In the Cyberpunk RED Easy Mode - Free Basic Rules, just the basic rules and lore to get started have been included. For the full Dark Future lore and all the advanced rules, check out the Cyberpunk RED Core Book!

Night City is located near the junction of Northern and Southern California and serves as the default setting for Cyberpunk RED.

Night City was founded rather recently as cities go. Before 1994, the area was just a clutter of small towns and unincorporated sprawl. During the Collapse, an enterprising land developer named Richard Night bought up much of the land and began work on what he envisioned as a new, safe, and clean corporate city free of crime and urban blight. Unfortunately, Richard Night was shortly thereafter assassinated and his dream transformed into a nightmare.

By 2020, Night City was a rapidly growing urban region, still rife with violence and crime but with strong economic growth thanks to the presence of multiple Megacorps. The quintessential city of the Cyberpunk future, it fell near to ruin during the 4th Corporate War when a nuclear device was set off in Arasaka Tower, in the city’s beating Corporate heart.

During the Time of the Red, Night City is healing from the ravages of the last tumultuous decades. But it should never be forgotten that like most of America, Night City is still an armed society under a blanket of appalling poverty, violence, and inequity. It's not uncommon to see as many guns as briefcases on the crowded City streets; and while the worst days of chaos may be over, the danger still remains—society's rule collapsed before and may yet do so again. History can repeat itself, and there's always another gang just around the corner, waiting for its chance to come out on top, no matter what the cost. This was the bitter lesson America was learning at the end of the 20th century.

Today, services are spotty, the law is chancy, and you can't run the NET to the edge of space anymore, much less grab an Orbital Air luxury flight up to the Crystal Palace. But in general, things still work in Night City. You may not be able to get the latest digital Agent or the best weapons on the market (there's still a major problem with supply chains that were disrupted by the War), but thanks to the explosion of rooftop and green-wall gardens, bandit solar collectors, and refabbed hardware from your friendly neighborhood Tech, you're actually eating better (when you eat), have access to more reliable power and gear, and can even count on the local Fixer setting you up with new drugs and new cyberware right off the Streets.

It's not the Golden Age of the 2020s, choomba. But The Street still works.

Night City Breakdown

In the process of rebuilding, Night City in 2045 is a constantly changing labyrinth of ruins and construction. In general, the city can be broken down into the following districts.

The Old Bank Block: Housing all of the old banks of Night City, the Bank Block is mostly rubble but it was never cleared out officially.

The Old City Center: Only radioactive ruins remain of the once-bustling City Center.

The Old Corporate Center: Once the heart of the Corporations of Night City, the Corporate Center is a ruin of its former glory.

The Old Medical Center: Largely irradiated, the Old Medical Center houses many hospitals buried under rubble.

The Glen: A burgeoning new district which contains most of the important governmental buildings of Night City.

Little Europe: A divided district composed of tightly knit neighborhoods made up of old brick buildings and tall skyscrapers alike.

NorCal Military Base: A heavily fortified military base north of Night City, staffed primarily by Militech soldiers. Mostly shut off from the rest of the City.

Pacifica Playground: A largely Corporate sponsored district built around the Playland by the Sea amusement park, which is in the midst of massive development.

Upper Marina: A bustling urban district with a mix of old industrial zones and gentrified "International" style neighborhoods built around a well-maintained marina.

University District: A slim district on the edge of the Combat Zones which houses the city's only still functioning university.

Watson Development: A developing district where megabuildings and arcologies are being built to house the thousands of homeless from the War. Much of Night City's Asian population has moved to the Watson neighborhood colloquially known as Kabuki.

The Executive Zone: A new Zone with only one district for the safety and pleasure of the Corporate elite, carved out of the open hills surrounding the City.

Old Japantown: A once, popular Japanese cultural center that fell into chaos and disrepair during the 4th Corporate War. Much of the population has moved to Watson and the area is now mostly empty save for the gangs.

Little China: A sprawling, dangerous Chinatown with many small communities fighting to stay alive.

Old Combat Zone: A district of the City long ago abandoned to the gangs and psychos, the Old Combat Zone is the seed that the rest of the Combat Zones grew from.

South Night City: An industrial sprawl, filled with trigger-happy gangs and abandoned warehouses repurposed into hide-outs and headquarters.

Heywood: A truly overpacked sector of the City, housing a large percentage of the City's population and already starting to divide based on wealth and power—The rich in the north, the poor in the south (who call the area Santo Domingo instead).

Heywood Industrial Zone: The largest industrial zone in the City, overflowing with warehouses, construction equipment, factories, and even some derelict cargo ships.

New Westbrook: An urban sprawl built in the remains of the original Executive Zone, still gleaming with glitz and glam, but now packed with homeless citizens who either fled other areas of Night City because of the War or who were pushed out more recently by the ongoing gentrification of the Rebuilding Urban Center.

Rancho Coronado: A vast stretch of old Beaverville style housing, taken over by tent cities and industrial zones that have grown out of the corpses of previous mini-malls.

Neocorps & Megacorps of Night City

The following Corps all have a strong presence in Night City.

Biotechnica: Creators of CHOOH2, they’ve cornered the market on biotechnology and genetic engineering.

Continental Brands: A food production company and owner of The Oasis chain of markets. They violently oppose any competition.

Danger Gal: A private investigation service with a J-Pop flair.

Militech: An American Megacorp specializing in arms, military equipment, and mercenaries. The Corporate arm of the American military.

Network 54: The largest media Corp in the world. The biggest content producer in Night City.

Petrochem: The world’s leading producer of CHOOH2, the transportation fuel of the Dark Future.

Rocklin Augmentics: Producers of cyberlimbs and other structural enhancements.

SovOil: A leading producer of petrochemical products.

Trauma Team: A subscription based ambulance and paramedic service.

Zhirafa: Manufacturer of drones, autonomous robotics, and construction mecha.

Ziggurat: The backbone of modern communications and data.

Gangs of Night City

Night City is home to a number of different gangs, all vying for power and territory. Here’s just a few.

6th Street: A vigilante gang born from veterans of the 4th Corporate War.

The Bozos: A pack of lethal and sadistic pranksters who have biosculpted themselves to look like clowns.

Inquisitors: A cult gang who believe cyberware is blasphemous and think nothing of tearing it right out of you.

Maelstrom: A classic boostergang, where might makes right and metal is better than meat.

Philharmonic Vampyres: A gang known for their elaborate pranks and sometimes gothic fashion sense.

Piranhas: A typical party gang. They party, drink, take drugs and mug people all as part of a “just because” lifestyle.

Reckoners: An apocalyptic cult that believes in the coming Harvest of Souls. They’re happy to take donations off your dead body.

Tyger Claws: A dangerous protector gang in the Asian community known for their fast bikes, enhanced reflexes, and killer martial arts.

#DATA
These aren’t even all the gangs of Night City. Find more in the Cyberpunk RED Core Book.