Night City is huge. Like, aggressively huge. When you first step out of V’s apartment in Little China, the sheer scale of the verticality and the neon grit makes you feel like you’re going to be playing this game for three hundred hours just to see the credits. But here’s the kicker: the Cyberpunk 2077 mission list for the "Main Job" thread is surprisingly lean. CD Projekt Red did this on purpose. They saw the data from The Witcher 3 showing that a massive chunk of players never actually finished the main story because it was too damn long. So, they trimmed the fat.
If you just sprint through the golden path, you’re looking at maybe 20 to 25 hours. That’s it. But if you play like that, you’re basically eating the crust of a pizza and throwing the rest away. The "real" game is buried in the Side Jobs and Gigs that actually impact how the world treats you.
The weird structure of the Cyberpunk 2077 mission list
Most RPGs have a linear ladder. You climb one rung, then the next. Cyberpunk 2077 is more like a web that starts at a single point—The Heist—and then explodes outward.
Once you get past the prologue (which is technically everything up until you wake up with Johnny Silverhand in your head), the game opens up into three distinct branches. You’ve got the search for Evelyn Parker through Judy, the hunt for Anders Hellman with Panam, and the meeting with Takemura to deal with the Arasaka fallout. You can do these in any order. Honestly, it’s a bit jarring. You might be knee-deep in a high-stakes corporate kidnapping one minute and then realize you haven't even called Rogue yet.
The Prologue: Setting the Stage
It starts small. The Rescue is your tutorial. Then you hit The Ripperdoc, The Ride, and The Pickup. This is where you meet Maelstrom and realize that every choice you make is going to bite you in the ass later. If you mess up the deal with Meredith Stout, it changes things. Not huge things, but enough to notice. Then comes The Heist. This is the pivot point. Everything in the Cyberpunk 2077 mission list after this mission is fundamentally different because you’re no longer just a mercenary; you’re a walking, talking ticking time bomb.
Why Side Jobs aren't actually optional
Here is the thing about the Cyberpunk 2077 mission list that people get wrong: the "Side Jobs" aren't side content. Not really.
If you ignore Panam Palmer’s missions (like Riders on the Storm or With a Little Help from My Friends), you lock yourself out of one of the best endings in the game. You literally cannot get the "Star" ending unless you commit to her specific mission chain. Same goes for Rogue. If you don't do Chippin' In, you're missing the emotional core of Johnny’s redemption.
The game classifies these as side content, but they are narrative pillars.
Think about The Hunt. This is River Ward’s questline. It’s easily one of the most disturbing, well-written missions in modern gaming history. It has nothing to do with the Relic or Arasaka. It’s just a grim detective story in a city that’s lost its soul. If you’re just checking off the main Cyberpunk 2077 mission list, you’ll never see it. And that’s a tragedy.
The Phantom Liberty Factor
If you’re playing the Phantom Liberty expansion, the mission list gets even more tangled. It slots into the middle of the base game. Once you finish Transmission in the Voodoo Boys arc, Songbird calls you. Suddenly, you have a whole new "Main" thread. Missions like Dog Eat Dog and Firestarter feel more like a high-octane spy thriller than the rest of the game. It’s denser. The pacing is faster. It’s arguably better than the base game’s main plot.
Navigating the Gigs and NCPD Hustles
Then there are Gigs. These are the small icons littering your map. Most people see them as filler.
They aren't.
Each Fixer—Regina, Wakako, El Capitan—has a specific set of jobs. These provide the context for how Night City functions. You learn about the displacement of the poor, the corruption of the NCPD, and the weird, techno-mysticism of the street gangs. If you want the best gear, like the legendary Tier 5+ cyberware or iconic weapons, you have to engage with this part of the Cyberpunk 2077 mission list.
How to handle the "Point of No Return"
Eventually, you'll hit a mission called Nocturne Op55N1. The game will literally tell you: "Hey, this is it. Finish your business before entering Embers."
Do not go in there until you are ready. Once you start this, the world closes off. The game branches into several finale paths based on who you’ve befriended.
- The Arasaka Path (The Devil)
- The Panam/Aldecaldos Path (The Star)
- The Rogue Path (The Sun)
- The "Don't Fear the Reaper" Path (The secret one where you go solo)
To get that secret ending, you need a specific relationship percentage with Johnny Silverhand (usually around 70%, though certain dialogue choices in Chippin' In are the real triggers). It’s not just about doing the missions; it’s about how you talk to him at his "grave." If you aren't a bit of an asshole to him initially but then show him mercy, you won't unlock it.
The reality of the mission structure
Night City is a sandbox, but the Cyberpunk 2077 mission list acts more like a funnel. You start with infinite possibilities and, as the biochip degrades, your options narrow.
The game is designed to be replayed. You cannot see everything in one go. Different lifepaths (Nomad, Streetkid, Corpo) give you unique dialogue in almost every mission, and sometimes entirely different ways to solve objectives. For example, a Corpo V might know exactly how to talk their way past a receptionist, while a Nomad might spot a mechanical flaw in a getaway vehicle.
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It's about the nuance.
Actionable Next Steps for Completionists
If you want to actually "beat" the game in a way that feels satisfying, don't follow the journal in order. It's a trap.
- Clear the Watson Gigs early: Before The Heist, do everything Regina gives you. It levels you up so you aren't a glass cannon when the story gets real.
- Prioritize Character Arcs: As soon as Judy, Panam, River, or Kerry call you, drop what you are doing. These missions are time-sensitive in terms of narrative flow.
- Check your messages: A lot of people forget that some missions only trigger after you read a specific text or wait 24 in-game hours. Use the "Wait" function in the menu.
- Don't ignore the DLC: Start Phantom Liberty as soon as it's available (after the Voodoo Boys). The rewards you get in Dogtown—like the Relic skill tree—make the rest of the base game missions much more fun to play.
- Watch the relationship meter: In the pause menu, there are three icons at the top. The middle one represents your bond with Johnny. If you want the secret ending, keep a close eye on this.
The Cyberpunk 2077 mission list is as much about the journey through the sub-stories as it is about reaching the end. Take your time. Night City isn't going anywhere, but V's health is. Make it count.