‘A Major Letdown’: Why Cyberpunk 2077’s Romance System Is Still Sparking Heavy Backlash Among Fans
CYBERPUNK 2077 PLAYERS ARE SAVAGELY TRASHING THE GAME’S ROMANCE SYSTEM AGAIN AND THEY ARE NOT WRONG 🚨 If you thought Update 2.0 or Phantom Liberty fixed Night City’s lonely dating scene, think again!
The community is in complete uproar: thousands of disappointed fans across Reddit and Discord are calling out CD Projekt Red over the extremely strict orientation locks, criminally short dating quests, and total lack of new romance partners in the DLC! One single design decision essentially forced half the player base into unwanted relationships just to see endgame content, while favorite characters like Reed and Songbird got zero romance options! Are you stuck in a dry spell in Night City, or did you manage to score the only romance option your V was actually allowed to date? 👇🔥
Despite the widespread critical redemption of Cyberpunk 2077 following Update 2.0 and the critically acclaimed Phantom Liberty expansion, one core RPG mechanic continues to leave a bitter taste in the community’s mouth: the game’s surprisingly restricted romance system.
What was originally marketed during pre-launch campaigns as a deep, fluid, and expansive adult dating simulator within a futuristic metropolis has, in reality, remained one of the most rigidly constrained features of CD Projekt Red’s flagship title. Across r/cyberpunkgame, X, Discord servers, and TikTok, players are voicing fresh frustration over gender-locked choices, the complete absence of new romance options in Dogtown, and the shallow nature of post-relationship interactions.
As the development team fully shifts focus toward the game’s upcoming sequel (codenamed Project Orion), community analysts and disappointed fans are taking a critical look back at why Cyberpunk 2077’s dating mechanics fell short of expectations—and what needs to change for the future of the franchise.
The Core Problem: Strict Gender Locks and Ultra-Narrow Choices
At the heart of the community’s discontent is the mathematical reality of Cyberpunk 2077’s romance options. While the game features dozens of memorable characters across its sprawling narrative, there are only four primary, long-term romantic options for V, alongside two minor fling options.
Furthermore, CD Projekt Red implemented strict sexual orientation and voice/body-type restrictions for each main interest:
Judy Alvarez: Exclusive to Female V (Female body type + Female voice tone).
Panam Palmer: Exclusive to Male V (Male body type).
Kerry Eurodyne: Exclusive to Male V (Male body type + Male voice tone).
River Ward: Exclusive to Female V (Female body type).
Because of these rigid parameters, a player committing to a single playthrough does not actually have four choices—they effectively have only two choices, regardless of whether their V is heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual.
“In a world where people can swap limbs, alter their nervous systems, and rewrite their physical identities at a street-side Ripperdoc, it feels bizarrely archaic that dating options are locked behind strict anatomical and vocal tags,” wrote one prominent Reddit user in a thread that amassed over 4,500 upvotes. “If you play a straight Male V, your choice isn’t ‘who do you like best?’—your choice is ‘Panam or nobody.'”
The Male V vs. Female V Disparity Debate
The community division grows even sharper when evaluating the quality and pacing of the four individual romance storylines.
Panam Palmer & Judy Alvarez: The Gold Standard
It is widely acknowledged across Reddit and YouTube build communities that Panam Palmer and Judy Alvarez received the lion’s share of developer attention. Both characters are deeply integrated into the main plot, possess extensive multi-stage questlines, influence major ending scenarios (such as “The Star” ending with the Aldecaldos), and offer rich emotional depth.
River Ward & Kerry Eurodyne: The Forgotten Options
Conversely, male options River Ward and Kerry Eurodyne are frequently criticized on community forums as feeling rushed, afterthought additions:
River Ward’s romance triggers late in the game through an isolated side-investigation chain that feels disconnected from V’s overarching fight for survival.
Kerry Eurodyne’s questline occurs so late in Act 3 that many players accidentally complete the campaign before ever encountering him. Furthermore, older lore fans point out the awkward dynamic of V dating Johnny Silverhand’s former bandmate while Johnny resides inside V’s head.
This imbalance leaves players who choose to romance male characters feeling heavily shortchanged compared to those pursuing Judy or Panam.
Phantom Liberty’s Biggest Miss: No Romances in Dogtown
When CD Projekt Red announced the spy-thriller expansion Phantom Liberty, fans eagerly anticipated new romantic avenues within the dangerous, lawless enclave of Dogtown. Speculation ran wild over potential sparks with charismatic government agent Solomon Reed (voiced by Idris Elba) or elusive Netrunner Song So-Mi (Songbird).
However, players were met with complete silence on the romantic front. Phantom Liberty introduced zero new romance partners, keeping V’s personal life completely frozen within the confines of base Night City.
While developers defended this creative choice by citing the expansion’s tense, fast-paced political storyline, players on Reddit and TikTok argued that it missed a massive roleplaying opportunity.
“Songbird and V share one of the most intense, empathetic mental bonds in the entire game,” noted a popular narrative review on YouTube. “To have that relationship end purely in tactical tragedy without any romantic or deeper personal option felt like a massive creative wall.”
Patch 2.1 “I Really Want to Stay at Your House”: A Band-Aid on a Structural Issue?
To address long-standing complaints about post-romance content, CD Projekt Red released Update 2.1, introducing the repeatable “I Really Want to Stay at Your House” quest. This feature allows V to invite their established partner to any of V’s unlocked apartments for cuddling, dancing, showering together, and sleeping in the same bed.
While the community initially celebrated the addition—with clips of V dancing with Panam or Judy going viral across X and TikTok—the novelty quickly wore off for hardcore RPG fans.
Critics point out that the dialogues during these apartment visits are looped and non-interactive. Partners lack dynamic responses to late-game events, and once the brief animations finish, they revert to static NPCs standing in place.
“It’s a cute fan-service feature, but it doesn’t fix the underlying issue,” argued a Discord user during a lore discussion. “Night City still feels incredibly empty after you complete a character’s final loyalty quest.”
What Mods Tell Us About Player Desire
The sheer volume of user-created modifications on Nexus Mods serves as the ultimate proof of player dissatisfaction with the vanilla romance restrictions.
Some of the most downloaded mods in Cyberpunk 2077 history include:
Cyber Engine Tweaks Romance Toggles: Mods that remove gender restrictions, allowing Male V to romance Judy or Female V to romance Panam (using fully voiced unused audio files found hidden in the game’s original launch files).
Takemura & Meredith Extensions: Mods attempting to expand short flings—like the iconic encounter with Militech executive Meredith Stout or the unresolved tension with Arasaka bodyguard Goro Takemura—into full-fledged relationships.
Enhanced Companion Systems: Mods that allow romantic partners to accompany V on open-world mercenary gigs and offer real-time combat support.
The massive popularity of these community fixes demonstrates that players actively wanted a more flexible, open-ended approach to love in Night City.
Looking Ahead: Lessons for Project Orion
As CD Projekt Red turns its full development focus to the Cyberpunk sequel, the lingering complaints surrounding Cyberpunk 2077’s dating mechanics provide a clear roadmap for improvement.
Community consensus across Reddit and gaming forums highlights three mandatory changes for the next installment:
Player-Driven Orientation: Moving away from rigid body/voice locks toward more adaptable or expanded partner pools.
Pacing Equality: Ensuring all romantic candidates receive equal narrative weight, main-quest integration, and screen time.
Dynamic Post-Game Living: Developing reactive companion AI that acknowledges V’s status, streetcred, and story choices long after the main questlines wrap up.
Cyberpunk 2077 successfully created some of the most emotionally resonant individual characters in modern RPG history with Judy and Panam. However, by strictly bottlenecking player choice and leaving major expansion characters on the sidelines, Night City ultimately proved to be a far lonelier place than fans were led to believe.
