How Bounty Hunting Works in Cyberpunk 2077

In a place as crime-ridden as Night City, the cops simply don’t have the time, resources, or manpower to bust every last punk. Seeing as Cyberpunk 2077’s V has several firearms and questionable moral values, they can take some of the pressure off the police by becoming a bounty hunter, busting punks and getting paid. Here’s how bounty hunting works in Cyberpunk 2077.

I Fought the Law and the Law Won

Throughout Night City, though especially in overtly hostile areas like gang hideouts and illegal operations, you can find NPCs that have been bountied by the NCPD. These bounties are ranked on a scale of one to five stars; a one-star bounty is your dime-a-dozen punk that pays peanuts, while a five-star bounty is a genuine threat to the city’s safety that pays out the nose. You’ll often stumble across these chumps in the middle of other missions and jobs, so whenever you spot one, you can deal with them for a quick paycheck and/or some street cred.

How to Spot Bounties

You can’t tell a thug apart from a bountied thug with your regular ol’ eyes, though. To find bounties, bring up your optical scanner (TAB key on keyboard, L1/LB on a controller) and scan a potential suspect. If they’re a plain old thug, you won’t get any different information than if you’d scanned a regular civilian, aside from their abilities and resistances.

However, if you’re lucky (or potentially unlucky), their profile will feature a warrant for their arrest from the NCPD, the class of their bounty, and what the reward is. Also, as an added bit of fun, their warrant will tell you what exactly they’re guilty of, if you feel like performing a quick Judge Dredd monologue.

If you’re put-off by the word “arrest,” don’t be. The NCPD’s morals are just as flexible as V’s, so all bounties are Dead or Alive. You can disable them with nonlethal weapons if you so choose, but you won’t receive any more or less stuff for it. As an added bonus, check a bounty’s body after you’ve dealt with them, and you’ll almost always receive a unique gun. It’s fine, they’re not using it.

• Read more: Best Ways to Make Money in Cyberpunk 2077