The Endings: From Best to worst

Cyberpunk 2077 is without doubt one of the most impressive role-playing games of recent years. The game is characterized not only by its richly detailed world, but also by its diverse plot options and endings. Particularly noteworthy are the seven different endings, including the additional ending added by the Phantom Liberty DLC.

The following is my personal assessment and opinion of each ending, based on my gaming experience as the female V who took the Corpo path, as well as my interpretation of V’s character development.

The Secret Ending

V and Johnny Silverhand storm the Arasaka Tower In this ending, V achieves her life goal and becomes the Legend of the Afterlife. The fact that she achieves this goal through an action-packed mission with Johnny Silverhand gives the ending a special meaning. Rouge survives in this scenario, and it seems as if V has finally realized her dream. But despite this triumph, a bitter aftertaste remains: Judy or Panam leave V, knowing that V only has six months to live. However, there is hope that V might be rescued by So Mi (on the moon) or Mr. Blue-Eyes during this time.

Legend of the Afterlife

In this version, V also becomes the Legend of the Afterlife, but here Rouge dies during the final action. Similar to the Secret Ending, V is abandoned by Judy or Panam, and here too she only has a limited lifespan of six months. The unanswered question of whether So MI or Mr. Blue-Eyes could play a role in her rescue is also left hanging here. Despite her success, it is a tragic ending in which V realizes her dream but pays a high price for it – the loss of friends and love.
This ending provides the most exciting foundation for a potential continuation of the story, which is why it is the canon ending for me. Not only does it open up narrative possibilities, but it’s also the most dramatic and emotionally impactful option.

Let Johnny keep V’s body

This ending represents an interesting moral decision: V gives her body completely to Johnny Silverhand. For V, this means final death, but Johnny gets a second chance at life. Considering their shared experiences, where V and Johnny have bonded in a profound way, this ending is quite understandable. It may not be the perfect ending for V, but at least it gives one of the two protagonists the chance to move on.

Leave Night City

V decides to leave Night City and join the Aldecaldos. Despite the fact that she only has six months to live, she could spend that time with the love of her life, either Judy or Panam, in relative peace and freedom. It’s a bittersweet ending, as the chances of being rescued by Mr. Blue-Eyes are vanishingly small in this version. Still, this ending offers a hint of hope for a peaceful life outside the dark shadows of Night City.

Arasaka – Secure Your Soul

In this option, V decides to accept Hanako Arasaka’s offer, thus gaining the opportunity to extend her life through the Secure Your Soul program. This seems like a contradictory decision for V, who has experienced the dark machinations of the mega-corporations first-hand in recent weeks. I don’t think V, as her character is portrayed in the game, could ever trust a megacorporation like Arasaka again after all she’s been through. Still, it’s an option that gives her at least a theoretical chance of returning to the world of the living at some point – even if the price remains unclear.

Arasaka – Return to Earth

In this variation, V also accepts Hanako’s offer, but returns to Earth aboard the spaceship instead of going to the digital paradise. The biggest problem with this ending is that V still only has six months to live after everything she has been through. There is also the mistrust of Arasaka that runs through the entire plot. It is questionable whether Arasaka would really let V go without anything in return. For me, this ending seems less fulfilling, as it makes V’s personal sacrifices and successes seem almost meaningless.

Survive and start a new life

In this ending, V survives the events and tries to start a new life. However, given all the losses she has suffered, it seems unlikely that V could lead a normal life. Her character has lost almost all of her friends in the last two years, and it would be hard to imagine that she could make a real fresh start in the foreseeable future. I suspect that after a few months she would find herself in a deep crisis of meaning and ultimately she would put a bullet through her head.

Path of least resistance

Of all the possible endings, this one seems to be the least fitting for V. V has fought her way through countless challenges, and it goes against her combative nature to simply give up. Suicide without a final fight or spectacular action seems highly unlikely for V as she is portrayed in the game. If V truly saw no way out, she would most likely choose a „going down in a blaze of glory“ farewell, as hinted at in the Secret Ending.

Conclusion

The endings of Cyberpunk 2077 offer an intriguing range of emotional and moral choices that impact heavily on V’s character development and her relationships with the other characters. For me, the Legend of the Afterlife ending remains the most exciting yet tragic possibility, as it holds the greatest narrative potential for a sequel and dramatically concludes V’s journey.

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Phantom Liberty Endings

In addition to the main endings of Cyberpunk 2077, there are also four alternative endings in the Phantom Liberty expansion, which relate to the fates of the characters in this particular questline. Here I come up against a dilemma: one of the endings seems to me to be the best morally, while another is more exciting from a narrative point of view. Here is my personal assessment of these endings – From best to worst:

Take Songbird to the stars

In this ending, V decides to help So Mi and escape with her to the moon. This ending has a clear advantage: So Mi survives and escapes the clutches of the NUSA, which means that she is not forced to work for President Myers again. There is also the possibility that V will actually be rescued by So Mi later on. Sure, she lied to V about her true intentions from the beginning, especially about the cure – but in a world of betrayal and lies, as is common in Night City, this almost represents the norm. Even Johnny Silverhand is happy with this anarchic solution, which makes the ending even more appealing.
The only downside: the questline that leads to this ending is relatively unspectacular. There is an intense battle against the NUSA Black Ops at the NCX Spaceport, but overall the mission remains rather monotonous compared to the other options.

Fulfill Songbird’s request

Here, V fulfills So MI’s last wish and ends her life. Even if she doesn’t survive in this ending, at least she is spared the agony of being imprisoned again by the NUSA and abused for Myers‘ plans. That makes this ending morally better than the alternatives in which she is captured. However, it feels frustrating that everything V has done for So Mi and the NUSA seems to be in vain in the end – nothing is really achieved.
What makes this ending stand out, however, is the gripping questline. The ambush on the MaxTac convoy and the dramatic „battle“ against Cerberus make this mission action-packed and exciting.

Refuse Songbird’s request

The last two endings are the weakest in my eyes. In this scenario, V refuses to comply with So Mi’s request for a mercy killing, whereupon she is imprisoned by the NUSA. It is almost certain that she will be forced to work for Myers again in the future. This ending also opens the way to one of the less satisfying endings of Cyberpunk 2077: „Survive Night City, and start a new life“.
Why is this ending in third place? Because at least the questline remains interesting: The MaxTac ambush and the „fight“ against Cerberus are the highlights that add some value to the scenario.

Take Songbird home

This ending is the weakest of the four. V brings So Mi back into the hands of the NUSA, which means she is imprisoned and possibly used as a tool for Myers again. There’s no notable difference from „Refuse Songbird’s request“ – except that the questline here is also less exciting. Although there is another shootout at the NCX Spaceport, it seems rather flat and uninteresting compared to the other missions.

Conclusion Phantom Liberty

These endings add another layer to the narrative of Cyberpunk 2077, often reflecting difficult moral choices. Which decision you make ultimately depends on which values seem more important to you as a player – morality or tension.