Romance is a gameplay mechanic in Cyberpunk 2077. V is able to romance or have intimate encounters with a number of characters in Night City.
Mechanics[]
Requirements[]
V must meet specific requirements in order to romance someone. Characters have their own preferences as to who they are interested, dependent on V's body type of choice and gender-dependent voice. Lifepath or genitalia do not affect romance (for example, you can romance Judy as a female V with a penis as long as you have feminine body type and voice, and River will romance a male V as long as he has a feminine body type).
If V's body and voice match, they can pursue romances with two characters simultaneously with no consequences. Male V can romance both Panam and Kerry, while female V can romance both River and Judy. V has the option to reject starting a romance with someone prior to the romantic encounter and/or right after it.[1]
Apartments[]
Finishing River, Kerry, Panam or Judy's side quests will unlock their apartments for V to use. If in a romantic relationship, more interactions will appear such as sleeping with the love interest.
Hangouts[]
Introduced in Patch 2.1, V has the option to hang out with their romantic partner in most of V's rented apartments. This event will start the quest I Really Want to Stay at Your House, which appears during every hangout. After its first completion, V will receive a message from a delivery service company, giving them the option to send a gift to their partner. After a couple of days, the partner will message V back about their gift, which is then displayed in the partner's home.
Relationships[]
Character | Profile | Romance Requirements | Related Missions |
---|---|---|---|
Judy Álvarez |
A Mox techie and braindance editor. |
|
Both Sides, Now Ex-Factor Talkin' 'bout a Revolution Pisces Pyramid Song |
Panam Palmer |
An ex-nomad turned mercenary. |
|
Riders on the Storm With a Little Help from My Friends Queen of the Highway |
River Ward |
A NCPD detective. |
|
I Fought the Law The Hunt Following the River |
Kerry Eurodyne |
A Rockerboy and former member of Samurai. |
|
Rebel! Rebel! I Don't Wanna Hear It Off the Leash Boat Drinks |
Romantic Encounters[]
Throughout the game, V may encounter a number of characters who can be romanced but won't count as full-fledged relationships. Instead, the majority will be a one-time event.
Character | Profile | Romance Requirements | Related Missions |
---|---|---|---|
Meredith Stout |
An operative manager for Militech. | V can have any body type or voice. During The Pickup quest, V must choose to meet Meredith and not insult her directly in any conversation with her. Afterwards, it doesn't matter if you take the chip or not, as long as there is a violent outcome with the Maelstromers. Meredith will eventually text V during Act 2, and replying to her nicely will launch Venus in Furs. |
The Pickup Venus in Furs |
Alt Cunningham |
A netrunner and girlfriend of Johnny Silverhand in 2013. | V automatically experiences this romance through Johnny's memories. | Never Fade Away |
Ruby Collins |
A nightclub dancer from Empathy. | V can have any body type or voice. Johnny romances Ruby while controlling V's body. |
Chippin' In |
Rogue Amendiares |
A fixer and former lover of Silverhand. | V can have any body type or voice. Johnny romances Rogue while controlling V's body. Following this, during For Whom the Bell Tolls the romance can be briefly continued. |
Blistering Love For Whom the Bell Tolls |
Joytoys[]
There are four joytoys in Night City that V can sleep with, regardless of gender.
Character | Cost (€$) | Location | Related Missions |
---|---|---|---|
Charlene Fox |
100 | Jig-Jig Street | N/A |
Dusty Lowe |
100 | Jig-Jig Street | N/A |
Brittany Hayes |
3,000 | Dark Matter | Off the Leash |
Logan Scott |
3,000 | Dark Matter | Off the Leash |
Endings[]
Only the romances involving Panam, Judy, River and Kerry have an impact on the endings, and it is possible for them to end their relationship with V depending on the path chosen.
During Nocturne Op55N1, V will have the option to call their romantic partner one last time. If V is in two relationships, they will only be able to choose one, locking the other one out of the endings. This means the secondary love interest will not show up at the watchtower during All Along the Watchtower (Panam will always be present here, but then without her romantic dialogue) or in the shower with V in Path of Glory, although they can call them while they are at the Arasaka Orbital Station during Where is My Mind?. They won't appear in the New Dawn Fades, but they will leave some messages that Johnny can read. They will also appear in the credits scenes and the voicemail will vary depending on the chosen ending.
The Star ending:
- If V has a relationship with Panam or Judy, the partner will decide to stay together with V, leaving Night City for good. However, if V is with River or Kerry, they will show up at the watchtower but refuse to leave Night City, ending their relationship with V.
The Sun ending:
- If V has a relationship with River or Kerry, they will decide to wait for V to finish the Crystal Palace gig so they can return to Night City. If V is with Panam or Judy, they will comment they don't want to be in NC anymore, but since V cannot leave yet, the partner ends the relationship, and will shortly leave Night City. However, in her voicemail Panam appears to be open to rekindling things, telling V to let her know if they ever get bored of the city.
The Devil ending:
- If V has a relationship with Panam or Judy, they will leave Night City after the call. If V has a relationship with River or Kerry, they will wait for V to return to NC.
The Tower ending:
- V unexpectedly goes into a coma for two years due to the surgery to remove the Relic, leaving their friends and possible romances with little to no idea of what happened to them. Panam refuses to take V's calls and Mitch asks V to stop trying to call her. Judy moves to Pittsburgh and is happily married to a woman named Bianca. River is too ashamed to see V after making morally questionable choices in order to fund Randy's treatment. Kerry is happy to hear from V and seems happy to resume their relationship, but he is busy on a tour and won't be able to see V in person for two to four months.
Temperance ending:
- Johnny in V's body will ignore all romances and leave Night City. The romanced character will leave sorrow or angry voicemails on V's phone.
Path of Least Resistance ending:
- If V chooses to commit suicide, all characters will be devastated and leave upset voicemails on V's phone.
References[]
- ↑ CD Projekt RED. Cyberpunk 2077. Video Game, Multi-Platform. Poland, CD Projekt S.A., 2020.