Cyberpunk 2077: How to romance River Ward

River Ward is a former detective in Cyberpunk 2077 and the only exclusive male option for female-bodied V’s with a feminine voice to romance.

This article will walk you through all of the quests you need to complete and all of the decisions you need to make if you want to romance this character if that’s what you’re interested in for your next Phantom Liberty playthrough.

Romancing River Ward in Cyberpunk 2077

You first encounter River Ward and begin the process of romancing him in one of Cyberpunk 2077’s many side quests. After you complete the “Life During Wartime” main quest, you have the option to start the I Fought the Law quest, which is where you meet River.

In I Fought the Law, you can complete the quest any way you want—none of your decisions here impact your relationship with him.

Once you get to The Hunt, on the other hand, start to pay attention. This mission sees you helping River save his nephew from serial killer Anthony Harris. The police aren’t acting competently enough to get the job done, so River takes matters into his own hands. You’ll have to an NPCD lab for clues in a braindance state at one point—if you scan all the clues, you’ll be brought to the correct farm. If not, you have to make the correct guess (the farm is called Edgewood). If you get this wrong, you’ll lose the chance to romance River.

Don’t worry, if you failed to get the clues, just go to Edgewood.

After all of this, River will ask you if it’s right for him to go out for revenge. Tell him either to not do it or that you’ll go for revenge together.

After the completion of this quest, wait for at least 24 in-game hours to pass and River will call you back. This sets you up for the cleverly (if a little bluntly) named Following the River which sees you meeting up with River for a talk on top of a water tower. He’ll get flirtatious with you, and at a certain point, you’ll be prompted to kiss him, which you should take. This sets you up for an intimate scene with River and a night spent by his side.

In the morning, you’ll be offered the option to kiss River again. If you want to make this a longer-lasting romantic relationship, take this option, followed up by saying “I feel good around you” when the dialogue pops up.

From here, River will be your boyfriend in your Cyberpunk 2077 playthrough and you can even get a special ending that includes him in Phantom Liberty.