Cyberpunk 2077 – Hidden Side Missions, Easter‑Eggs & Rare Loot Locations Guide
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Short answer: Cyberpunk 2077’s best-hidden content is a handful of side jobs the journal never lists up front (Machine Gun, The Highwayman, Space Oddity), a secret ending you unlock by waiting on a rooftop, and dozens of film and game references around Night City. Each one below says exactly where it starts and what you get.
This guide covers the base game. Every location and reward was checked against the sources listed at the end on 8 November 2026. If something has moved in a later patch, tell us and we will re-check it.
Hidden side jobs you can miss
Machine Gun: Skippy, the talking pistol
- Where: an alley in Heywood, next to a body and a padded gun case labelled “Skippy”.
- How it starts: pick up the pistol. The job does not appear in your journal yet. Skippy asks you to choose a mode: “Stone Cold Killer” (lethal) or “Puppy-Loving Pacifist” (non-lethal).
- The hidden part: after about 48 in-game hours Skippy remembers its owner, Regina Jones, and Machine Gun becomes a real job. After 50 kills or knockdowns, once you are out of combat, Skippy switches to the other mode and locks it.
- Reward: return Skippy to Regina for €$7,420 and XP, or keep the gun.
The Highwayman: the Arch Nazare “Itsumade”
- Go to the gun shop on the east side of Rancho Coronado. Behind it, a garage hides a broken motorcycle and a laptop. Reading the laptop starts the job.
- Find James on the bench with the “J & J” heart in Japantown, near the Japantown West fast travel point.
- Go to the Metro: Glen North fast travel point and scan for blood. Follow the trail to Josie’s body and take the datashard.
- The shard sends you to the All Foods plant in Watson. The garage with the horse poster opens with code
0214.
Reward: the Nazare “Itsumade” motorcycle, added to your vehicles.
Space Oddity: a drop pod from orbit
In the south of Santo Domingo, a group of homeless men are trying to open a corpo briefcase. Threaten them (Body check) or pay them for it. Follow the blood trail to the owner’s body for the access card, or hack the case (Intelligence check). Running launch.exe on the case brings a pod down about two kilometres south in the Badlands, guarded by seven Militech soldiers. Inside is the painting “Untitled 18 – Brancesi, 2021”, which later hangs in V’s apartment.
Big in Japan: the Scalpel katana
Any time after the main job “The Heist”, Dennis Cranmer is waiting in the Afterlife in Watson. He sends you to a shipping container at the end of a pier in the Kabuki slums. At the end, the Scalpel katana lies on the drums to the left. It is not handed to you, so pick it up yourself. You also get €$990 and Street Cred.
Bullets: the clothing shop discount
At the Jinguji clothing shop downtown, talk to the vendor, Zane Jagger, a second time. This starts Bullets, which is easy to miss entirely. When it is done the shop reopens after a few days and gives V a discount.
The secret ending: (Don’t Fear) The Reaper
This ending sends V and Johnny into Arasaka Tower alone. It depends on how you treat Johnny in his side jobs, not on any single stat.
- Finish the main job paths with Evelyn Parker, Anders Hellman and Hanako Arasaka.
- Complete Tapeworm. This unlocks Johnny’s side job Chippin’ In.
- In Chippin’ In, at the oil fields after Rogue leaves, choose: “The guy who saved my life”, “What do you want from me?”, “OK. But as second chances go, this is your last” and “Yeah, I’ll call Rogue.” Friendly answers in the rest of the talk help too.
- Complete Rogue’s side job Blistering Love, then save.
- Start Nocturne Op55N1. On the rooftop, choose to let Johnny and Rogue go to Arasaka. When Johnny asks if you are sure, do nothing for about five minutes.
- Johnny offers a new option: the two of you take on Arasaka Tower alone. Pick it.
Before you start: Nocturne Op55N1 is the point of no return for side content, and this ending has almost no checkpoints. If V dies, the game ends and the credits roll. Go in at a high level with your best gear, and keep a save from before the rooftop.
Easter eggs and where to find them
| Reference | Where to find it |
|---|---|
| The Witcher 3 magazine | Corpo lifepath only: top right drawer of your desk at Arasaka |
| Roach (The Witcher’s horse) | The Roach Race arcade cabinet |
| Hideo Kojima | A patron in the Konpeki Plaza bar during “The Heist” |
| Portal’s GLaDOS | Side job Epistrophy in Coastview: talk to Delamain at the cab and listen for a mention of cake |
| Demolition Man’s three seashells | Next to the toilet in V’s apartment |
| Ghost in the Shell | Judy’s caller icon, a ghost rising from a shell |
| Blade Runner’s Roy Batty | Batty’s Hotel in Pacifica, visited in “M’ap Tann Pèlen” |
| Mike Pondsmith, creator of Cyberpunk | Pondsmith Street in Japantown |
| 10 Cloverfield Lane | A bunker under one of the wind turbines on the east edge of the map |
| Fallout’s Vault 101 | Badlands, south near the border crossing: a “Bunker 101” LARP that ended badly |
| Mad Max: Fury Road | A War Rig fuel truck in the south of the map, with a shard naming “Charlize Fury” |
Rare rewards from these jobs at a glance
| Reward | Type | Job |
|---|---|---|
| Skippy | Talking smart pistol | Machine Gun |
| Nazare “Itsumade” | Motorcycle | The Highwayman |
| Scalpel | Katana | Big in Japan |
| Untitled 18 – Brancesi, 2021 | Painting for V’s apartment | Space Oddity |
| Jinguji discount | Shop discount | Bullets |
Sources
- GameSpot: How to unlock the secret ending
- PowerPyx: Machine Gun walkthrough
- PowerPyx: Big in Japan walkthrough
- Shacknews: The Highwayman quest guide
- Cyberpunk Wiki: Space Oddity
- Screen Rant: Hidden quests and secrets
- PC Gamer: Cyberpunk 2077 easter egg list
- Digital Trends: Best easter eggs and where to find them
Last checked against sources: 8 November 2026.
