Cyberpunk 2077: How to Wait for the Lockdown to End

Early in Cyberpunk 2077, the Watson district of Night City goes into lockdown. This is where V and Jackie live, so they’re stuck in the area until the lockdown lifts. Fortunately, you have a few jobs already in your quest log while you’re confined in Watson, and the game expects you to start working. There isn’t a predetermined amount of time it takes for the lockdown to end, but there are some things you can do to end the lockdown faster. Here’s how to end the lockdown in Cyberpunk 2077.

When Does the Lockdown End in Cyberpunk 2077?

The lockdown ends when you complete Act 1 of the main story. You cannot continue The Gig mission until reaching Act 2. To get to Act 2, just keep completing main story missions until you reach a mission called The Heist, which is the eighth mission in the game. When you finish that mission, the lockdown will end and Act 2 of Cyberpunk 2077 will begin.

The lockdown is just the game’s way of keeping you in one area while you complete the introductory set of quests and get through most of the tutorials. If you try to leave early, the game will tell you “turn back, nothin’ out there for you… just yet.” Here are all the missions you have to complete once you leave V’s apartment and begin Act 1.

• The Ripperdoc
• The Ride
• The Pickup
• The Information
• The Heist

The Ripperdoc and The Ride missions can be knocked out fairly quickly, but the next three jobs will take quite some time. If you only focus on story missions and ignore the side content in the Watson area, you can get through Act 1 of Cyberpunk 2077 in a few hours. Once the lockdown ends, just head to Japantown to collect your reward from Wakako and finish The Gig side job.

Cyberpunk 2077 is available now on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Google Stadia. A next-gen version of the game is currently in development for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.