

Cyberpunk 2077 has 5 distinct endings (plus variations), each determined by your choices throughout the game. This guide covers every ending, how to unlock them, and what happens to V and the other characters. Massive spoilers ahead!

⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: This guide contains major spoilers for the entire game. If you haven't finished Cyberpunk 2077, you may want to play through first before reading.

📊 Endings Overview

Ending Name	How to Unlock	V's Fate	Difficulty
The Star	Panam's questline + Aldecaldos	Leaves Night City with the Aldecaldos	⭐⭐
The Sun	Rogue's questline + Arasaka Tower assault	Becomes a legend in the Afterlife	⭐⭐⭐
The Devil	Side with Hanako Arasaka	Depends on final choice	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Temperance	Give your body to Johnny	V dies, Johnny lives	⭐⭐
(Don't Fear) The Reaper	Secret ending - High affinity with Johnny	Solo assault on Arasaka Tower	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

📖 Detailed Ending Breakdown

⭐ The Star Ending (Best Ending)

How to Unlock:

Complete Panam Palmer's full questline:
- "Life During Wartime"
- "Riders on the Storm"
- "With a Little Help from My Friends"
- "Queen of the Highway"
Maintain good relationship with Panam (make supportive dialogue choices)
During "Nocturne Op55N1", choose to call Panam and ask the Aldecaldos for help
Assault Arasaka Tower with the Aldecaldos
At the finale, choose to enter the Well with Johnny
Reject Arasaka's offer and choose to leave Night City

What Happens:

V survives but has only 6 months to live (the Relic is too integrated)
V leaves Night City with the Aldecaldos, searching for a way to remove the Relic
Panam and the Aldecaldos become V's new family
Johnny's engram is removed and destroyed
V keeps all their relationships and friends

Why It's the Best: V has the highest chance of survival (the Aldecaldos have resources to help), and V leaves with a support network. It's the most hopeful ending.

☀️ The Sun Ending (Legend of the Afterlife)

How to Unlock:

Complete Rogue Amendiares' full questline:
- "Chippin' In"
- "Blistering Love"
- "A Like Supreme"
Maintain good relationship with Rogue
During "Nocturne Op55N1", choose to ask Rogue for help
Assault Arasaka Tower with Rogue
Rogue dies during the assault
At the finale, choose to enter the Well with Johnny
Choose to return to V's body (reject becoming a digital construct)

What Happens:

V survives and becomes a legend in the Afterlife
V takes over Rogue's role as the top merc in Night City
V's apartment becomes a shrine to their legend
Johnny's engram is removed and destroyed
V is alone but successful

Consequences: V lives but is isolated. They've achieved their dream of being a legend, but they've lost their friends and connections. It's a bittersweet victory.

😈 The Devil Ending (Arasaka Path)

How to Unlock:

During "Nocturne Op55N1", choose to trust Hanako Arasaka
Meet Hanako at Embers restaurant
Hanako betrays you (she works for Arasaka)
V is captured and taken to Arasaka Tower
Hanako helps V escape (she has her own agenda)
Assault Arasaka Tower with Hanako's help
At the finale, you have two choices:
- Return to V's body: V survives with 6 months to live
- Become a digital construct: V's consciousness is uploaded to Mikoshi (secret ending)

What Happens (Return to Body):

V survives but has only 6 months to live
V is completely alone — all friends are gone or dead
V has no support network and no hope
Johnny's engram is removed and destroyed

What Happens (Digital Construct):

V's body dies
V's consciousness exists in Mikoshi (a digital prison)
V is trapped forever, unable to die but unable to live
This is the worst ending

Why It's Bad: V trusts Arasaka, the company that killed them in the first place. Hanako uses V as a pawn. Even if V survives, they're alone and dying.

🌡️ Temperance Ending (Give Body to Johnny)

How to Unlock:

Complete any of the above endings
At the finale, when given the choice, choose to give your body to Johnny

What Happens:

V dies
Johnny Silverhand takes control of V's body
Johnny leaves Night City (epilogue shows him on a bus)
Johnny visits V's grave and reflects on his choices
Johnny smokes a cigarette and walks away

Consequences: V is dead, but Johnny gets a second chance at life. It's a selfless act — V sacrifices themselves so Johnny can live. Whether this is a "good" ending depends on your perspective.

💀 (Don't Fear) The Reaper (Secret Ending)

How to Unlock:

Complete Johnny's side quest "Chippin' In" (during Act 2)
Make specific dialogue choices during "Chippin' In":
- When Johnny asks "What would you do?", choose: "Nah, man. I don't wanna be a merc."
- When Johnny asks about the oil fields, choose: "Let's do it."
Increase your relationship with Johnny to at least 70% (shown in the Relationship menu)
During "Nocturne Op55N1", wait for Johnny to suggest the solo assault option
If your relationship is high enough, Johnny will suggest storming Arasaka Tower alone
Choose the "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" option

What Happens:

V assaults Arasaka Tower alone (with Johnny's help)
This is the hardest combat challenge in the game
If you succeed, V reaches the top and faces Adam Smasher
After defeating Smasher, V enters the Well
At the finale, you can choose any of the other endings (Star, Sun, or Devil)

Why It's Special: This ending is only available if you've built a strong relationship with Johnny. It's the most challenging ending and requires completing specific side quests. The combat is brutal but rewarding.

💡 Combat Tips:

Use stealth where possible — you're alone and can't afford to take too much damage
Bring plenty of health items and cyberware cooldown reductions
Adam Smasher is the hardest boss in the game. Use hit-and-run tactics and avoid his AoE attacks
Save before the final assault — you'll want to retry if you die

🔗 Character Fates by Ending

Character	The Star	The Sun	The Devil	Temperance
V	Leaves with Aldecaldos (6 months to live)	Becomes Afterlife legend (6 months to live)	Alone and dying (or digital prison)	Dead
Johnny	Destroyed	Destroyed	Destroyed	Lives in V's body
Panam	Survives, becomes V's partner	Survives, but V leaves her	Survives, but relationship ends	Survives, mourns V
Judy	Survives, leaves Night City with V	Survives, but V leaves her	Survives, but relationship ends	Survives, mourns V
River	Survives, can romance V	Survives, but V leaves him	Survives, but relationship ends	Survives, mourns V
Kerry	Survives, can romance V	Survives, but V leaves him	Survives, but relationship ends	Survives, mourns V
Rogue	Survives	Dies during assault	Survives	Survives

💡 Which Ending Should You Choose?

🎯 First Playthrough

Choose: The Star ending

Why: It's the most hopeful and complete ending. V survives, has a support network, and leaves with a sense of purpose. It's also the easiest to unlock.

🎯 Completionist Playthrough

Choose: (Don't Fear) The Reaper → The Star

Why: You get to experience the secret ending's challenging combat, then still get the best outcome for V.

🎯 Roleplaying as a Mercenary

Choose: The Sun ending

Why: If you've been playing V as a ruthless merc trying to become a legend, this ending fits that arc. V achieves their goal but at a cost.

🎯 Roleplaying as Selfless

Choose: Temperance ending

Why: If you've built a strong relationship with Johnny and want to give him a second chance, this is the most selfless choice. V sacrifices themselves for Johnny.

💡 Tips for Unlocking All Endings

Save frequently. Keep multiple save files so you can reload and choose different endings without replaying the entire game.
Complete side quests early. Panam, Rogue, and Johnny's questlines must be completed before the finale. Do them during Act 2.
Make relationship choices count. Dialogue choices matter. Be supportive, empathetic, and loyal to build relationships.
Don't ignore Johnny. Talk to Johnny frequently and make choices that align with his values to increase your relationship meter.
Use the point of no return. The game warns you before the finale. Complete all side quests before crossing this threshold.

🎬 Final Thoughts

Cyberpunk 2077's endings are bittersweet — there's no "perfect" happy ending. Each ending has its own trade-offs, and the "best" ending depends on your interpretation of V's journey. The Star is the most hopeful, but The Sun fits the mercenary fantasy, and Temperance is the most selfless.

No matter which ending you choose, you've experienced one of the most ambitious stories in gaming. Good luck, choom.