Night City is packed with secrets, and some of the best loot and lore are completely missable. From hidden weapons and outfits to wild Easter eggs and tribute encounters, this guide covers 25 free gifts you can stumble upon in Cyberpunk 2077. Whether you’re hunting legendary gear or just love weird side stories, make sure you don’t miss these hidden gems across the city and Badlands.
All 25 Missable Free Gifts
Here’s how you can get/locate all 25 of the free gifts available in Cyberpunk 2077:
Note: You can click on the images to enlarge them
1. Osprey Sniper
The Osprey sniper rifle is a hidden weapon you can find during the “Birds With Broken Wings” quest in the Phantom Liberty expansion. It’s in a crate inside the FIA hideout, but the game doesn’t point it out, so it’s easy to miss. The gun has three firing modes single shot, burst, and full auto making it very versatile. It works a bit like a battle rifle from other games and is very satisfying to use.
2. Hell Lake 3 Set
In the Eastern Badlands, just north of the desert film set, you can find a creepy abandoned movie location. It’s filled with mannequins lying face-down in a fake pool of blood. This was the set for a horror movie called Hell Lake 3. A data shard nearby explains that the studio was shut down after it lost funding, so they couldn’t even clean up the set. It doesn’t lead to any secrets, but it’s a cool hidden spot to check out.
3. Children of the Ark
In the southern Badlands, northeast of a fuel station, there’s a disturbing scene where real bodies are connected to a computer system. According to a shard found nearby, a group of people believed they could escape an AI takeover by uploading their minds into a digital space called the “Ark.” They destroyed their physical bodies to try and survive in cyberspace. It’s mysterious and very similar to a plan from the main story.
4. Tom’s Diner Easter Egg
If you go up to the roof of Tom’s Diner and look through the binoculars, zoom in on a red bird sitting nearby. It’s actually a symbol for CD Projekt Red. When you do this, a photo of the development team will pop up on your screen, showing them waving at a drone camera. You can keep the image up as long as you like. It’s a nice thank-you from the creators of the game.
5. Scorch Pistol
The Scorch pistol is a free weapon that you can get in your stash at the very start of the game. To unlock it, just link your game account (like Steam or Xbox) to GOG.com and claim the free Gwent game. The pistol sets enemies on fire, and if they’re already burning, it doesn’t use up ammo. It’s a fun and powerful early-game weapon with a cool reference to The Witcher series.
6. Rogue I, Robot
Near Arasaka Industrial Park in Rancho Coronado, you’ll find a rogue robot standing over a group of dead bodies. When you get close, it attacks. The people it killed were trying to reset the robot and sell it on the black market, but it went haywire. This is a reference to the I, Robot story, where robots are supposed to follow strict moral rules—but this one clearly didn’t. It’s a small but interesting side encounter.
7. Tom’s Diner Cops
Tom’s Diner in City Center has been completely taken over by the NCPD. There are officers eating, talking, and even a MaxTac unit relaxing inside in full gear. You’ll also find a MaxTac vehicle parked outside. You can try stealing it, but if you do, everyone inside the diner, including MaxTac, will start shooting. It’s a fun new detail that came with the 2.2 update.
8. Jax Kermith XBD Scroller
In a hidden alley in Vista Del Rey, you’ll find the body of Jax Kermith, a twisted brain dance creator. He made extremely disturbing content that involved feeding victims until their stomachs burst. It seems one of his viewers or maybe a victim’s family member decided to take revenge. It’s a dark reminder of the kind of messed-up people that exist in Night City and that justice doesn’t always come from V.
9. New Needles BTTF Reference
At the north side docks at night, you can witness two cars playing chicken near the water. One swerves into the ocean while the other speeds off. If you dive in after the sunken car, you’ll find a shard telling the story of a man named Needles—an Easter egg referencing Back to the Future. In that movie, Needles taunted Marty McFly into bad decisions by calling him “chicken.” The shard also hints at cyber-drugs and black market items like Endotri, adding more layers to this clever homage.
10. Trauma Drama Rewards
Update 2.2 makes it easier to beat the high score in the Trauma Drama arcade game. Instead of finishing all 18 stages without dying, you can now die a few times and still win as long as you keep your deaths minimal. Once you beat the high score, you’ll receive a funny “internship offer” via email that gets instantly rejected. But there’s still a reward! Head to the medical center to get a mini Trauma Team AV that flies around your apartment and a full Trauma Team uniform to wear. A fun reward for a tough challenge!
11. New Crystalcoat Twintones
In update 2.2, the game expanded vehicle customization. Now, you can add custom twintone paint jobs to more cars, not just Rayfields. You can apply these to Herrera, Mitsutani, Quadra, and Villefort models. Some designs are simple, while others are marked as “unique” and only work on specific vehicles. They cost 250 eddies each, which is very cheap in-game. You’ll find most of them in upscale areas like North Oak or Gold Beach Marina.
12. Smartframes IRL Photos
You can now decorate your in-game apartment walls with your photo mode pictures using Smartframes. These pull directly from the Cyberpunk 2077 photo folder on your PC. Even better, you can add real-life photos by placing them (in PNG and 16:9 format) in that same folder. This means you can personalize your apartment with anything, from real photos to memes or even screenshots from other games. Seeing yourself inside the game world adds a cool and surreal touch to your space.
13. Ian Zane Cop Face-Off
In the southeast Badlands, you’ll stumble upon a shootout between Ian Zane and a group of cops. After Zane digs up a hidden suitcase full of money, he’s shot on the spot, followed by the cops turning on each other over the cash. You arrive in time to clean up and loot the scene. There’s a solid cash reward and a unique solo shard, making it a satisfying little story tucked away from the main path.
14. Rocky Ridge Bunker
South of Hell Lake in Rocky Ridge, there’s a survival bunker hidden beneath a trailer. The journal inside reveals it belonged to a doomsday prepper from the Unification War. He believed the end had come and hunkered down here. By 2077, he’s long gone but his shelter is stocked with weapons, supplies, and lore worth discovering.
15. New Character Customisations
Ripperdocs now offer more cosmetic upgrades in 2.2, including eye mods with logos or symbols, fresh lip and nail art like Trauma Team branding, and new faceplates. A standout is the bullet scar, referencing V’s near-death experience early in the story. These new options let you really refine your look or match NPCs more closely.
16. New Photo Mode Abilities
Photo Mode got a big upgrade: you can now add characters to scenes, place custom light sources, and adjust settings like contrast and brightness. A fun surprise is the “Justice for Rebecca” sticker, nodding to Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. There’s also a new option to disable camera collision, letting you fly through locked doors to see what’s behind them—great for curious explorers.
17. Roach Race Rewards
Roach Race is a retro arcade game hidden across Night City, filled with Witcher references. The music is a pixel remix of Witcher 3’s soundtrack, and the high score belongs to “Zerel,” likely a nod to Ciri. To beat it, you’ll need to survive 7–8 levels while collecting apples and carrots. Do that, and you’ll receive a text unlocking a shard and the Roach Whisperer outfit, perfect for revolver builds. The shard humorously reveals Roach ran off after learning she wasn’t Geralt’s only horse—a fun, lore-rich Easter egg.
18. Arasaka Table Hologram
If you reach the Arasaka rainforest boardroom in certain endings, try casting the “Distract Enemies” quickhack on the table. Instead of the usual distraction, a giant Sir John Phallustiff hologram appears, prompting guards to call in a comical “Code 69.” It’s not tied to any item or reward, just classic Cyberpunk humor for fans who love the weird and unexpected.
19. Moon Cannon Strike
In the Badlands, conspiracy theorist Peter Feldheimer contacts a base on the Moon to report that mayoral candidate Weldon Holt is working with Arasaka. While his theory is actually true, the Moon team isn’t interested. After repeated warnings to stop, a pinpoint orbital strike instantly obliterates Peter, leaving only his shoes behind. A darkly hilarious example of messing with the wrong people in Cyberpunk.
20. 8YAGA
West of Megabuilding H2, a hidden shack holds a chilling cyber-twist on the Baba Yaga myth. Inside, you’ll find caged victims and a shard revealing “8YAGA,” a Netrunner who lured kids from the Blackwall to feast on their bodies. Her reign ended when the brother of a victim traced her and flatlined her. Loot her legendary Netrunner suit—one of the creepiest and most well-crafted side stories in the game.
21. Balatro Treasure Hunt
After getting a text from clown “Jim B,” you begin a scavenger hunt tied to the roguelike card game Balatro. You’ll track down 10 hidden Joker cards across Night City using screenshot clues. Locations range from the Columbarium to Jig-Jig Street. Finish the hunt and you’ll earn a Joker T-shirt and card ornament for your apartment—a short, stylish crossover with cool rewards.
22. Terminator 2 Easter Egg
In Arroyo’s storm drains, you’ll find Arnold Blake trying to rescue Jimmy O’Connor from a disguised cop who turns out to be a cyborg. During the firefight, the “cop” transforms, heavily referencing Terminator 2. Arnold is killed, but Jimmy likely escapes. It’s a fun and creative reinterpretation of a classic scene, right down to the robotic transformation mid-fight.
23. Bartolomeo Mordellini Stash
Just near the Terminator scene, there’s a hidden garage tied to party kingpin Bartolomeo Mordellini, whom you may remember from the Konpeki Heist. The stash is tied to his drug operation and includes supplies meant for a yacht party. It’s a subtle world-building detail that ties in with Night City’s seedy underbelly and CDPR’s knack for interconnected lore.
24. Taken
In Northside, a corpo dad arrives to rescue his kidnapped daughter from Maelstrom. Sadly, after finding her, he suffers a heart attack. Maelstrom rips out his biomon to stop Trauma Team—but the alert still goes through. While he dies, his daughter survives. You can loot his bulletproof blazer. It’s a grim but powerful nod to Taken, Cyberpunk-style.
25. Butt Kicker
In Pacifica, John Arenson, aka “Butt Kicker,” tries to clean up the streets like a low-budget superhero. Wearing makeshift armor, recording with a drone, and carrying a police radio, he dies after trying to scale a wall. His weapons and gear are lootable. It’s a touching and absurd tribute to wannabe heroes—and to Kick-Ass.
