How to unlock Cyberpunk 2077's gnarly secret ending

Cyberpunk 2077 is such an enormous game that players are bound to miss things during their playthroughs. The open-world game is jam-packed with content to the point that the official guide is 496 pages long. It’s not just side-quests and world activities that are easy to miss; The game contains a secret ending that’s buried in the game unless you know exactly how to unlock it.

In this guide, we’re going to explain how to get Cyberpunk 2077’s secret ending. That, of course, means that this comes with a heavy spoiler warning as getting the ending involves a key choice in a late-game mission.

What were your favorite games and gaming moments of 2020? Take our poll!

As a quick refresher, the story revolves around V, a character who finds themself haunted by the digital ghost of rocker Johnny Silverhand, played by Keanu Reeves. Silverhand was supposedly killed in 2023 during an attack on Arasaka Tower. Throughout the game, players slowly uncover the truth behind the shady Arasaka Corporation with Silverhand’s help. That eventually culminates in an all-out attack on Arasaka Tower with Johnny’s help (or a grimmer ending if you turn his offer down).

How to unlock the Cyberpunk 2077 secret ending

To get the ending, you’ll need to make a key choice in the late-game story mission Nocturne Op55N1. Or rather, you’ll need to not make a choice. At some point during the mission, you’ll find yourself on a roof with Johnny Silverhand. You’ll get some dialogue options about how to proceed, and Johnny will ask you if you’re sure.

Here, you’ll get a few dialogue options, including “Hang on. Need a minute.” All you have to do here is not select anything at all. Go to the bathroom or eat a snack while waiting — you’ll be here a while. After about 5 minutes of inaction, Johnny will eventually break the silence with a bit of a plan B.

When he mentions a “wild, suicide run,” you’ve reached the correct spot. Hear his full plan out and then select the “Attack Arasaka Tower” dialogue option to trigger the mission “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper.” This is an extremely difficult mission that truly lives up to Johnny’s “suicide run” promise. If you die during it, you won’t be able to try it again and you’ll get a different ending entirely.

Because of that risk, you’ll need to be extra prepared to pull this off. Normally, you’d be raiding Arasaka Tower with the companion of your choice, which determines the ending. In this scenario, you’re flying solo instead, so you’ll want to be as maxed out with elite gear and as many skills as possible. You can still make it through here if you’re extremely skilled, but botching this isn’t an option, so you might want to do a more standard ending first before tackling this one.

If you manage to complete this, you’ll get the Path to Glory epilogue, which is also obtained in another ending. Essentially, the secret here is the solo mission, so this is for players who just want an extreme late-game challenge for the sheer thrill.

Cyberpunk 2077 contains multiple endings, so make sure to try different options if you’re doing multiple playthroughs to see all the ways the finale can shake out. But this secret variation is by far the most difficult — and epic.

Cyberpunk 2077 is now available.