Are you sick of wandering the streets of Night City alone, with only the sights and sounds of gratuitously over-sexualized advertisements to keep you company? Has someone caught your eye? Someone you’d like to be more than just chooms with? Even if you’ve ventured into Night City before, it’s worth jumping back in for that special someone. The many updates the game has received have left the romance options and paths intact, but dateable NPCs will sometimes send you some new texts post-update. And given the strict limitations on NPC preferences for gender and sexuality, Cyberpunk is a must-replay game if you want to explore all the moments of lust and love.
Most of the four main romance options in Cyberpunk 2077 follow the same pattern. You’ll meet someone pretty in one of the main quests, then you’ll have the option to tumble down a trail of Side Jobs with them before getting the big obvious moment where, well, you know.
For the most part, the romance options in this game are pretty straightforward. Dialogue options will usually indicate that you’re gonna make a move, and in general so long as you’re picking the nicer and more flattering dialogue options, you’ll be fine. But if you’re like me and are hopelessly oblivious to romantic hints even when they’re staring you in the face, this guide will point out the things to do and things not to do if you want to dock with your NPC of choice.
And while most of the romance options typically involve the big bold yellow dialogue choice, I do recommend taking the time to select as many of the blue-themed dialogue options as make sense for pursuing some romance. Get to know your love interest! There’s a lot of dialogue in this game and the romance plots are more worth your time if you’re actually role playing and are getting to know these characters.
This guide will contain a handful of spoilers as the romance options ripen toward the end of the story. Before each of the juicy details, I’ve included a list of quests that chart out the romance path. You might meet these characters in a different quest, but these are the ones where you have the chance to make your moves. If you want to avoid the spoilers, go ahead and jot down those quest names and explore your love interests at your own pace. With that out of the way, let’s get on with it.
How to romance Judy Alvarez
Quest flow: Automatic Love, The Space in Between, Disaterpiece, Double Life, Both Sides Now, Ex-Factor, Talkin’ ‘bout a Revolution, Pisces, Pyramid Song
Of the four main romance options in Cyberpunk 2077, Judy is clearly the best. Not only do you meet her first, she’s tightly integrated into the story from the getgo, and her narrative feels like it warrants the limited time you have left with Johnny’s biochip eating away at your mind. If you want a hacker gf who knows how to tune an erotic braindance and have a V with a feminine body type and voice, here’s how.
V meets Judy early on in Act One as a part of the quest that basically turns to shit real fast. Don’t worry about any dialogue options with her until the end of the Disasterpiece quest where you can choose to let her know about the rockstar that lives in your head. Maybe better to get that out now rather than later. Either way won’t harm your chances.
An in-game day later and Judy will reach out to you, unlocking the Both Sides, Now sidequest. Don’t worry about dialogue choices here. RP as you see fit.
After some time passes, Judy will reach out to you again. Agree to help her in her quest to overthrow Woodman, the manager of the Clouds dollhouse. Follow along with the beats of the quest until you get to the Talkin’ ‘bout A Revolution. Here you’ll get the choice to join in on the liberation of some sex workers. Pick You can count on me / Out of the question (when she offers to pay you) I’m all right now / Forget about it. It’s passed. / [Lean] Sure thanks (when she offers to let you sleep on her couch). Eat the breakfast she leaves for you the morning after.
After some more waiting, a text and a call from Judy, you’ll get into the Pisces quest. When meeting with Maiko, be sure to select Let’s do this / Who’re the other two? / Do my best. Jack ‘em out. / Hold on. Think you’ve gone too far / [Draw weapon] Let’s cut to the quick. After that, you’ll shoot up a bunch of dudes before choosing the following dialogue options with Maiko: What? / Can’t know that for sure.
When chatting with Judy downstairs, pick Clouds is free, that’s what’s important and she’ll give you a kiss.
A full in-game week later, Judy will want to meet with you for what is one of my favourite sidequests in this whole game, Pyramid Song. This quest trades shootouts for dialogue, story, and exploration, and I’m all here for it. Be sure to pick [Stand] Hell yeah, I’m in when Judy asks you to go diving. Pursue the quest options as you’d like. To continue down the romance path, agree to spend the night with her. Ignore Johnny’s protests. Guy’s a gonk. Pick [Stand] Why not. When she asks to stay the night.
After powering up the generator, pick [Knock] Did you say something? Enter the bathroom, followed by [Sit] We’re still synced / (Kissing lips) [Touch] It is ours. Enjoy what follows.
As you two gal pals sit out on the dock and talk about what last night meant, be sure to pick The beginning of something amazing when she asks what the previous evening meant. Thus concludes the romance path with Judy.
How To Romance Kerry Eurodyne
Quest flow: Holdin’ On, Second Conflict, A Like Supreme, Rebel! Rebel!, I Don’t Wanna Hear it, Off the Leash, Boat Drinks
Playing a game in which you’re constantly struggling against the presence of an unwanted persona from a self-destructive male rockstar who was totally out of his mind is never not going to be a weird experience for me. But unlike me, if your V is actually a guy (masculine body type with masculine voice only for this option), and you’re into guys, romance time with rockerboy Kerry Eurodyne on the beach could be in your future.
Fair warning about boys who play guitar though. They’re trouble.
You’ll first meet Kerry in a Johnny Silverhand flashback where I think it’s clear that these two were totally fucking. Thank god the broader rock and metal scene of the dystopian future isn’t as homophobic as the present one.
If Kerry’s caught your eye, though, you’ll have to wait until Act Three before you can really start down his romance path. Like many of the romances in this game, the choices you’ll need to make should be fairly obvious, but here are the details to pay attention to.
Your V will meet Kerry in the “Holdin’ On” Side Job. Follow the natural progression of events in this Cyberpunk twist on The Blues Brothers. You’ll get the band back together, even play a rock concert with a guitar that has peculiar construction choices for rock and metal. (Seriously, how do you even palm mute with that bridge cover? That thing is literally an anti-riff machine. OK, I’ll stop.)
Hanging out with Kerry will involve some crimes and property damage (what did I tell you about rockerboys?) but eventually you’ll land on the “Off the Leash” Side Job. The final scene of this quest has you and Kerry hanging out on a balcony where you’ll get the option to be supportive of him in some key dialogue options that’ll seal the deal with you two.
Save when you start walking out to the balcony so you have a return point in case you fumble your attempts to woo Kerry. Any of the [Lean] dialogue options will work, but “Glad we got a moment to ourselves” is likely the sweetest. From there, pick: You can tell me / But you did make it / Maybe it’s time you stopped being afraid and then pick one of the [Kiss] options and there ya go. A sweet touch of romance while looking over the hellscape that is Night City.
That’s just a kiss, though. If you want to go further, wait for Kerry to give you a call while you run some other errands in Night City. You’ll get the “Boat Deal” Side Job where you’ll have the chance to get a little more intimate.
First you’ll chat Kerry up a bit on the boat while he plays some guitar that, once again, has questionable design decisions. (You would never make frets out of wood and that is definitely not a vibrato bridge). I don’t condone smashing guitars, but be sure to choose [Stand] Let’s play! as Kerry gets up to do some spontaneous interior decorating. Choose Let’s rip the whole fuckin’ boat apart and enjoy the sexy catharsis of destroying a music exec’s property. They fucking deserve it.
After a pretty wild sex scene, be sure to choose [Hug] Pencil me in when chilling on the beach with Kerry.
How to romance Panam Palmer
Quest flow: Ghost Town, Lightning Breaks, Life During Wartime, Riders on the Storm, With a Little Help From My Friends, Queen of the Highway, We Gotta Live Together
If your V has a masculine body with any voice, and a lady with a talent for motor vehicles is your type, then Panam Palmer might be someone worth chatting up. Panam’s quests are some of the most fun in the game, so even if you’re not pursuing her, these are well worth your time.
You’ll meet the ex-Nomad gal in Act Two in the Ghost Town quest. After some violence and explosions, you can meet up with her at a motel where you’ll get the option to room with her. You’ll have to be a little explicit in your desires. Choose Maybe we get just one room and follow that up with Not quite what I had in mind as a response to her mention of two twin beds.
After this, follow along with the natural sequence of events, shooting and blowing shit up together. During the Life During Wartime quest, be sure to ask for Panam’s help in finding Hellman with the I gotta get Hellman. Will you help? dialogue option while the two of you chat with Mitch. This has nothing to do with mayonnaise.
Before Life During Wartime concludes, you’ll have a time-limited response in front of Panam, Mitch, and Saul the dickhead. You’ll get the choice to say It really wasn’t Panam’s fault in defence of her. Pick that one.
Your next opportunity to deepen your relationship with Panam will pop up during the Riders on the Storm quest. Pick Yeah, of course when you’re prompted to ride with Panam. Go with the flow until you find yourself fleeing a sandstorm, where you’ll be stuck in an abandoned house with Panam…and the dickhead Saul.
You’ll once again have to stand up for Panam in front of dickhead Saul on a timed response. Choose Shitty idea, Panam’s right. You’ll then get some alone time with her. Cozying up on the couch with, choose You’d be more comfortable with your shoes off, ma’am and either [Touch Panam’s thigh] Got a few ideas or You choose. Customer’s always right.
Don’t get discouraged when Panam rejects your advances here. You didn’t screw anything up. You can get a quick kiss if you choose About last night as she gets on her bike in the morning. Have a little patience and wait for the “With a little help from my friends” quest. Follow the beats of that quest until you’re chatting with her at the top of the control tower. Look out for the dialogue option So far, so good (this game has a thing for romance in tall buildings). You’ll then want to choose [Touch Panam’s hand] Next time, try following that impulse.
You’ll get a little campfire scene a little bit later where you’ll want to choose [Scooch closer] Gotten kinda cold. Moving on to the Queen of the Highway quest, you’ll get the dialogue option with the kissy lips, [Let Panam touch you] Oh, yeah. Let’s go while in the Militech Basilisk vehicle and you’ll have a little moment there. After all of the sex and explosions, you’ll kiss her again later in the quest with [Kiss Panam] Thanks for being here for me option. And there it is, the two of you are an item! You’ll get to share another moment together during the We Gotta Live Together quest.
How to romance River Ward
Quest flow: I Fought the Law, The Hunt, Following the River
Alright, well if you want to romance a cop, that’s on you. I think I get it? River’s a great cook, his family seems alright, and maybe seems like a good guy? I dunno. If you’re V has a feminine body type and any voice, I guess you can hook up with this dude and much of the game has you helping the cops anyway, so maybe it just makes sense. Do what you want. I don’t want to hear about it though.
At the very least, the sidequests associated with River are pretty entertaining.
Your chance of hooking up with a cop will start with getting a call from Elizabeth Peralez. This will grant you the I Fought the Law quest. Note: You’ll need to complete Act 2, Ghost Town, Lightning Breaks, Life During Wartime, Automatic Love, and the Space Between to get this quest. Even then, you’ll probably need to pass some more time either with the Wait option or just from running other errands.
Did that? Good for you, cop lover. Go through with I Fought the Law onto The Hunt a day later. This quest is where you’ll start showing some interest. When sitting in the car with him, choose Wouldn’t let it go if I were you and Sign me up for that beer. Stay in touch with him via texts and back him with Hasn’t let me down yet in the timed response when confronted by Dr. Packard at the lab.
You’ll find out that the cop’s nephew has gone missing. Follow along with the beats of the quest, unravelling mysteries by sifting through emails and jumping through a creepy braindance after a touchy family dinner. Eventually, you’ll piece together that Randy, the nephew, is being held on Edgewood Farm.
After River speculates the location and drives the two of you out to the farm, you must guess Edgewood Farm, otherwise your future as a cop’s output will be crushed. After raiding the farm, choose either Don’t do it, River or I’ll help you as River contemplates seeking revenge for what was done to his nephew. He’s just a good cop that’s been pushed too far.
A full in-game day later and you’ll get a call from River that unlocks the Following the River quest. This is a mostly chill date quest. Participate in the cooking, chat with River, and then play an indoctrinating AR game with River and the kids. Let the kids win here.
During the dinner that follows, you’ll get a timed response to choose [Raise hand] I do! when asked “Who thinks V and Uncle River would make a good couple? River will take you up to a water tower (again, with the heights), and you’ll want to pick the following dialogue options: Your pistol? / That a pickup-line? Your decision doesn’t matter here, choose any of the three. / I can see what you’re doin’ / Just don’t fall in love… and finally [Kiss].
The morning after that bullshit, Johnny will digitally appear to shame you properly for what you just did.
If you want to leave your fling with a cop as a one time thing, you can leave it at that the following morning. River will start talking about whether this is a serious thing. If you want a relationship, pick Heavy convo for the morning / [Kiss] I feel good around you. And then there ya go, you have a cop for a boyfriend.
A little bit of fun on the side
While Kerry, Panam, River, and Judy are the primary love interests of V, there are a few other characters you’ll hook up with. Some are scripted encounters, but others require a bit more pursuit.
Meredith Stout, the angry Militech corpo you encounter early in Act One, is one such option. For this one, be sure to meet with her before seeing Maelstrom during the Pickup quest, and try not to insult her. If you take the chip, don’t let Maelstrom know you met with Militech when securing the flathead. Meredith will reach out to you during Act Two. Pick either text option to reply to her. She’ll send you the location of a hotel room and, well, you can guess what happens next. She’ll leave afterwards. At least you get a, um, interesting weapon out of it.
You can also sort of romance Rogue Amendiares. I say sort of because, well, you’re not really you during this quest. You’ll let Johnny Silverhand temporarily take over. During the Blistering Love quest, you’ll go on a date with Rogue. As you enjoy a nice romantic evening at an abandoned drive-thru, Rogue will speak of the past. Be sure to select I like the Rogue of 2077 / Do anything not to lose you / Only thing that matters is I came back to you / (Kissy lips) [Kiss] more than I expected and you’ll have an intimate moment with her as someone you’re not. That’s totally not relatable at all.
Everyone’s good endings
Everything above will let you complete the romance path with the character of your choice. But if you really want the horizon to be brighter, there are a few things to consider. During the Nocturne OP55N1 quest, you’ll get the chance to call either Kerry, Panam, River, or Judy (depending on who you romanced) with a final goodbye. Whoever you choose here will be your final love interest.
If you choose “The Star” ending, where you’ll get the choice to leave Night City behind and ride out with the Aldecados, either Judy or Panam will accompany you. River and Kerry, however, will say goodbye, but won’t join your exodus. In choosing to team up with Takemura for “The Devil” ending, (you must save him in Search and Destroy for this ending), voicemails from your partner will indicate that they hope to see you again, but it’s otherwise uncertain. In “Temperance,” where you let Johnny Silverhand take over your body entirely, you’ll get some irritated voicemails from your love interest.
“The Sun” ending, where Johnny finally leaves you, you’ll awake in a penthouse with your romanced NPC. This will result in a poor ending if you romanced Judy or Panam. River and Kerry, however, will stick with you.
If you choose to end your own life, you’ll get a heartbroken voicemail from your romanced character. So don’t do that.
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