I've been deliberating on what the very best Cyberpunk 2077 gigs are for some time now. I love the main story and the slightly bigger side jobs you can complete in the game, but the smaller gig quests are one of the biggest highlights of being V for me. Not only do they help me increase my street cred and earn some more eddies, but they also really make me feel like I'm role-playing as a merc in the gritty neon-tinted world of Night City.
There's a lot of memorable merc work out there in the base game, and in the more recent Phantom Liberty expansion, and every single one is worth experiencing. But having spent a little over 900 hours in CD Projekt Red's sci-fi RPG so far, I've come to the conclusion that the best Cyberpunk 2077 gigs are those I always look forward to revisiting the most each time I play through the adventure. From objectives that make me question my actions, to tasks that peel back the seedy underbelly of the streets, and assignments that draw me into the role of a merc, the gigs listed below are my favorite highlights for one reason or another.
10. Dirty Biz
District: Watson (Northside)
Fixer: Regina Jones
Dirty Biz is a perfect example of a gig that's hard to shake from your mind once you experience it, and it deserves a spot here for that fact alone. But it's also very true to its name, because it really shines a light on the dark side of Night City and its trade of illicit braindances (XBDs) with deeply upsetting content. As fixer Regina informs you, you're tasked with helping televangelist Bryce Stone secure evidence of his son's murder, which is being sold on a BD scroll.
Because the braindance has been edited, you need to get a hold of the raw footage so Stone can get his hands on important clues. It's already a terrible circumstance to begin with, but it's made all the more impactful when you actually get to confront a father and son who are directly involved in the selling of these BDs. Their fate is left entirely up to you, but should you decide to kill either one of them, the one left alive will react... and damn is it hard to hear. I don't think I can ever forget this gig, and every time I replay it, I'm reminded of the sinister side of the city.
9. Breaking News
District: Santo Domingo (Rancho Coronado)
Fixer: Maumar Reyes
I've always loved the way Breaking News opens and the clandestine nature of the task it asks of you. The gig sees you meet with an N54 reporter called Ted Fox, who's the fixer's client. Set on trying to do a story on the link between gangs and corporations, you meet with him in his car as he talks you through your objective to sneak through a factory and install a tracker on a van.
The whole set up of the quest makes me feel like a detective or PI who's on the case, but the stealthy aspect also makes this gig particularly enjoyable for me. With several cameras to be wary of and lots of enemies patrolling the enemy grounds, finding a route through the factory sight unseen to secure to complete the option objective to remain undetected is a satisfying challenge. And even now, when I know exactly what steps to take, I still get a kick out of planting the tracker and leaving the factory without anyone even knowing I was there in the first place.
8. Bring me the head of Gustavo Orta
District: Heywood (Vista Del Rey)
Fixer: Sebastian Ibarra
It probably says a lot about me that I particularly enjoy gigs with pacifist approaches, or those that feel like they're right out of a noir detective novel, but Bring me the Head of Gustavo Orta ticks both of those boxes, and it's undoubtedly a firm favorite because of it. The task is outwardly simple: you're asked to kill a high-ranking Valentino called Gustavo Orta. Gustavo's girlfriend is part of the Sixth Street gang (they're like the Cyberpunk equivalent of Romeo and Juliet) and she's said to be in a coma. Her father believes Gustavo is to blame, but, of course, what the client believes and what's actually true can be two very different things.
If you happen to be a Street Kid, this side gig is all the more satisfying to play through, since you can talk your way right into Gustavo's office without any fuss. But even if you're not, you can take a sneaky route out on the balcony to make your way to him with shedding blood, too. Once you confront him, he'll tell you his version of the truth, and then it's up to you to decide if you'll kill him, or tell him to get out of the city. I personally always opt for the latter, and it's a fantastic example of how you don't always have to follow orders to the letter to complete a gig.
7. No Fixers
District: Badlands (Rocky Ridge)
Fixer: Dakota Smith
Out in the Badlands, a gig tasks you with rescuing a nomad tech specialist called Iris Tanner, who, going into business with the Wraiths, gets kidnapped by them and is now being held hostage for her talents. Unfortunately for them, she's managed to put out an SOS using an old radio, and fixer Dakota Smith is now on the case to get her out. Naturally, that's where V comes in. What makes this gig so memorable is the different approaches you can take. Sure, you can opt to go in guns blazing and take the Wraiths out gung-ho, but I love that there's a stealthier route you can take through the Wraith's territory, which I always go for.
After taking out the Wraiths one by one stealthily, Iris asks you to help her get her ride back. And as a big fan of the nomad lifepath and the nomad clan in general, I know how important it is to have a good set of wheels in the Badlands. So, naturally, I'm always going to get her van back for her to boot. Driving Iris back to Dakota in her rescued vehicle is a great way to close the gig, too, since she'll tell you more about herself on the road – and you also get a bonus reward.
6. Woman of La Mancha
District: Watson (Kabuki)
Fixer: Regina Smith
The Woman of La Mancha gig is another quest that also gives me detective vibes. Heading down into the market, you have to search for Anna Hamill, a good cop in a bad city who's started digging into a smuggling racket case. Trouble is, she's starting to come close to the seedy nature of her colleagues, and uncovering the truth could very well put her in danger. Enter V, who has to try and convince Anna to stop her work and get the hell out of the city before things escalate any further.
How you locate her is part of the fun from a role-play perspective, because you can go around the market showing her picture to various stall merchants and people until you learn where she's residing. And, if you're a nomad, you can also speak to a fellow clan member who will have some unique dialogue. Of course, you're essentially working for crooked cops here, and while you can take her out of the picture yourself, the lesser evil is talking her down and sending her on her way. Gigs are nothing if not morally grey at times, and this is one such example.
5. A Lack of Empathy
District: City Center (Corpo Plaza)
Fixer: Dino Dinovic
I love a good agent saboteur gig, and A Lack of Empathy is one of my top picks for this style of objective. Fixer Dino Dinovic tells you about the dealings of a club called Empathy, which you have to try and infiltrate to upload a virus to the building's net. You're doing it in the name of client Larry Fanghorn, who originally opened Empathy with his friend Adam Ibrahimovic. Once the club starts getting popular, things between the two friends take a sour turn, and Adam locks Larry out of the club's access codes and hires a bunch of bouncers from the Animals gang. So, we're going to stop Empathy's operations with a handy dandy virus.
Navigating the club and its many bouncers is a stealthy challenge I always relish accomplishing – especially since you'll be asked to deposit your guns at the door if you decide to enter that way – and there are some great role-play aspects to the gig, too, as you scour for the right opportunity to make to the main computer. I always love to scope out the place from the bar, where I can knock back a drink and speak with the bartender for more information.
4. Waiting for Dodger (Phantom Liberty)
District: Pacifica (Dogtown)
Fixer: Mr. Hands
There are many memorable gigs in the Phantom Liberty expansion, and Waiting for Dodger is undoubtedly one of them. Assigned with helping out two cops who have gotten caught up in a rather… bloody situation, you first set out to meet with Stella, the client of the gig who also happens to be the fiance of one of the cops in question. She tells you the cops are being held prisoner in an old police station that's turned into a local drug stop for gang members.
Navigating your way to the cops takes some work since it's full of enemies, but once you reach them, it only gets messier from there. They make quite the comedic pair as you try to help them out of the station, with some expected instances that draw enemies right to you. Plus, you'll also face one of Dogtown's big names, and even get your hands on a mighty fine gun in the process.
3. Road to Redemption (Phantom Liberty)
District: Pacifica (Dogtown)
Fixer: Mr. Hands
It's not everyday you're asked to try and thwart a terrorist organization known as the Crimson Harvest by one of its own members, but that's exactly what Road to Redemption is all about. That member is client Nele Springer, who talks about her involvement with the Crimson Harvest and insists they're not terrorists, but she's stopped agreeing with the means they've started taking to accomplish their ends.
Those means happen to be a bomb, which you have to go and disable in a weapons factory that's located in an old swimming pool complex in Dogtown. The area itself gives you plenty to contend with, since it's heavily fortified by lots of gang members and robots alike. Once you make your way to the bomb and put a stop to their plans, you'll then meet Nele in a clandestine spot and be faced with a choice that will determine her fate. It's not a clear cut decision to make, either, which makes it a great one to try out multiple times to change up your approach.
2. Heaviest of Hearts (Phantom Liberty)
District: Pacifica (Dogtown)
Fixer: Mr. Hands
Heaviest of Hearts presented me with a choice that typifies what makes the Phantom Liberty expansion so compelling. You'll so often have to make a decision with no clear cut outcome, and you're thrown into complex situations that are all shades of grey. What, do you example, in a case you've taken on for a father who wants to help his son. The son in question is called Eric, and he runs a "legit" motorcycle repair shop in Heywood. But a DA by the name of Georgina Zembinksy wants to "turn him into an example" to get to be a Valentino kingpin. The father claims he was forced to testify against his own son by Zembinsky, and he asks you to get rid of the testimony to save Eric from prison.
Of course, once you head to the Heavy Hearts club in Dogtown and try to stealthily reach the DA in the VIP booth, you hear the other side of the story, and even get to watch the testimony for yourself. Getting through the club is challenging in its own right, but the different choices you'll be able to make at the end of gig make this one of the best to revisit more than once.
1. Psychofan
District: Heywood (The Glen)
Fixer: Sebastian Ibarra
One of my all-time favorite gigs is undoubtedly Psychofan. You're essentially asked to break into a fancy high-rise apparently of a Kerry Eurodyne superfan to get your hands on one of Kerry's guitars. The apartment is almost like a shrine to all things Samurai (and you can even get your hands on Silverhand's leather pants to wear. What I enjoy most about this gig is just how involved Johnny is, since he'll reminisce about Samurai (music) gigs whenever you interact with one of the many posters that decorate the fan's home.
There's some other rather humorous band-related content too, including a Silverhand and Eurodyne fan fic, and you'll also see a photo of Kerry posing with the home owner. As easy as it is to swipe the guitar and be on your merry way, the gig is such a treat to experience time and again thanks to Johnny's lines and the memorabilia you get to see.
For more, check out our pick of the best RPGs or read our Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty review.
