After helping River Ward work on the I Fought the Law and The Hunt side jobs, the two of you have been through a lot together in Cyberpunk 2077. River gives you a call to invite you to dinner with his family, and if you answer, you’ll find yourself on a casual adventure where you can get to know the softer side of the detective, and earn a sweet pistol. There’s also an opportunity to find a relationship.
River calls you about a day after you’ve finished The Hunt. Note you can only romance River if you playing as the female V. If you are the male, you will be unable to romance him, but you still receive his revolver.
Where to meet River
You’ll have to meet River on the outside of town, back at the trailer parks. There will be a waypoint showing the exact location when the mission is available.
Spending time with River and the family
When you arrive, the kids greet you, and you have the option to acknowledge them or not. Approach River, and he’ll ask you to help stir the pot while he prepares everything else. The two of you can talk, but there are no critical choices here. When River sends you off to find the rice, you’ll stumble across Joss speaking to someone on the phone. You can speak to her, but she won’t answer for too long, or grab the rice and immediately return to River. Both outcomes produce the same result.
Return to River to deliver the rice, and after that, the two of you will talk back at a table on the porch. You’ll share a beer, and River will explain to you what happened with him and Harris at the hospital. He didn’t kill Harris like he thought he planned to at the end of The Hunt side job, but he seriously thought about it and shares what stopped him doing so with his family history.
When the story’s over, you and River will play an AR game with the games. It’s a step-by-step quest, so there are no heavy results, but you’ll make the kids, and River happy, if you let the kids score the most points.
After the game, Joss breaks it up for dinner, and the family invites you to eat with them. Again, there are additional dialogue options here, but eventually, River will take you away from the family dinner to a water tower. He’ll toss you over the fence to open the gate, and the two of you can reach the top the talk, drink, and reflect. He hands you his pistol before offering you a drink, and it’ll go into your inventory.
At this time, you have the option to attempt to kiss him, and you will have the option as a male or female V, but River only accepts it you are a female. If you’re a female and choose to romance him, there will be a scene along with this. Regardless, you’ll wake up the next day in Randy’s trailer, and River will be walking around. You’ll say your goodbyes to River, and he’ll be off to see Randy in the hospital.
Once you complete it, you’re free to go. You’ll also receive the To Protect and Serve achievement for completing River Ward’s storyline.
