Cyberpunk 2077 Easter Eggs

Numerous easter eggs and cultural references to various books, movies, music compositions, and other games are common throughout the Cyberpunk series. These are instances where something or someone from pop culture or the real world is referenced in.

Cyberpunk 2020

 * A shard found in the game, "Cyberpunk 2020 Rulebook", is a reference to the original pen-and-paper RPG.

Dark Souls

 * Referenced by the Photo Mode pose "V for Victory".

Death Stranding

 * A capsule containing a human infant, identical to Bridge Baby in Death Stranding, can be found in the side job The Hunt.

Fallout series

 * Archived Conversation: Albert Cole and Gary Epps contains several references to the entire Fallout series.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

 * The shard titled "Archived Conversation: JC and Little Smoke" is a reference to the characters Carl "CJ" Johnson and Melvin "Big Smoke" Harris from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The shard text contains the line "all you had to do was follow the damn train, JC!", which originates from the mission Wrong Side of the Tracks and is considered one of the most memorable lines throughout the entire Grand Theft Auto series. There are also dead bodies lying beside a damaged bike.

Half-Life

 * The Crowbar's description "The favorite tool of burglars and theoretical physicists from MIT." is a reference to Gordon Freeman, the silent protagonist from the Half-Life franchise, and his iconic first weapon: a Crowbar.
 * A game titled "No Life 3" is a poke at Half-Life 3 - a long-anticipated but non-existent sequel to the Half-Life series. The game is referenced by the shard No Life 3 - Review, and a No Life 3 poster in V's apartment.

Hideo Kojima

 * Hideo Kojima makes a cameo during the Act 1 mission The Heist. He can be seen in the bar of Konpeki Plaza.

Mike Pondsmith
There are several references to Mike Pondsmith within 2077 itself, as well as Pondsmith voicing several characters.
 * Pondsmith Street in Japantown.
 * Maximum Mike, the DJ of radio station 107.3 Morro Rock Radio, is voiced by Pondsmith.
 * It is believed but not yet confirmed that Pondsmith also voices Milt Nauman, a ripperdoc who saves Johnny Silverhand's life during Never Fade Away.

Portal

 * Epistrophy: Coastview involves chasing down a rogue Delamain Taxi with a personality that matches GLaDOS from the Portal franchise. The lines this AI says are exactly as they appear in the Portal franchise.

System Shock

 * The image of the Biosynergy perk in the Quickhacking tree is SHODAN from the System Shock games.

The Witcher Universe

 * A Retro Gaming magazine features the studio's The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt as its game of the month in The Corpo-Rat.
 * Several arcade stands feature the game "Roach Race" featuring Roach dodging several obstacles, such as a flying griffin and a house's rooftop. It plays a shortened version of "Geralt of Rivia" by Marcin Przybyłowicz.
 * Photo Mode has several Roach stickers.
 * The designs of the Wolf School Jacket and Wolf School T-Shirt are directly inspired by The Witcher universe, the former resembling Geralt's armor in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
 * The Caretaker's Spade is a reference to the unique spade you can get in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's Hearts of Stone expansion.
 * The most expensive car, the Rayfield Aerondight "Guinevere" is named after the Aerondight sword that can be found in all three Witcher games.
 * The shard titled Message to Dao Hyunh contains the line "The time of revenge and the white light, of frost-white chrome and contempt has come!" It is a reference to Ithlinne's Prophecy which contains a similar line.
 * The image of the Offensive Defense perk in the Blades tree is based on the Ciri card art from the standalone Gwent game.

A Fistful of Dollars

 * "A Fistful Of Eurodollars" perk in the Handguns tree is named after this classic spaghetti western.

Akira

 * The image of the Revamp perk in the Engineering tree is based on the cover art for the AKIRA Original Soundtrack Album, which features Kaneda holding a weapon in the same pose as the image for the perk.
 * The Yaiba Kusanagi CT-3X motorcycle is similar to Shotaro Kaneda's bike from the classic 1980's anime Akira.
 * The staircase entrance to the Afterlife bar resembles the entrance to the Harukiya bar from Akira.

Batman

 * The mission Ghost Town passes through an unmarked tunnel in the Badlands. After completing the mission and waiting for two days, the player can return to the tunnel to find a shipping container holding a black Rayfield Caliburn. The player can enter the car to permanently add it to their inventory. The shard "Read this every day. Never give up. Remember your purpose." inside the container contains the manifesto of "Murk Man", a reference to the Batman franchise.

Black Hawk Down / Dawn of the Dead

 * There's an advertisement in game about a movie titled "Black Hawk Dawn of the Dead". One can be seen during Love Like Fire.

Blade Runner (1982)

 * Misty's appearance is an homage to Pris, one of the escaped replicates in Blade Runner.
 * Batty's Hotel in Pacifica District is a reference to Roy Batty, the main antagonist of the original Blade Runner film, who was played by the late legendary actor Rutger Hauer.
 * Roy Batty's final words in Blade Runner, "All these moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain", are inscribed on a plaque that can be found on the memorial building in North Oak. It honors both the late actor and the character he made great with a symbolic image of a dove and those famous words.
 * In Vista del Rey, Heywood, after coming off of Metro: Congress & MLK to the right of it is a building called Advocet Hotel. Enter the lobby and take the elevator to the roof. The time of day will change to night and the weather will be rainy, music will also start playing after looking at an AV that passes over. Going onto the rook and following the path will lead to a dead npc half naked sitting up and holding a bird. This a final scene from Blade Runner Movie "Tears in Rain" where the replicant Roy Batty makes his speech before passing.

Blade Runner 2049

 * A corpse holding the shard "Corporate Wanted List" (and the legendary Titanium solo techgogs with tactical software, part of the legendary Solo clothing set) found among the Biotechnica protein farms is a reference to Sapper Morton in Blade Runner 2049. The shard indicates the dead man's name was Samuel Morton and he was on the run from Militech for smuggling people from the Moon to Earth and deserting his post. The details about Samuel on the shard are near matches for details about Sapper: they were both born on March 22, they both have similar ID numbers, they both served as combat medics, and they both went into hiding as protein farmers. A wall of Samuel's house also appeared to have been torn out while he fought his killer, as happened when Sapper fought K.

Breaking Bad

 * The gig The Heisenberg Principle is named after the alias of Walter White, anti-hero, drug manufacturer/dealer, and protagonist of Breaking Bad. The gig has V hunt down the manufacturers of the drug Glitter.

Brokeback Mountain

 * Archived Conversation: Jack and Dennis available from an Assault in Progress in the Badlands. Corpses nearby are wearing cowboy hats, reminiscent of the main characters Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist in Brokeback Mountain.

Children of Men

 * A shard titled Archived Conversation: Theo Faron and The Human Project discusses the plan to smuggle a woman and her daughter out to sea.

Cowboy Bebop

 * During a hostage situation in Rancho Coronado, NPCs named Faye Spiegel, Spike Valentine and Jet White can be seen.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

 * Referenced by the Photo Mode pose "Crouching Punk, Hidden Samurai".
 * The Stealth tree of the Cool attribute contains perks named "Crouching Tiger" and "Hidden Dragon".

Demolition Man

 * In V's apartment, three seashells are set on a shelf next to the toilet, a reference to Demolition Man, where three seashells are described as the future replacement of traditional toilet paper, but their specific use and function is never elaborated upon.

Die Hard

 * In the side job Following the River, when V plays an Augmented Reality game with River's niece and nephew, the name of the niece's character is police officer Joan McClane, a female rendition of the name John McClane, the main character of the Die Hard movies. John McClane is also a police officer.

Dirty Harry

 * In the side job Following the River, when V plays an Augmented Reality game with River's niece and nephew, the name of the nephew's character is police officer Henry Callahan, a play on Harry Callahan from the Dirty Harry franchise. Like the Dirty Harry franchise, Callahan is also a lone wolf cop who is a rebel.

Ghost in the Shell

 * Judy's phone avatar is a little ghost popping out of a shell. The same drawing is tattooed on Judy's left arm, above the number 13.
 * The Yaiba Kusanagi CT-3X motorcycle is named after Major Motoko Kusanagi, the protagonist of the Ghost in the Shell franchise.
 * The name of the Daemon In The Shell achievement is another reference to GITS.
 * The Arasaka HJSH-18 Masamune is a reference to manga artist and writer, Shirou Masamune, creator of the Ghost in the Shell series.
 * In the gig Cyberpsycho Sighting: Lt. Mower, the setting is very reminiscent of the "water scene" for the Ghost in the Shell movie and the enemy looks strikingly similar to Motoko with her hairstyle and is said she has military-grade cybernetics.
 * One of the shards found in the game tells the story of a veteran who tortures and kills civilians in Night City, believing he is on a covert operation in the jungles of South America. This story is adapted from episode 10 of the anime series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.

Marvel's Iron Man (2008)

 * In the south-western portion of the badlands, there is a cave near the melee weapons vendor. Inside the cavern, there are multiple Wraith corpses, and a plastic chest containing a data shard that is written by Militech engineer Thomas Star, who had been kidnapped by them in order to convert missile launchers for the gang, mirroring the events of Tony Stark's captivity in Afghanistan. Like the movie, Starr also builds an exoskeleton to kill his captors and escape.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

 * A body can be found near an open refrigerator in the western area of Red Peaks. A archived conversation shard found on the body states that the person was trying to reenact Indy's survival of an explosion by hiding in a fridge.

James Bond

 * Referenced by the Photo Mode pose "My Name is V. Just V".

John Wick

 * In the sidejob Gig: Olive Branch, when asking Sergei how he pissed off the Tyger Claws, he'll say "Ah, it was just a... friendly misunderstanding. This man, he look normal - beard, brown shoes... nothing, y'know, breathtaking. And he also have little dog. Gospodi, what kind of hitman goes around with dog?" It is both a reference to John Wick (hitman with dog) and his actor, Keanu Reeves (breathtaking).

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

 * Referenced by the Photo Mode pose "V's Bizarre Pose".

Joker (2019)

 * Referenced by the Photo Mode pose "Joker Stairs".
 * There is also a shirt item called Trickster Dress Shirt and Vest that copies the traditional Joker's color scheme with purple/violet vest and a green tie

Mad Max: Fury Road

 * If you follow the road southwest through the Biotechnica farms, you may encounter a crashed fuel truck surrounded by several bodies. Next to one of the bodies is a shard titled Archived Conversation: Charlize Fury and Dakota Smith in which Charlize reports the tragedy of their mission where Max was wounded, Peter and Zero dead, while Biotechnica is still on their tail. Dakota instructs her to ditch everything and save at least one of the pregnant women accompanying her. The shard also discusses a certain car, which could be related to the Quadra Type-66 "Reaver", which has been revealed on the 5th anniversary of the film.

Monty Python's Flying Circus

 * During the side job The Prophet's Song, Johnny asks V, "Who're you bettin' on showin' up?" One of the dialogue choices is "The Spanish Inquisition," to which Johnny replies "I admit, I didn't expect that." This is a reference to the quote from Monty Python's Flying Circus, "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!"
 * During the main-job Lightning Breaks in the car ride after leaving the garage choosing the option "Subject change! What's the weirdest thing you've ever smuggled?" V will start by saying "And now for something completely different." which is a common line in Monty Python's Flying Circus.

Motel Hell

 * A neon sign identical to the one in the horror movie Motel Hell can be found in Kabuki in the area of the gang hideout for the Troublesome Neighbors sidejob.

Neon Genesis Evangelion

 * The image of the Head Start perk in the Breach Protocol tree shows Gendo Ikari from Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Oldboy

 * In southern Heywood, V can find a dead man in a suit surrounded by several dead Valentinos. The man, who was stabbed in the back with a knife, carries a hammer and a shard titled Archived Conversation: John Dalton and Evergreen. The shard text references the plot of the 2003 South Korean film Oldboy, and the scene itself is a reference to the film's hallway fight scene where the protagonist fights a group of thugs with a hammer and ends up stabbed in the back with a knife.

One Eyed Jacks

 * One-Eyed Jacks can be seen playing in the Grand Imperial Mall Cinema.

Pulp Fiction

 * Referenced by the Photo Mode pose "Be Cool, This is a Robbery!".
 * A shard found on a dead body in Rancho Coronado archives a conversation between "Vincent Vack" and "Marcellus Wayans", parody names for the Pulp Fiction characters "Vincent Vega" and "Marcellus Wallace", respectively. The two discuss another man named "Butch" who was supposed to lose a boxing match against his opponent, but instead won via KO, killing the opponent after the match through a deadly concussion. Marcellus orders Vincent to kill Butch.

Sailor Moon

 * Referenced by the Photo Mode pose "In the Name of the Moon, I'll Punish You!"

South Park

 * Referenced by the Photo Mode pose "Oh My God! They Killed V!".

Star Trek

 * The Hand in Bartmoss' Legacy Perk in the Quickhacking tree found in Intelligence does the Vulcan Salute which is a reference to the television series Star Trek. It is a gesture used to wish another person to "live long and prosper".

Star Wars

 * The side job Reported Crime: I Don't Like Sand references a quote by Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.
 * In the side job Full Disclosure if you crack the security of Sandra Dorsett's databank, it mentions subject "HK-13 began to display acute psychopathic behavior. The highlight was a dispute over coffee, during which HK-13 strangled one of their colleagues, then jumped out of the 16th floor window of the research facility." this is a reference to the highly aggressive Hunter Killer assassin droids.
 * Referenced by the Photo Mode pose "V Shot First"

Strange Days

 * XBD dealer Lenny Nero encountered on Jig-Jig Street is likely an homage to the lead character of the same name in Strange Days, played by Ralph Fiennes. In the film, Lenny Nero is a black marketeer of SQUID recordings, which are similar to Cyberpunk's braindances.

Terminator

 * The graphic representation for the Reflexes handgun skill WestWorld shows an image of the Terminator holding a .45 Longslide handgun depicted from the original Terminator film.
 * In Santo Domingo's canal system, there is a dead man, a downed combat robot, two motorcycles, and a tow truck referencing the canal chase scene from Terminator 2: Judgement Day. When V picks up a data shard, they learn that the robot was named Arnold Blake, and is deployed to protect Jimmy O'Connor. However, Arnold's mission was considered a failure when a robot from another faction managed to kill Arnold, and presumably Jimmy.

The Big Lebowski

 * During Disasterpiece, if you choose to browse the net, in the "Jig-Jig Street" section there will be a paragraph titled "The Dude" (the main character of the film has this nickname) with the text "Good times, chill vibes. No rush, no stress, no drama. All the rest? The Dude abides." The last sentence is the direct quote of the film's main character motto.

The Dukes of Hazzard

 * The name and paint scheme of the Quadra Type-66 "Jen Rowley" are references to the General Lee from The Dukes of Hazzard.

The Fifth Element

 * The image of the "Extended Network Interface" perk in the Breach Protocol tree is Leeloo Dallas' multipass from The Fifth Element.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

 * The Handguns tree contains a perk named "The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly".

The Matrix

 * During the Never Fade Away main quest, Johnny Silverhand is called "Mister Silverhand" by a man in a suit. This is a reference to Neo (another character played by Keanu Reeves) being called "Mister Anderson" by Agent Smith.
 * During the Chippin' In side job, in the sequence where Johnny Silverhand takes over V's body, a stranger offers him to choose between a red pill and a blue pill, like in the famous scene from The Matrix.
 * A clothing ad displayed on the Just Ads TV channel closely resembles the isles of guns from the "Guns. Lots of Guns." scene in The Matrix.
 * The image of the "Pain Is An Ilusion" perk in the Cold Blood tree is based on a still from The Matrix where Neo stops the bullets shot at him.
 * A shard titled Archived Conversation: John Anderson and ORPH3U5 references a scene from The Matrix where Morpheus calls Neo to warn him that the Agents are approaching and then guides Neo out of the office.
 * V's entrance in the (Don't Fear) The Reaper mission occurs in the Arasaka Tower's front door lobby, where they instigate combat after going through a security checkpoint, reminiscent of Neo and Trinity's Lobby Shootout sequence in The Matrix.
 * In the ending sequence where V connects to Mikoshi, V walks up the stairs and sees the same cat twice. This is a reference to a scene from The Matrix, where Neo experiences a déjà vu inside the simulation when he sees a black cat walk past the doorway twice.

The Office

 * In the shard titled Chemicals: The Invisible Killer, one of the illnesses caused by AV-released chemicals is "spontaneous dental hydroplosion", a fictional disease made up in an episode of the show, described as "A disease that makes your teeth turn into liquid and then drip down your throat."
 * At the end of the quest Big in Japan, Haruyoshi Nishikata the surgeon can be prompted to tell his own background, in which he mentioned that he killed the Tyger Claws' boss on purpose, but in secret; parallel to Hidetoshi Hasegawa (one of Darryl's man)'s "In Japan, heart surgeon, number one" story.

The Shining

 * During The Rescue job, V and Jackie enter the room 1237 where they find a young naked woman lying in a bathtub. This is a reference to the room 237 that haunts Danny Torrance in The Shining. In the film, room 237 also has a naked woman lying in the bathtub.

The Silence of the Lambs

 * During Epistrophy: Rancho Coronado, the cab calls itself "Clarice". After destroying the flamingos, V asks it "Well Clarice, have the flamingos stopped screaming?" This is phrase mirrors the one used by Hannibal Lecter at the end of the film.

The Wire

 * References are made to stevedor Frank Sobotka during the side-gig Many Ways to Skin a Cat.
 * An NPC by the name of Omar Little can be found in Night City.

Titanic

 * Referenced by the Photo Mode pose "Like One of Your French Girls".

Trailer Park Boys

 * The side job Space Oddity begins by meeting three homeless men named Josh, Rick, and Brandon. Their names, appearances, and behaviors mimic the three main characters of Trailer Park Boys, Julian, Ricky, and Bubbles. The name of the side job is also a reference to David Bowie's famous song Space Oddity.

Unforgiven

 * Unforgiven can be directly referenced by V when speaking with Bryce Mosley about western films.

Waiting for Godot

 * Referenced by the Photo Mode pose "Waiting for Godot".

Music
Every main and side job after the prologue in Cyberpunk 2077 are named after classic rock, indie, punk and metal songs that Johnny Silverhand would have been influenced by.

AC/DC

 * The side job Shoot To Thrill is named after a song of the same name by AC/DC.

Aerosmith

 * The side job Dream On is named after a song of the same name by Aerosmith.

AFI

 * The Totalimmortal job is named after a song of the same name by American punk rock band AFI.

Anthrax

 * The Belly of the Beast job is named after a song of the same name by Anthrax.

Archive

 * The side job Bullets is named after a song of the same name by Archive. The mission also features the cameo of Melisa Rory, the cyberpsycho-turned-MaxTAC from the first (2013) teaser trailer for Cyberpunk 2077, in which the song was prominently featured.

Armand Amar

 * The Poem Of The Atoms job is named after a song of the same name by Armand Amar.

Black Flag

 * The side job Spray Paint is named after a song of the same name by Black Flag.

Black Sabbath

 * The side job War Pigs is named after a song of the same name by English rock band Black Sabbath.

Blue Öyster Cult

 * One of the ending jobs, (Don't Fear) The Reaper, is named after a song of the same name by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult.

Bob Dylan

 * The All Along the Watchtower and Knockin' on Heaven's Door jobs are named after Bob Dylan's song of the same name.

Bob Seger

 * The Night Moves job is named after a song of the same name by Bob Seger.

Buzzcocks

 * The Playing for Time job is named after a song of the same name by Buzzcocks.

Creedence Clearwater Revival

 * The side job Fortunate Son is named after a song of the same name by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

David Bowie

 * The jobs Heroes, Space Oddity, Changes and Rebel! Rebel! are named after David Bowie songs Heroes, Space Oddity, Changes and Rebel Rebel.

Dead Kennedys

 * The Forward to Death job is named after a song of the same name by the American punk rock band Dead Kennedys.

Deep Purple

 * The job "Cyberpsycho Sighting: Smoke on the Water" is most likely named after the popular song by Deep Purple.

Die Form

 * The jobs Automatic Love and Double Life are named after the songs of the same name by Die Form.

Drake

 * The music video for Drake's song Hotline Bling is referenced by the Photo Mode pose "Hard Pass" and "Now You're Talking".

Drowning Pool

 * The side job Where the Bodies Hit the Floor is most likely a reference to the song Bodies by Drowning Pool, which contains the line "Let the bodies hit the floor."

Eric B. & Rakim

 * The Paid in Full job is named after a song of the same name by Eric B. & Rakim.

Eurythmics

 * The side job Sweet Dreams is named after the Eurythmics song Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).

Frédéric Chopin

 * The Nocturne Op55N1 job is named after Chopin's Nocturne in F minor, Op. 55, No. 1. When entering Embers, Hanako Arasaka plays this song.

Fugazi

 * The side job Full Disclosure is named after a song of the same name by Fugazi.

Generation X

 * The job Love Like Fire is named after a song of the same name by Generation X.

Gojira

 * The job Only Pain is named after the song of the same name from Gojira's 6th album Magma.

Grimes

 * The side job Violence is named after the song of the same name by Grimes, who is the voice actor of Lizzy Wizzy.

Hank Williams

 * The I'll Fly Away job is named after the song of the same name by Hank Williams.

How To Destroy Angels

 * The Space in Between job is named after the song of the same name by How To Destroy Angels.

Iggy Pop

 * The Play It Safe job is named after Iggy Pop's song of the same name.

Jimi Hendrix

 * The jobs We Gotta Live Together, Burning Desire and Machine Gun are named after the songs of the same names from Jimi Hendrix's albums.

Jimmy Buffett

 * The side job Boat Drinks is named after a popular song of the same name by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett.

Jimmy Cliff

 * The side job I Can See Clearly Now is named after Jimmy Cliff's famous song I Can See Clearly Now. This job is picked up in Japantown near Megabuilding H8.

Jinjer

 * The side job Pisces is named after a song of the same name by Jinjer.

John Lennon

 * The side job Imagine is named after John Lennon's famous song of the same name.

Johnny Cash

 * The jobs The Beast in Me and I Walk the Line are named after Johnny Cash's songs of the same name.

Joni Mitchell

 * The Both Sides, Now job is named after Joni Mitchell's song Both Sides Now, which has a verse about clouds.

Joy Division

 * One of the endings, New Dawn Fades, and the job Transmission are named after the songs of the same name by English rock band Joy Division.

Judy Collins

 * The side job Send in the Clowns is named after a song of the same name by Judy Collins.

Led Zeppelin

 * The side job Stairway To Heaven is named after a song of the same name by Led Zeppelin.

Lorn

 * The KOLD MIRAGE job is named after a song of the same name by Lorn.

Metallica

 * The For Whom the Bell Tolls job is named after a song of the same name by Metallica.

Metric

 * The side job Stadium Love is named after a song of the same name by Canadian indie rock band Metric.

Miles Davis

 * The jobs Human Nature, Tune Up and Don't Lose Your Mind are named after the songs of the same name by Miles Davis.

Minor Threat

 * The side jobs Small Man, Big Mouth and I Don't Wanna Hear It are named after the songs of the same names by American hardcore punk band Minor Threat.

Misfits

 * The Last Caress job is named after a song of the same name by American punk rock band Misfits.

Ms.Lauryn Hill

 * The Ex-Factor job is named after Ms.Lauryn Hill's songs of the same name.

Nancy Sinatra

 * The side job These Boots Are Made for Walkin' is named after Nancy Sinatra's hit song of the same name.

New Model Army

 * The side job The Hunt is probably named after the song by New Model Army or the cover of it by Sepultura.

Nina Simone

 * The side job Sinnerman is named after Nina Simone's famous song of the same name.

Ohio Players

 * The Love Rollercoaster job is named after a song of the same name by Ohio Players.

Phil Ochs

 * The Highwayman job is named after a song of the same name by Phil Ochs.

Pigface

 * The Tapeworm job is named after a song of the same name by Pigface.

Pixies

 * One of the endings, Where is My Mind?, is named after the Pixies' signature song of the same name.

Plasmatics

 * One of the endings, Path of Glory, and the job Lightning Breaks are named after songs of the same name by Plasmatics.

Queen

 * The Prophet's Song job is named after a song of the same name by Queen.

Radiohead

 * The side job Pyramid Song given by Judy Alvarez is named after a song by Radiohead. Judy also has a tattoo on her left arm with a line from this song, "There was nothing to fear, nothing to doubt".

Ravi Shankar

 * The Meetings Along The Edge is named after a song of the same name by Ravi Shankar.

Rage Against the Machine

 * The side job Killing in the Name is named after a song by Rage Against the Machine.

R.E.M.

 * The side job Losing My Religion is named after a song of the same name by R.E.M.

Ramones

 * The side job Beat on the Brat is named after a song of the same name by the Ramones.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

 * Judy Alvarez has a tattoo on her right forearm which says "Under water where thoughts can breathe easily". This is a line from Parallel Universe, a song by Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Rihanna

 * The smart pistol named Skippy found in a side job in Heywood sings the tune "Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum" from Rihanna's Disturbia.

Run the Jewels

 * Referenced by the Photo Mode pose "Run the Jewels".

Sacrum Profanum Festival

 * The side job Sacrum Profanum is named after the annual Sacrum Profanum music festival that takes place in Kraków in September.

Siouxsie and the Banshees

 * The side job Spellbound is named after a song of the same name by Siouxsie and the Banshees.

Slipknot

 * The Disasterpiece job is named after a song of the same name by American heavy metal band Slipknot.

Stevie Wonder

 * The They Won't Go When I Go job is named after a song of the same name by Stevie Wonder.

Suzanne Vega

 * Tom's Diner, a restaurant in the Watson District (and whose takeout packaging is seen all over the city), is named after a song of the same name by Suzanne Vega.

Talking Heads

 * The side jobs Life During Wartime and Psycho Killer are named after the songs of the same names by Talking Heads.

The Beatles

 * The side jobs A Day In The Life, With a Little Help from My Friends and Fool on the Hill are named after songs of the same names by The Beatles.

The Crickets

 * The side job I Fought the Law is named after a song by the same name by The Crickets.

The Doors

 * The side jobs Queen of the Highway and Riders on the Storm are named after the songs of the same names by The Doors.

The Dresden Dolls

 * The side job Coin Operated Boy is named after a song by the same name by the American indie band, The Dresden Dolls.

The Police

 * The side job Every Breath You Take is named after the famous song by The Police of the same name.

The Prodigy

 * During the Chippin' In side job, some scenes in the sequence where Johnny Silverhand takes over V's body resemble scenes from The Prodigy's video for Smack My Bitch Up.

The Rolling Stones

 * The Following the River is named after the song of the same name by The Rolling Stones.

The Smiths

 * The side job There Is A Light That Never Goes Out is named after the song of the same name by the English rock band The Smiths.

The Specials

 * The job Ghost Town is named after the song of the same name by The Specials.

The Stooges

 * The Gimme Danger, Down on the Street and Search and Destroy jobs are named after songs of the same name by the Stooges.

The Turtles

 * The Happy Together job is named after the song of the same name by The Turtles.

The Velvet Underground

 * The Venus in Furs job is named after the song of the same name by The Velvet Underground.

Thelonious Monk

 * The Epistrophy job is named after the song of the same name by Thelonious Monk.

Tracy Chapman

 * The side job Talkin' 'bout a Revolution is named after a song of the same name by American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman.



Viktor Tsoi

 * North of the Fast Travel Point "Oil Fields" is a large tank with the Hanged Man tarot graffiti on it. On top of that tank you can find an abandoned hangout place with an old guitar and a graffiti that says "цой жив" ("tsoi lives"). Viktor Tsoi was a singer-songwriter and leader of the Soviet rock band Kino.

Woody Guthrie

 * The side job Ezekiel Saw the Wheel is named after a song of the same name by Woody Guthrie.

Dante's Inferno

 * The name of "Reported Crime: Another Circle of Hell" is a reference to Dante's Inferno. Additionally, one quest step tells the player to "find Dante's Den".

Raymond Chandler

 * The side job Raymond Chandler Evening is named after Raymond Chandler, a famous American-British detective novelist. The mission follows V investigating a pulpy cheating scandal while Johnny Silverhand narrates in classic detective noir style.

Sherlock Holmes

 * In one of the archived conversations found in the game, a certain John Doyle tries to impress his colleague Arthur Baker with his deductive skills. The names "John Doyle" and "Arthur Baker" are derived from the names of Sherlock's creator, Sir Arthur Konan Doyle; Sherlock's friend and assistant Dr. John Watson; and Sherlock's London address, 221B Baker Street.

Skippy the cheeky Artificial intelligence

 * A side job in Heywood has V find a man beside a dumpster with an epic iconic smart pistol named Skippy. When V picks up the gun, Skippy appears as a hologram from the gun's barrel. Skippy is a bullet with large cartoony eyes and a cheeky attitude that sings badly. This is a reference to the Skippy super intelligent elder AI from the novel series Expeditionary Force by Craig Alanson.

The Twelve Chairs

 * One side of the oil tank with Hanged Man also features graffiti that says "Здесь были Киса и Ося" ("Kisa and Osya were here"), referencing The Twelve Chairs by Ilf and Petrov.

V for Vendetta

 * The V for Vendetta achievement is named after a graphic novel of the same name written by Alan Moore.

Clippy the Microsoft Office Paperclip

 * The appearance, name and displayed emotions of the "help bullet avatar" displayed by Skippy the smart gun when you find it is very reminiscent of the infamous Clippit/Microsoft Paperclip (a.k.a. Clippy) assistant built into Microsoft Office in versions from 97 to 2003.

Chuck Norris

 * Referenced by the Photo Mode pose "Roundhouse 'Shot to the Face'".

Drakeposting

 * Referenced by the Photo Mode poses "Hard Pass" and "Now You're Talking".

Galaxy Brain

 * The Master Ram Liberator Perk in the Quickhacking tree found in Intelligence features the Galaxy Brain Meme.

Germany's Top Gaming Youtubers

 * In the german version of the game, in the Sidejob Gig: Dirty Biz, Gottfrid is voiced by the most subscribed youtuber Gronkh and Fredrik is voiced by the 12th most subscribed youtuber HandOfBlood in germany in the category Gaming. One comparison can be found here.

Han Shot First

 * Referenced by the Photo Mode pose "V Shot First".

Netflix and Chill

 * The Bushido and Chill achievement is awarded for completing the side job Blistering Love.

Pablo Jumper

 * In southern Heywood on rooftop there's motorcycle and a corpse of unknown male. In this man's backpack we find a note with congratulations to Pablo Jumper and the coordinates. This is a reference to the famous Polish meme called Paweł Jumper.

Pineapple on Pizza

 * One of the possible crimes you can find when scanning a NPC is "Illegal use of pineapple or pineapple-adjacent products (Pizza Dessecration Act, art. 1, § 5a)".

Turboencabulator

 * Referenced by the "Cyberencabulator" machine made by Arasaka Corp. Can be found in the Belly of the Beast mission at the top of the staircase in the tunnel.

You're Breathtaking

 * The Breathtaking achievement is awarded for collecting all items that once belonged to Johnny Silverhand.
 * Also referenced by the Photo Mode pose "You're Breathtaking".
 * In the sidejob Gig: Olive Branch, Sergei will use the word "breathtaking", while talking about someone. The conversation is actually an easter egg referring to John Wick, who's portrayed by Keanu Reeves.
 * In Kerry's main side quest "Off the Leash", Kerry responded to a fan saying "You're breathtaking!" similar to how Keanu did.

Cyberpunk 2077 teaser trailer
During the side job Bullets, a cyberpsycho will attack the clothing store Jinguji. Once V has defeated him, a group of MaxTac officers will arrive to secure the scene. One of these officers is Melissa Rory, who is heavily implied to be the female cyberpsycho featured in the original 2013 teaser trailer for Cyberpunk 2077.
 * The name of the quest, Bullets, is an eponymous reference to the trailer's soundtrack.
 * Mellisa's blades, Higurashi 20-13, are likely a reference to the release year of the trailer.
 * V receives a message shortly after the quest that reveals Melissa's cyberpsycho rampage with details congruent to the events depicted in the trailer.

Feed teh cat

 * A trash can in Megabuilding H10 near V's apartment contains the shard "Feed teh cat". If V places the consumable item Cat Food in the white bowl near the trash can and returns later, a cat named Nibbles will be eating out of the bowl and Johnny Silverhand will point it out. V can pick up the cat, which will allow V to adopt it. From then on, the cat can be see in various locations around V's apartment. The misspelling in the shard is likely a reference to Lolspeak, the language spoken by cats in early memes, which included misspellings such as "teh".