Cyberpunk 2077 couldn’t be more of a polar opposite of The Witcher series with respect to its aesthetic and setting, but the two games share a similar focus on quality storytelling. There are hours of engaging quests, all of which offer players the chance to explore branching dialog options. In this Cyberpunk 2077 story and ending explained guide, we’ll be exploring the key plot points throughout its main story arc before making sense of the game’s five different ending scenarios.
Just a note before diving into our Cyberpunk 2077 story summary. We’ll be referring to V as “he” in this story summary as that is how my character was gendered but note that V’s gender may be different in your playthrough depending on what you pick.
Also, in case it wasn’t completely obvious, this Cyberpunk 2077 story and eventually, the ending explanation will contain heavy spoilers about Cyberpunk 2077’s plot. You’ve been warned.
Cyberpunk 2077 Story Summary & Ending Explained
Prologue
Following the character creation menu, Cyberpunk 2077 begins by offering the player one of three different lifepaths to choose for V.
These not only flesh out his backstory but also start the game in one of three different locations. Regardless of which is picked, though, V will ultimately end up resorting to working as a mercenary with Jackie Welles.
Here’s an overview of all three lifepaths before diving into our Cyberpunk 2077 story summary proper:
The Corporat
In this scenario, V starts as an employee of Arasaka working in the Arasaka Tower. He is tasked with taking out a rival corporate employee on the behalf of his boss Arthur Jenkins. From here, V travels to a bar to meet up with his old friend Jackie Welles to ask advice.
Unfortunately, though, Arasaka has discovered V’s intentions and send three of their security force to confront he and Jackie at the bar. The situation nearly breaks into a fight, but luckily Jackie manages to talk them down. Still, V is now out of a job and a home.
The Nomad
As a nomad, V is traveling to Night City in search of work, but he has car issues attempting to cross the border and is forced to seek help from a local mechanic. The car is easily fixed, but V runs into trouble with the local authorities and so his only option to cross the border is to help Jackie Welles smuggle an Arasaka-owned cryo-storage container.
Unfortunately, border security is alerted to their operation and essentially catches them red-handed. A car chase ensues as Arasaka agents chase them into the city; V is forced to fend off their pursuers with a handgun.
After losing the Arasaka agents, Jackie and V stop to make sure their cargo isn’t damaged. When they inspect the interior of the box it turns out to be a rare species of iguana of a species from the Lesser Antilles previously thought to be extinct.
Street Kid
As a street kid, the story begins with V working for Kirk Sawyer in an operation to steal a high-end Rayfield Aerondight owned by Kaoru Fujioka.
As V attempts to enter his car he bumps into Jackie Welles who holds him at gunpoint. It turns out Jackie Welles also intends to steal the car for his own purposes, but in the confusion, the two are pounced upon by the NCPD and busted. The local officer, Inspector Stints, recognizes both V and Jackie, but before they can talk their way out of the situation an Arasaka employee named Kaoru orders Stints to kill them both and dump their bodies at sea. Luckily for them, the officers don’t follow through and leave them beaten up on the streets instead.
Following either of these three life paths ends in V and Jackie working together as mercenaries. A short story montage catches us up on their activities over the past few months before the game begins properly.
