🌆 Cyberpunk RED World Bible
The definitive guide to Night City in the Time of the Red. Use this as your starting point for all world lore.
🗺️ Night City Overview
Night City is a city in crisis and recovery. The 4th Corporate War devastated the urban core, and the Time of the Red has transformed it into a patchwork of:
- Rebuilding zones rising from the ashes
- Combat zones ruled by gangs
- Overpacked suburbs crammed with refugees
- Corporate enclaves protected by private armies
Current Year: 2045 Population: ~5 million (estimated) Government: City Council (loose coalition of corps, Nomads, Edgerunners)
📚 Quick Navigation
🏙️ Districts & Locations
| Zone Type | Districts |
|---|---|
| Rebuilding Urban | Watson, The Glen, Little Europe, University District, Upper Marina, Pacifica |
| Combat Zones | Old Japantown, Little China, South Night City, Old Combat Zone |
| Overpacked Suburbs | Heywood, New Westbrook, Rancho Coronado |
| Executive Zone | Executive Zone |
| Hot Zone | Hot Zone (irradiated ruins) |
| Reclaimed Perimeter | Reclaimed Perimeter |
| Military | NorCal Military Base, Morro Rock |
🏢 Factions
| Type | Key Players |
|---|---|
| Megacorps | Arasaka, Militech, Biotechnica, Trauma Team, Petrochem, Rocklin Augmentics |
| Gangs | Maelstrom, Tyger Claws, 6th Street, Voodoo Boys, The Bozos |
| Nomad Families | Aldecaldos, Steel Vaqueros, Snakeheads |
| Other | NetWatch, MAX-TAC, Lazarus Security |
👥 Key People
| Category | Notable Figures |
|---|---|
| Legends | Johnny Silverhand, Morgan Blackhand, Rache Bartmoss, Rogue |
| Arasaka | Saburo Arasaka, Hanako Arasaka, Yorinobu Arasaka, Adam Smasher |
| Medias | Bes Isis, Fiona Hayes |
| Rockers | Kerry Eurodyne |
🕰️ History
- History of Night City — Full timeline
- Fourth Corporate War — The war that broke the world
- The DataKrash — Bartmoss’s revenge
- Time of the Red — The current era
💻 Technology
- Technology — Hub for all tech topics
- Old NET — The global network that was
- Blackwall — What keeps the horrors contained
- AI — Digital entities beyond the wall
- Soulkiller — The program that steals souls
🌆 Society & Daily Life
- Society — Hub for daily life in 2045
- Weapons and the Law — Open carry rules, what’s legal
- Fashion — Style over substance, reading the street
- Food — Kibble, prepack, and the food wars
- Transportation — NCART, vehicles, Nomad convoys
- Communications — Agents, Data Pool, long-distance contact
- Entertainment — Braindance, PopMedia, clubs, Body Lotto
- Street Drugs — The chemicals that fuel Night City
🗺️ Districts At A Glance
| File | Zone Type | Threat | Major Gangs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pacifica District | Combat Zone | Combat | Voodoo Boys |
| Old Japantown | Combat Zone | Combat | - |
| South Night City | Combat Zone | Combat | 6th Street, Maelstrom |
| Combat Zones | Combat Zone | Combat | Maelstrom, Inquisitors, Scavvers |
| Executive Zone | Executive Zone | Executive | |
| Hot Zone | Hot Zone | Combat | Scavvers |
| Santo Domingo District | Industrial / Suburban | Moderate | 6th Street, Valentinos |
| Rancho Coronado | Industrial Suburb | - | - |
| The Badlands | Outskirts | Outskirts | - |
| New Westbrook | Overpacked Suburbs | Moderate | |
| Heywood | Overpacked Suburbs | Moderate/Combat | Valentinos, 6th Street |
| Little China | Rebuilding Urban Center | Moderate | - |
| University District | Rebuilding Urban Center | Moderate | |
| The Glen | Rebuilding Urban Center | Corporate | |
| Upper Marina | Rebuilding Urban Center | Corporate/Moderate | |
| Little Europe | Rebuilding Urban Center | Corporate/Moderate | |
| Kabuki | Rebuilding Urban Center | - | - |
| Watson District | Rebuilding Urban Center | Corporate/Moderate | Tyger Claws, Maelstrom |
| Japantown | Rebuilding Urban Center | Moderate | - |
| NorCal Military Base | Secure | - | - |
| Morro Rock | Secure | - | - |
🏢 All Corporations
| File | Industry | Status | HQ |
|---|---|---|---|
| AmeriCar | Automotive | Active | - |
| Arasaka | Security, Banking, Manufacturing | active | Tokyo, Japan |
| Biotechnica | Agriculture, Biotechnology, Pharmaceuticals | active | Rome, Italy |
| Budget Arms | Arms Manufacturing | Active | USA |
| Constitutional Arms | Arms Manufacturing | Active | USA |
| Continental Brands | Agriculture, Food | Active | Omaha, NUSA |
| Darra Polytechnic | Arms Manufacturing | Active | India |
| Dynalar | Cyberware, Full Body Conversions | active | Night City (regional) |
| Federated Arms | Arms Manufacturing | Active | USA |
| Kang Tao | Arms Manufacturing | Active | Shenyang, China |
| Kendachi | Weapons, Glass & Crystal | active | Japan |
| Kiroshi Optics | Cyberware, Optics | active | Japan |
| Lazarus Security | Security, Mercenary Services | Active | USA |
| Malorian Arms | Arms Manufacturing | Defunct / Boutique | N/A |
| Midnight Arms | Heavy Weapons, Specialty Firearms | active | Free State of Northern California |
| Militech | Military Hardware, PMC Services, Weapons Manufacturing | nationalized | Washington FDC, NUSA |
| Moore Technologies | Cybernetics, Full Body Conversions | active | - |
| Network 54 | Media | Active | - |
| Orbital Air | Aerospace, Orbital Transport | active | Kenya |
| Petrochem | Energy, Petrochemicals | Active | Brazil |
| REO Meatwagon | Medical Services, Emergency Response | Active | NUSA |
| Rocklin Augmentics | Cyberware, Prosthetics, Full Body Conversions | active | Austin, Free State of Texas |
| Rostovic | Arms Manufacturing | Active | Kragujevac, Serbia |
| SovOil | Energy, Petrochemicals, Agribusiness | active | Moscow, Russia |
| Techtronika | Arms Manufacturing, Robotics | Active | Moscow, Neo-Soviet Union |
| Trauma Team | Emergency Medical, Insurance | active | Night City |
| Tsunami Arms | Arms Manufacturing | Active | Osaka, Japan |
| Ziggurat | Communications, Data Infrastructure, Software | active | Night City |
🔫 All Gangs
| File | Territory | Threat Level | Specialty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6th Street | Santo Domingo, Vista Del Rey | - | - |
| Gold Dragons | - | - | - |
| Inquisitors | Citywide (covert) | - | - |
| Iron Sights | Northern Night City | - | - |
| Maelstrom | Watson Industrial | - | - |
| Philharmonic Vampyres | University District | - | - |
| Piranhas | Watson, Mobile (Piranha Palace) | - | - |
| Reckoners | Streets (citywide) | - | - |
| Red Chrome Legion | Combat Zone (North Night City) | - | - |
| The Bozos | Mobile | - | - |
| The Prime-Time Players | Night City suburbs | - | - |
| Tyger Claws | Watson, Japantown | - | - |
| Voodoo Boys | Pacifica | - | - |
👥 Key NPCs
| File | Role | Faction | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanako Arasaka | corporat | - | - |
| Saburo Arasaka | corporat | - | - |
| Yorinobu Arasaka | corporat | - | - |
| Regina Jones | Fixer | Independent | Watson |
| Bes Isis | Media | - | - |
| Fiona Hayes | Media | - | Night City |
| Rache Bartmoss | Netrunner | - | - |
| Johnny Silverhand | Rockerboy | - | - |
| Kerry Eurodyne | rockerboy | - | - |
| Adam Smasher | Solo | Arasaka | Night City |
| Morgan Blackhand | Solo | - | - |
🌆 City Services
| Service | Provider | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Police | NCPD, Private Security, Lazarus Security | Underfunded, corrupt |
| Cyberpsycho Response | MAX-TAC | Incorruptible, lethal |
| Medical | Trauma Team, Ripperdocs, Public Hospitals | Trauma Team is expensive |
| Transport | NCART (limited), Nomad Families | Nomads handle long-distance |
| Information | Data Terms, Data Pool | 30% of data terms still work |
📦 Resources & Gear
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Database | Master index of all equipment, weapons, and gear |
| Cyberware | Implants and body modifications |
| Vehicles | Cars, bikes, AVs, and drones |
| Markets | Where to buy legal and illegal goods |
💰 Economy
| Currency | Notes |
|---|---|
| Eurobuck (eb) | Standard currency, most stable in the world |
| Credit chips | Digital currency, common for transactions |
| Job Type | Pay (per person) |
|---|---|
| Easy Job | 500eb |
| Typical Job | 1,000eb |
| Dangerous Job | 2,000eb |
☢️ The Time of the Red
The sky turned red from particulate matter after the Night City Nuke in 2023. The red skies persisted for almost two years and still glow at dawn and dusk.
Major changes:
- The NET is broken — localized Architectures only
- Arasaka expelled from NUSA
- Militech nationalized
- Night City is technically independent
- Nomads control most land transport
🔗 Related
- Player Handbook — Game mechanics
- Combat — Combat rules
- Downtime & Progression — What players can do between jobs
- GM Handbook — GM resources
(Source: Cyberpunk RED Core Rulebook)