How to unlock the secret ending in Cyberpunk 2077

Open-world RPG series with unparalleled player freedom like Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, and The Witcher have established multiple endings as the norm for the genre.

Cyberpunk 2077 looks to be the quintessential sci-fi RPG of the generation, in a similar way that many saw The Witcher 3 as the most impressive fantasy RPG of the last generation and included a variety of endings in the game. Most are fairly easy to identify. You are given some pretty direct choices to make that will determine how the narrative wraps up. However, there is one secret ending that has been discovered that is not so obvious, even if you manage to complete the requirements to get it. If you want to unlock the secret ending in Cyberpunk 2077, you’ll want to pay close attention to this guide before you accidentally lock yourself out of it.

Be warned, this guide is going to be full of spoilers. We need to go over a lot of late-game missions, plus we will be spoiling the contents of the final mission. We won’t spoil the actual secret ending — however, proceed with caution.

Secret ending requirements

Most endings in Cyberpunk 2077 are determined by a few key decisions you make near the end of the game. Yes, your relationships with other characters also have an impact, but for the most part, the primary endings just come down to how you play out the final hours of the game. Unlike the rest of these, the secret ending actually needs to be set up before you reach the game’s conclusion in a completely optional side mission. Just beating this side mission isn’t enough, either. You also have to make the right decisions while playing it and then do something very un-intuitive at a critical moment. Obviously, you need to do this step before you begin the Nocturne Op55N1 mission, which will lock you out of any side missions for the rest of the playthrough.

Chippin’ In

Right before the end of the game’s story, once you have done everything else mandatory but the final Nocturne Op55N1 mission, a new side mission called Chippin’ In will become available to you. This is a mission for Johnny that brings you to an oil field. Proceed through the mission as you like, but once you begin speaking to Johnny, you need to choose your words very carefully.

• The first question he asks you is what his headstone should say, to which you need to reply, “The guy who saved my life.”
• After Johnny remarks that he screwed everything up but his relationship with you, say, “No, you ****** that up too.”
• He will ask you for a second chance. Say, “What do you want from me?”
• Finally, after Johnny says that you were the only person who didn’t hate him, at least up until then, say, “OK. But as second chances go, this is your last.”
• Follow that up with the comment, “You were a real **** in the beginning.”
• Johnny will admit he never thought you two would get so far. Reply by saying, “When you said you let down your friends…”
• After talking about Rogue, make sure to say, “Smasher biz really got to her.”
• He will then ask to use your body to take Rogue on a date. Tell him, “Yeah, I’ll call Rogue.”

Blistering Love

All of this will open up the Blistering Love side quest with Rogue. This is a simple mission where you just need to pick up Rogue and drive her to a movie. There’s no combat involved, and your choices with Rogue won’t impact your ability to get the secret ending, so play it out however you want. Next, you’ll be going past the point of no return, so save here if there are any other side quests or activities you want to be able to go back to after beating the game. Also, considering how difficult the final mission turns out to be, you will be glad to have a save here to try again if things go poorly.

Nocturne Op55N1

Without spoiling or detailing too much, proceed through this mission until you come to the roof. Johnny will be here, and you will have another chat that is normally where the game’s main endings stem from. The choices you have will depend on how you played up until this point but will include some variation of these three: Take the deal from Arasaka and hope for the best, call Panam and your team to help, or give your body over to Johnny so he and Rogue can invade the tower. You want to decide to let Johnny and Rogue attack Arasaka Tower. He’ll give you one chance to reconsider, and this is where the “secret” part of this ending comes in.

Don’t select any options here. Just let this screen sit. It will take around five actual minutes, but — assuming you followed the previous steps — Johnny will give you a new choice. This one, to raid Arasaka Tower by yourself, is what you’re looking for.

Don’t Fear the Reaper

The final mission in the game, Don’t Fear the Reaper, is a major step up in the difficulty curve. You’ll be facing waves of the game’s hardest enemies with no backup. If that wasn’t bad enough, you only get one shot at completing it. If you die at any point during this mission, that’s it. Game over. Credits will roll, and you will have to load your safety save to try again. Needless to say, you should aim to be as high a level as possible and rocking all the best weapons and gear you can get your hands on. If you manage to pull it off, you’ll be treated to the game’s most hidden ending.