When you start a new playthrough ofCyberpunk 2077, one of the first decisions you’ll have to make is which Life Path you want to choose for your character. Here’s a look at which Life Path you should pick inCyberpunk 2077, including our pick for the best choice.
There are three Life Paths to choose from in Cyberpunk 2077, but the one I found most impactful was Corpo.
Overall, what Life Path you choose in Cyberpunk 2077 doesn’t really change the game in any drastic way. You should really pick what you feel is best, since it’s going to add some nice flavor in terms of characteristics, dialogue options, and side missions to really make your character feel like they came from that particular background. With that in mind, here are all of the Life Paths in Cyberpunk 2077, why you might want to choose them, and why Corpo is a good choice if you’re on the fence.
Good For: Immersion
The Street Kid Life Path in Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the most immersive of the options you can choose. Your background for V will be that you’re born and raised in the struggles of being broke in Night City. In the Prologue, V tries moving to Atlanta to start a new life. However, things don’t work, so they head back to Night City to start over, where they meet and befriend Jackie Welles as big, bad mercs.
The Street Kid Path Life Path in Cyberpunk 2077 sets up a very believable story, and you’ll get a lot of Night City street-smart dialogue options that will help you navigate the various gangs in the underworld. It’s the more standard of the Life Paths, and probably the least impactful. It’s a great choice but far from the most interesting one that you could make.
Good For: A great intro and excellent vehicles
The Nomad Life Path in Cyberpunk 2077 is like choosing to move from the Wild West to Night City. This background sees V grow up in the desert badlands surrounding Night City. Originally part of a clan in the area, V leaves after clashing with them and looks for a fresh start in Night City. They take a job smuggling contraband across the border with Jackie Wells.
The Nomad Life Path ends up having the most intense intro of all three. Featuring cars, combat, and action right off the bat. As you progress through the game, your extra dialogue options will lean into V learning to adapt to city life.
Related: All Hidden Trophies & Achievements for Cyberpunk 2077
Partway through the main story, you’ll also gain access to a Nomad-specific side quest, “These Boots Are Made for Walkin.” This side quest lets you go back after the pretty sweet vehicle you were using during the prologue and acquire it again. Getting an awesome new vehicle is a pretty great reason alone for choosing this Life Path!
Good For: Great and useful dialogue options
The Corpo Life Path in Cyberpunk 2077 is pretty awesome! You start out as a higher-up working at Arasaka. You get to boss around your employees before being dragged into the big boss’ office and told to go assassinate his annoying corporate rival. You get to see what it’s like on the inside of these big corporate organizations, and it sure is fascinating. You also get a ton of Corpo dialogue options that can really come in handy, especially when you’re dealing with any missions involving other corporations! It’s a Life Path that makes you feel like an important badass until you get stabbed in the back and end up going for the mercenary life with Jackie Welles instead.
I found the influence of this Life Path to carry the most weight throughout my playthrough. You’ll be above most others in Night City in terms of intelligence. Your keen business sense will also let you feel out when you’re being played by others. You’ll be able to negotiate better mission rewards and even entirely different paths to take in certain missions with your Corpo dialogue options as well. Overall, I would say that this is the best Life Path to go for. It’s interesting, fun and impactful!
That covers all the Life Paths you can choose from inCyberpunk 2077. Despite Corpo being my favorite, you should choose whichever sounds the most fun to you personally.
Cyberpunk 2077 is available on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. If you’re looking for more, check out our explanation of when Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty takes place on the game’s timeline.
The above article was updated on 3/14/2025 by Escapist Editorial to add more information for those choosing a Life Path in Cyberpunk 2077.
