Cyberpunk 2077‘s protagonist goes by “V,” but what’s their real name. Throughout the game, players will meet people that go by handles like “Rogue,” but what does V stand for, and why are they called that? The answer to those questions lies in Cyberpunk 2077, but they’re answered in a segment that’s easily overlooked.
Warning: Spoilers below.
What does V stand for in Cyberpunk 2077?
Players aren’t given an indicator that “V” stands for anything in particular when the game starts. It’s evident that’s not their real name, but it’s hard not to wonder why they’re called that. Well, it’s simpler than players probably anticipated. V is simply the first letter of the protagonist’s first name in Cyberpunk 2077.
The masculine V’s real name is Vincent, and the feminine V is Valerie. This is revealed when V has to visit one of the dolls in the Cloud Club in the mission “Automatic Love.” Before speaking with the doll, the receptionist scans V via their neural link to determine which dolls they’re compatible with. Part of the data scanned is V’s real name.
When V goes to visit the doll, it has downloaded the data and calls V by their real name. Players get the choice to ignore it or to state that it makes them uncomfortable, and only people close to them can use their real name.
Other than this incident, we haven’t seen Vincent or Valerie’s real name used in the game. Very little of their past is revealed in general, and besides the info, we’re given as part of the lifepath choice, V’s history is a bit of a mystery. It’s possible that the game delves into their past more in a quest we haven’t yet played, but it’s also possible that CD Projekt Red wants to leave a bit to the player’s imagination.
