We don’t need to hide it — one of the most exciting features of an RPG is romance, especially when our potential suitors have some story and personality to them. Cyberpunk 2077 offers a few complex characters, some of which you will already meet as a part of your main questline. If someone romanceable in the game catches your attention with attractive looks and personality, you can certainly expect to be taken on a dramatic, intimate adventure as a part of their questline.
Some of these characters are “Secondary Options,” which you will find in the second half of this guide. You will encounter some of these briefly as a part of the main questline, some are one-night stands, and then there are some unusual cases, complicated by your circumstances.
Yet, if you want something more personal and involved, the characters who have their own romance questlines are listed for you in the Primary Romance options.
But will that character be interested in you? Each character will have a body (sex) type: there are no bi characters available among those with a full questline, as far as we know, so all of the characters under Primary Romance Options will be either interested in Female V or Male V only. If you want to ensure that your relationship turns long-term and has a good ending, we prepared some tips and quest guidelines for each.
However, we have special no-spoilers sections for you, and if you would rather explore your romantic interest’s “correct choices” and story on your own, only read the “General Guidelines” we prepared for each character. After all, we don’t want to ruin the intended impression of these characters as real people and the fun that comes from it.
Something to keep in mind is that it is possible to romance multiple people, and there will be no consequence for doing so. You won’t be “locked-in” with any one person until you get to the Point of No Return near the end of the game — there will be a moment when you can call one of the primary romance options you’ve gotten into a relationship with. The person who you decide to call will be deemed your “official” relationship for the game’s ending.
Primary Romance Options (Full Questline)
This is where the story of Cyberpunk 2077 shines the most: most of these characters will be tightly intertwined with your main questline, and getting more serious with your romantic interest will mean a whole personal questline and some exquisite intimate scenes.
Remember that none of these options have been confirmed to be bi-sexual, so they will either only have an interest in Female V or Male V (by body type). You will be able to play through Side Quests of these characters without a problem, but they will refuse your romantic advances if you do not match their preference. (However, some popular community Mods can help you change that.)
Remember that we keep the General Guideline section spoilers-free for you to walk into things with as little information as possible, don’t read past it if you don’t want to know any specifics. However, you won’t find detailed walkthroughs or erotic novels in this guide, so if you want to make sure you make right decisions in a few critical moments, reading the Quests Overview section might be helpful.
Panam Palmer
(Male V romance option – requires male body type)
General Guideline
This Nomad lady isn’t quick to trust anyone, but she will warm up to you if you side with her in dialogue and treat her kindly despite the first impressions. When you need to pick sides, side with Panam. If you see an opportunity to flirt or show physical affection, go ahead and choose it even if it doesn’t go anywhere in the end. The rest should be fairly straightforward. Completing Panam’s questline will let you pick a happier ending as well (at least when it comes to your romances).
Quests Overview
You will meet her through the Ghost Town quest, as a part of the main questline and after you speak with Rogue. During this quest, make sure you help her take down Nash’s gang, then you can flirt with her by offering to get one room when she is ready to go to sleep. When she says that you two will save money this way, respond by telling her that’s not what you had in mind. You will work with her again as a part of Lighting Breaks, and there you can show that you care about her well-being and offer to help her settle her score.
Once you reach the Life During Wartime quest, tell her to stay in the car before saving Mitch. After he’s rescued, ask for her help to find Hellman, and when Saul appears at the end of the mission, make sure you stand up for Panam.
When you take on the first Side Quest involving Panam, the Riders on the Storm, make sure to ride with her on the way to save Saul, then side with Panam in the conversation with him. If you start flirting with her again and try to go further, she will brush you off, but this will make your intentions clear overall. You will be able to stop Panam before she goes in the morning and talk about it.
You MUST complete this quest within 24 hours of in-game time, otherwise the quest will be a failure and you can no longer romance Panam.
When you start With a Little Help From My Friends, keep Panam’s plan a secret from Saul. You can start telling Panam that you missed her and offer to stop tiptoeing around. It’s a good idea to talk about “following that impulse” and touch her hand, and later on scooch closer to her in front of the campfire and spend a moment gazing at the stars together.
Finally, during Queen of the Highway Panam will start a suggestive conversation related to the “impulses”, and if you are ready for your romance scene you can let her touch you. After a special scene you can kiss Panam and officially romance her (i.e, complete her questline). There is still quite a bit of story and interaction ahead, so don’t expect this to be it!
River Ward
(Female V romance option – requires female body type)
River might be easier to miss since you need to pay attention to your side quests if you want to meet him (see below). Still, this good-willed detective will want to make things right, even if you are just pursuing your side of the case for the money. Yet, when things get a little personal, River will show his angry side. You are one of the only people willing to help River and he will really appreciate it. If you direct the friendship that’s developing between you into a right direction, River will show his appreciation for you… in some more pleasant ways.
General Guidelines
After Life During Wartime, one of the Main Quests, you will get a call from Elizabeth Peralez — that will start the Side Job that will let you meet River and get more quests from him later on. As quests progress, show that you are interested and invested. Take River’s side in conversations with others and try to find as many clues as possible while doing detective work to come to correct conclusions.
Pay attention to what River cares about and make your choices accordingly. Pick flirty dialogue options and show physical affection when the opportunity finally comes. If you want to be extra-helpful, get your Intelligence up to 12. Sadly, unlike with female options in this guide, there is no special way to get one and best ending with River.
Quests Overview
Elizabeth Peralez will call you soon after Life During Wartime, one of the Main Quests. This will start I Fought the Law, a Side Job where you will be investigating a mayor’s murder. That’s where you will meet a good-willed detective, River Ward. River will introduce you to his line of work and will save you during a very dangerous situation. Don’t worry about your choices here too much, they should not affect your chances with River.
Eventually, River will call you again. Read his text to start your next quest, The Hunt. This time the matter will be more intimate and you will see yourself become closer to each other — make sure to make yourself available for help and support River in moments that matter to him. During the encounter inside the lab you will get a chance to get on his side: when Dr. Packard discovers you, let her know that River hasn’t let you down yet, then pick “I wanna see for myself.” Johnny will start noticing that there is a bit of chemistry starting up between you two and he will tell you so after you walk out of archives. You can tell him that you think River is alright.
As you ride with River and he promises to tell you a story over a beer sometime, reply “Sign me up for that beer.”
As you conduct your investigation inside Randy’s trailer, make sure to find as many clues as you can inside the three Braindance sequences you will have to watch — this will help you find the correct location and is crucial for further development between you two to happen. If you do need to guess, pick the Edgewood farm.
After you rescue River’s nephew, try to pick dialogue lines that show your interest in him after. You should show understanding in what he is trying to do (it won’t change how River will deal with Harris in the end). So, pick “I’ll help you” (do not pick “Do whatcha gotta do, but count me out). Tell him he can count on you.
If you do so, River will text you after a few days. In reply to his question about the present, suggest a new record. You can try and focus on how he is doing, if you want. Then, offer to “knock a few back together” or “we should celebrate,” depending on which route you go. When he calls you later agree to join him and his family for dinner. Then you can tell him you missed him. This conversation will start a quest, Following the River. When you play with him and kids, River will sound happier if you follow his request, but you don’t have to. You can join in his Joss’s attempt to hook you two up at the table, but River will get you away regardless.
Choices at the tower should be fairly obvious. If you go with the pick-up line angle, you will get a chance to tell some amusing stories. Then pick, “I can see what you’re doin'” and “Just don’t fall in love…”. The option to kiss River will come up, and a steamy sex scene will follow.
After an amusing exchange with Johnny and some morning coffee, let River know that your intentions are serious. If you tell him that you can’t make plans for the future, you will have a chance to tell him about Johnny and you, but it won’t affect much on larger scale.
Pursuing the Nomad ending (complete Panam’s questline) will end up separating you and River, unfortunately. The other “good” ending won’t be fully satisfying either, and there are implications that your relationship isn’t doing 100% great with both. There is hoping that CDPR will change this in upcoming DLCs, but for now there is not a single best ending you can achieve with River.
Kerry Eurodyne
(Male V romance option – male voice and body type required)
Johnny Silverhand’s bandmate had to deal with a lot of emotional baggage after the events at the Arasaka Towers. Most of all, he had to deal with his new self, his new image, and his new fame. What starts as Johnny’s wish to learn how his friend is doing and make sure things go well for him becomes a chance for a new friendship with a rather interesting individual residing at the top of Night City’s social ladder. However, Kerry never let his true self get lost amidst the glimmering neon lights and shining luxury, and you will find his emotions very sincere. Keep pursuing more and Kerry’s unique outlook on the world will get you into some interesting situations.
General Guideline
You will get a chance to meet Kerry no matter what your relationship with Johnny is. There will be several Side Quests for Kerry: complete them, always accept his requests for help, and then chat him up and kiss him when the opportunity comes up. During the last quest accept to join him on his cruise and be open to his chaotic ideas after you do so.
Quests Overview
You will get the Side Quest that will allow you to meet Kerry either after Blistering Love or Chippin In’, depending on whether you are helping Johnny during Rogue’s questline or not, respectively. Finish Holdin’ On by visiting Kerry in his villa. Choices you make during this quest won’t affect your chances with him.
Second Conflict and A Like Supreme will come next. Then, after about a day, Kerry will call you to offer you a job, which will start Rebel! Rebel! After that quest he will text you after a day, excited to do more with you. You can reply with, “Who doesn’t like explosions and races right? :)”. He will pay you and promise to keep in touch with you. He will call you after, starting I Don’t Wanna Hear It. With all of the quests listed in this step, the choices you make will not matter to your relationship.
After several days, Kerry will call you and tell you to meet at Dark Matter to celebrate, which will start Off the Leash. Eventually Kerry will drag you away from the show and onto a balcony, one of his favorite spots in Night City. Kerry will talk to you about his emotions and fears related to him being a celebrity. Get him to talk to you about it, tell him “But you did make it.” Then, eventually, kiss him when the opportunity comes. Let him have his moment afterwards.
Kerry will call you after some time. Agree to meet up with him immediately to start Boat Drinks. When you arrive at the docks at the right time, accept to join Kerry on his yacht cruise in order to progress your relationship. When Kerry gets up from his seat and things get a little crazy, join Kerry in destroying things on his boat. Tell him, “Let’s rip the whole fuckin’ boat apart.” Have some fun. Help Kerry when he tries to break off a pole and then proceed to kiss him to have a very… hot sex scene follow. So hot, in fact, that you will eventually need to evacuate yourself into the cold waters overboard. Watch the ship burn and the explosives go out. Feel free to show some appreciation. Then hug Kerry to tell him that you care about starting a relationship with him, then leave with him. This will complete your relationship Side Quest with Kerry.
Just like with the other male romance option in the game, there is no one best happy ending to your relationship with Kerry as of yet. The most interactive one is probably the Hanako route.
Judy Alvarez
(Female V romance option – female voice and body type required)
Judy will be the lady you will meet at Lizzie’s bar as one of the prominent members of the Mox and in charge of the Braindance suite. She is known for her expertise around illicit BDs and their editing and she will show you how to get the information you need out of such footage. She is not easy to trust you, especially because she knows that her and Evelyn are getting themselves into a very dangerous mission. After some things go south you will need her help to get some answers. Once of the things you will quickly notice is that Judy has a big heart and deeply believes in the original mission of Moxes and Elizabeth Borden.
General Guideline
Keep Judy updated when she asks you to, call her whenever you are prompted. Keep her involved when she wants to be and avoid irritating her when you can. Ask for her opinion and follow her plan as best as you can. If you care about getting a better ending with Judy, get Panam and her family to help you against Arasaka (which means that you need to complete Panam’s questline as well). Without spoiling too much (see below if you want the spoilers), this will help you get an ending in the game that has a more positive outcome with Judy.
Quests Overview
Once you encounter Jackie and talk your plan over with Takemura, you will need to find Evelyn to give you some clues into your situation. Judy will have to get involved, which will come together in the Automatic Love main quest. Judy is cautious about helping you and when you do convince her she sincerely asks you to keep her updated. Call her whenever you have an option to stay on her good side.
Once you are finished you will take on The Space in Between, then Disasterpiece, then Double Life. Keep Judy involved and updated on things as much as possible. Do not pick dialogue options that would clearly irritate her and go along with her plan.
After this you will get a more personal questline for Judy, starting with Both Sides, Now. During Ex-Factor you will talk to Maiko in Clouds, and the conversation along with the outcome is a mess. Your choices won’t matter for the romance. Afterwards you will get the Talkin’ ‘Bout a Revolution quest. Towards the end of it, decline Judy’s offer to pay your fees, then accept her offer to stay the night at her place.
During the Pisces quest Maiko will cause you some problems. Follow Judy’s plan, draw your weapon when prompted. How you deal with Maiko is up to you — it won’t affect your romance with Judy. Still, if you want a more pleasant reaction from Judy in the moment, spare Maiko.
If you accept Maiko’s plan or Judy’s payment, you will lose your chance at romancing her.
Finally, after the Pyramid Song you will have an opportunity to take things up a notch with Judy and seal your relationship. Agree to go diving with her, then accept her invite to stay the night at the lake cottage. Choose the option to [Touch] Judy inside and enjoy your warm night together. The morning after, as you share your coffee and Judy asks you what last night meant to you, make it clear to her that this wasn’t a one-time thing. This will conclude Judy’s questline and start a long-term relationship with her.
Primary Romance Perks
There are a couple of extra things you can get from romancing any of the four primary partners.
For one, once your romance with your chosen character has begun, you will start to receive periodic texts from them. This doesn’t add anything to the game as far as gameplay goes, but it is a nice addition to get further insight about what your partner is doing and feeling, and it helps with the immersion of being in a relationship with them.
On top of that, you will be able to sleep in your partner’s apartment once you’ve gotten into a relationship with them. There are a few benefits to this, as this will give you another area where you can rest. Interacting with your partner’s bed and shower stall provide some helpful buffs, just like they do in your own place (these buffs are, sadly, identical to those from your own apartment).
Secondary Romance Options
Your gender does matter for the options you will find below. Some of them have a bit more story than others, but overall are much less involved than your primary options (see above).
Still, between you and Johnny you can indulge in a few interesting encounters in the city. If you would like to get a little intimate with Night City and have some adult fun, we will all of the options available to you below.
Joytoys
Let’s get the obvious one out of the way: can you rent yourself a one-night stand in the Night City?
Absolutely. If you couldn’t, it would make for a rather boring night in the Night City, huh?
In Cyberpunk 2077, these services are provided by the so-called “Joytoys.” Unlike Dolls, Joytoys are nothing different from a common prostitute, and you will be able to purchase their services by simply talking to them. (You will also have a brief encounter with a Doll sex worker early in the main story, but you won’t be able to have a sexual interaction with one of them.)
You will have two opportunities to rent yourself a joytoy during your playthrough: you can encounter a male and a female Joytoy on Jig-Jig Street in Japantown (you will go there during “Automatic Love” and you can come back at any time). Both will offer their services for €$100.
While their luxurious counterparts aren’t very different, you might still be interested in trying them out: you can do so at the bar in Dark Matter, after you complete Kerry’s side quests following “A Like Supreme” (the quest where you get to re-unite SAMURAI for one concert). In particular, this option will be unlocked during “Off the Leash.”
These Joytoys will charge you €$3,000 for their services.
Meredith Stout
“Thought you could blackmail me, bitch?!” What a wonderful start to what could be a rather interesting exchange inside the No-Tell Motel (yep, that same one).
Our feisty lady is a higher-up corporate who certainly learned how to earn her place and how to keep it. She is not about to gently hold hands with you — in fact, she will try to use you towards her end goal and get rid of you as soon as possible.
General Guideline
After talking with Dexter, call Meredith. Use her chip as is during the mission. Several main quests later she will message you. Be flirty.
Quests Overview
During The Pickup you will get from Dexter DeShawn, go through with the option to call Meredith and meet up with her. It’s important that you agree to use the money chip and use it with the virus on it, despite what you might suspect or know about it. If you don’t, you will never hear from her again. After you walk out of the Maelstrom hideout Stout will thank you by letting you keep Flathead.
Several main questline missions later Meredith will message you with an update about Militech and ask you to pretend like you don’t know each other. Reply, “Shame. Was starting to like you…” and then, after she tells you to come to the No-Tell Motel, say “I’ll be there.” You can pick up a wonderful club weapon after you have your fun.
Johnny Silverhand’s Romance Encounters
You will encounter these as a part of the main story and if you choose to pursue Johnny’s full side questline. Unfortunately, your choices will matter only in so far as taking some extra steps to encounter these scenes in the first place — Johnny will not be getting any full romance stories (Rogue’s relationship is as far as it will get.)
However, if you want to make sure you don’t miss anything, we will still discuss how to encounter every single romantic encounter in Johnny’s storyline below.
If you want to get as much as possible out of Johnny’s (non-romantic) relationship with V, make sure to check out our extensive guide on Johnny Silverhand!
Warning: Major spoilers lie ahead!
Alt Cunningham
You will learn about Alt and her story during the “Transmission” quest, as a part of Johnny’s flashback sequence. You really don’t need to do anything to get her romantic scene with Johnny — it, in fact, will be the way you are introduced to her character.
Simply progress your main questline to your encounter with the Voodoo Boys gang and enjoy!
Note: if you call Alt Johnny’s “girlfriend” inside Mikoshi during any ending that involves her help (i.e., not Hanako’s path), she will deny this title (whether rogue AIs can experience embarrassment is up for debate).
Ruby Barrett
Johnny hooks up with Ruby as a part of his plan of obtaining intel on Adam Smasher. This one will be brief due to the events that unfold once the pair leave the nightclub, but you will get to see Johnny’s rather amusing approach to hooking up with nightclub dancers.
To get this encounter, simply initiate “Chippin In'” at the end of “Tapeworm” by agreeing to follow Johnny’s plan regarding Rogue — we discuss detailed steps, if you need them, in this guide (under “From Tapeworm to Chippin’ In” section, under “READ MORE”.)
Rogue Amendiares
In chronological order, Johnny’s encounter comes after the one with Ruby. In other words, if you initiated “Chippin In'” and were friendly with Johnny when you locate his grave, he will ask you for another favor. He will want to have a date with Rogue while in control of your body. Accept to call Rogue and you will start “Blistering Love.”
If you are having trouble getting “Blistering Love,” you can check out our directions in this guide, under section titled “Johnny Silverhand’s Questline: Chippin’ In, Blistering Love, Holdin’ On.”
You will still be in control of Johnny’s dialogue options as the two enjoy their movie date, so make sure to indicate Johnny’s interest in Rogue (when she asks you about your past) to initiate a brief romantic encounter.
After completing this quest you will be able to pursue Rogue’s path towards the epilogue. Should you choose this Johnny will exchange a daring kiss with her at the Afterlife, as a part of convincing Rogue to join his raid on the tower.
Share this article:
Mila Grish
Dedicated contributor at EIP Gaming and a part-time collector of books she will never have time to actually read. Jumps on the newest releases just as quickly as on the uncovered dusty collections from the basement. For her, shiny graphics can never be an excuse to not have a polished player experience or an immersive story.
