The Complete Cyberpunk 2077 Lore and Story Breakdown
Cyberpunk 2077 is a sprawling RPG that has expansive lore, a twisting plot with branching paths, and a decent collection of extra reading material to consider. Set in the crime-infested, high-tech California metropolis of Night City, the game focuses on a mercenary named V, who becomes embroiled in a web of conspiracy far beyond their pay grade. Through V’s eyes, we are presented with an unpredictable and thrilling tale within the walls of a futuristic dystopia and are set loose to discover what the troubled streets of Night City have to offer. So, even if you’ve played through the game with a curious mind, it can be tough to wrap your head around the many intricacies and implications of the grander story. Today, we’re digging into the backstory and core plot of Cyberpunk 2077 to help you better understand V’s plight and the history of Night City. With that said, let’s start off by jumping back in time to see how this whole mess started.
The Creation of Night City
Cyberpunk 2077 has an incredibly rich backstory that spans hundreds of years, mostly deriving from the classic pen-and-paper RPG from 1988, simply known as Cyberpunk, written by Mike Pondsmith. This background lore is notably important when it comes to understanding how and why Night City became the way it is. In short, Cyberpunk 2077 takes place in a world where, by the year 2000, the United States had basically become a lawless wasteland due to complete economic collapse and political upheaval. While some European and Asian countries thrived, others descended into war and nuclear chaos. Heightened tensions in the geopolitical landscape led to a wave of bio-engineering and cybernetic enhancements, mostly used in a military capacity, but eventually became commonplace as decades passed. During this prolonged era of turmoil, several mega-corporations gained a foothold on major markets, including the security company Arasaka, the weapons manufacturer Militech, the biological engineering firm Biotechnica, and many more.
However, amid the chaos, a flashy new coastal city in California promised a crime-free metropolis, removed from the confines of federal law. Founded by businessman Richard Night and funded in part by several mega-corporations, this booming utopia was originally called Coronado City, but after Night’s assassination in 1998, it finally earned its rightful name: Night City. Despite Night’s original vision, the city quickly became just as violent as the outside world. The mob, megacorps, and various gangs all fought for power and profit while everyday citizens suffered the consequences.
In 2023, the city was almost completely destroyed when Johnny Silverhand, a rockstar and anti-war terrorist, attacked Arasaka Tower on behalf of Militech, leading to the detonation of a tactical nuke that claimed the lives of millions. Though the damage was monumental, Night City refused to die and, after five decades of restoration, had been rebuilt into a bastion of wealth and technological advancement, mostly thanks to the megacorps, who amassed more power and military strength than any government around. Now, in the year 2077, our story begins with an energetic young mercenary named V, looking to leave their mark on this legendary city.
V’s Journey in 2077
Since Cyberpunk 2077 is an RPG, the player plays a significant role in shaping V’s identity, choosing their gender and one of three character backstories. Although these backstories provide unique intro sequences for the narrative, they all end up in the same place: V arriving in Night City and taking up a freelance gig with their pal, Jackie Welles. V and Jackie are tasked with stealing a priceless biochip called “the Relic” from Arasaka Tower, but unfortunately, things do not go as planned. During the heist, the pair secretly witnesses the death of Arasaka’s leader, Saburo, who is murdered by his own son, Yorinobu, murders. Successfully stealing the biochip, but discovered by Arasaka agents, Jackie and V flee, but Jackie is killed during the escape. To further complicate things, the chip has been damaged, and V is forced to insert it into their neural brain port to keep it safe.
After being betrayed by the fixer who ordered the heist and left for dead, V eventually learns that the chip in their head actually contains the consciousness of the infamous terrorist, Johnny Silverhand. Worse yet, Johnny’s consciousness is slowly overwriting theirs, and the chip cannot be removed. With only three weeks to solve the dilemma, V teams up with Saburo’s old bodyguard, Takemura, and begins searching for answers.
Bouncing around Night City and completing gigs for various fixers in the underworld, V eventually links up with the Voodoo Boys, who let them experience some of Johnny Silverhand’s memories. In them, V learns that Johnny’s girlfriend, Alt Cunningham, had created an A.I. for Arasaka called “Soulkiller,” which could kill anyone connected to the universal internet and store their consciousness. Although Alt was killed by Arasaka and her consciousness subsequently trapped via Soulkiller, V contacts her consciousness in cyberspace by breaking through the net’s protective firewall, and the pair strike up a deal. If V breaks into Arasaka Tower and grants Alt access to their internal network, she can free Johnny from V’s mind and separate them for good.
However, V is presented with another option when they kidnap Hanako Arasaka, the sister of Yorinobu. After telling Hanako the truth about her father’s murder at Yorinobu’s hand, Hanako offers a truce, and promises V a way to get rid of the biochip if they help her gain power at Arasaka.
Here, Cyberpunk 2077 offers multiple endings to the story, driven by player choice. If the player decides to break into Arasaka Tower, their mission is a partial success, as they are able to access Arasaka’s network, allowing Alt to separate Johnny and V using Soulkiller. Similarly, if the player sides with Hanako, V helps her expose Yorinobu’s betrayal to the Arasaka executives, and then Hanako implants her father’s consciousness into Yorinobu’s body as an act of twisted revenge. Afterward, Hanako orders Arasaka to remove the biochip from V’s mind, fulfilling her end of the bargain.
Unfortunately, no matter your choice, it turns out that V’s mind is far beyond the point of repair, as the Relic wreaked havoc for far too long. With roughly six months left to live, V is left with a handful of choices. They can live their remaining months finally freed from Johnny’s influence, leave Night City with a group of nomads in search of a cure, upload their consciousness into Arasaka’s database, or let Johnny Silverhand take control of their body. In any case, it’s a bleak but fitting ending for V, who, in the grand scheme of things, was just another pawn in Night City’s seedy underworld.
Cyberpunk 2077: Comics, Novels, and More
V’s story is as compelling as it is tragic, but it’s just one of many tales set in the sprawling streets of Night City. If you haven’t seen it yet, we highly recommend the Netflix-original animated series Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, which is set just one year before the events of the main game. If you want some tabletop action, the Cyberpunk 2077: Gangs of Night City board game offers solo or multiplayer strategy fun, adapting elements of the video game into replayable scenarios with branching outcomes.
CMON Cyberpunk 2077: Gangs of Night City Board Game
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For even more Cyberpunk 2077 goodness, look no further than the various comic series produced by Dark Horse Books, which offer an intriguing variety of standalone sci-fi stories. The first comic, Trauma Team, follows Nadia, an assistant EMT, who, together with her team, must ascend a skyscraper full of gang members to extract their target. In You Have My Word, violence brews in the streets of Night City as a gang fights back against the wealthy elite who threaten their neighborhood. A bit of romance can be found in Cyberpunk 2077: XOXO, which features the Maelstrom gang as they go head-to-head with the Mox gang. A standout comic, Blackout, shows us what happens when Night City loses power, while the latest comic, Kickdown, centers on the daughter of the famed carjacker who battles the police and gangs alike to clear her name.
There are also several graphic novels to check out, including Cyberpunk 2077: Your Voice, which tells the story of Todd, a public transportation employee who discovers the dark side of Night City after a chance encounter late one night. Another graphic novel, Where’s Johnny, is more closely tied to the main plot of the game, as a journalist named Thompson tries to uncover the truth behind Johnny Silverhand’s bombing of Arasaka Tower. Slightly more philosophical in nature is Big City Dreams, which focuses on Tasha and Mirek, a pair of cyberware thieves who use braindances to search for true happiness. And, if comics and graphic novels aren’t your thing, you can always read Cyberpunk 2077: No Coincidence, a traditional novel about a misfit crew that is blackmailed into committing dangerous heists. Either way, there’s no shortage of stories to get lost in, so if you find yourself still hungry for more Night City lore, just pick a spot and jump in!
