Cyberpunk 2077 New Trailers: Night City Gangs Shown
Yes, the new Cyberpunk 2077 trailers showcase Night City’s numerous gangs, prominently featuring the Moxes, the Valentinos, and the Voodoo Boys, with quick glimpses of several others. The 2019 “Deep Diveâ€� video and the 2020 “Night City Wireâ€� episodes deliberately highlighted gang territories and their distinct visual identities, confirming that gangs are a core part of the game’s world-building.
Background: Gangs in the Cyberpunk Universe
Night City’s gangs are not a new invention for the 2020 video game. They originate from the tabletop role-playing game Cyberpunk 2020, created by Mike Pondsmith, who also consulted on the video game’s story and setting. The gangs were designed to fill the power vacuum left by the collapse of local government and the rise of megacorporations. Each gang controls a specific district or industry, from smuggling to cyberware distribution, and their conflicts shape the city’s daily life. The trailers reflect this lore by showing gang members in their home turfs, wearing faction-specific clothing and cyberware.
What the Trailers Explicitly Show
The most revealing trailer is the “Deep Dive� video from August 2019, which runs about 14 minutes and includes a section titled “The Gangs of Night City.� It introduces six gangs with narrated descriptions and gameplay footage:
- The Moxes: A gang formed by sex workers to protect themselves from exploitation. Their territory is the Lizzie’s Bar area. They wear bright, punk-inspired clothing and use electric batons and pistols.
- The Valentinos: A religious, family-oriented gang with roots in Latin American culture. They control Heywood and are shown in a church-like hideout. They favor melee weapons and heavy handguns.
- The Voodoo Boys: A secretive hacker gang operating in Pacifica. They are obsessed with the Net and the Blackwall, a digital barrier. Their members wear hooded jackets and use netrunning abilities.
- The Animals: A gang of bodybuilders who use combat drugs and cyberware to enhance their strength. They are seen in a warehouse, fighting with bare hands and sledgehammers.
- The Scavengers: Not a traditional gang but a loose network of criminals who kidnap people to steal their cyberware. The trailer shows them in a dingy apartment, dismembering a victim.
- The Tyger Claws: A Japanese-influenced gang that controls the Japantown district. They are shown riding motorcycles and using katanas and smart guns.
Later trailers, such as the “Night City Wire� episodes from 2020, added the 6th Street gang (patriotic, ex-military types) and the Wraiths (nomad bandits in the Badlands) but with less screen time.
How Gangs Affect Gameplay
The trailers indicate that gangs are not just background decoration; they are interactive factions with reputations. In the gameplay footage, V can choose to fight or ally with certain gang members during missions. For example, a side quest shown in a 2020 trailer involves helping a Valentino retrieve a stolen car, which increases V’s standing with that gang. Conversely, attacking gang members in their territory triggers immediate hostile reactions, and the gang’s members will remember V’s actions. The game’s wanted system is tied to gangs: if V commits a crime in a district, the local gang may send enforcers, not just police. This is a shift from the original 2018 gameplay reveal, where police response was more generic.
Visual and Audio Design of Gangs
Each gang has a distinct color palette and fashion sense, as shown in the trailers. The Moxes use neon pink and black, the Valentinos wear red and gold with religious iconography, the Voodoo Boys favor dark green and gray, the Animals use industrial leather and exposed cyberware, the Tyger Claws have a sleek black and silver look with Japanese calligraphy, and 6th Street wears American flag motifs. The audio design also differentiates them: the Moxes have a punk rock theme, the Valentinos use Latin guitar, the Voodoo Boys have electronic ambient sounds, and the Animals have heavy metal. These details are visible in the “Night City Wire� episode on gangs, which showed concept art and in-game character models.
Common Misconceptions
One common misconception is that the gangs are all hostile and will attack V on sight. The trailers clarify that many gangs are neutral or even friendly if V has the right reputation or completes certain missions. For example, the Moxes are initially neutral and can be befriended by helping them against the Tyger Claws. Another misconception is that there are only six gangs; in fact, the full game features about ten distinct factions, including the Aldecaldos (a nomad clan) and the Maelstrom (a cyberware-obsessed gang). The trailers only show a fraction of the full gang roster. Also, some players assumed that gang affiliation would be a major character choice, but the game instead uses a reputation system that is separate from the main story.
How to Identify Gangs in the Game
If you want to recognize gangs in the open world, look for their graffiti tags, which are shown in the trailers and are scattered across the city. Each gang has a unique symbol: the Moxes use a heart with a crown, the Valentinos use a cross with a skull, the Voodoo Boys use a stylized eye, the Animals use a paw print, the Tyger Claws use a tiger head, and 6th Street uses a star with a number 6. Also, gang members often have specific idle animations and dialogue lines. For instance, Valentinos will greet each other with “Vaya con Dios,� while Voodoo Boys speak in Haitian Creole. The game’s mini-map will show gang territories as colored zones, which was confirmed in a 2020 gameplay stream.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are all gangs in Cyberpunk 2077 hostile?
No. Gangs have different dispositions. Some, like the Moxes and Aldecaldos, can be allies if you complete quests for them. Others, like the Scavengers and Wraiths, are always hostile. Your reputation with a gang is separate from your overall street cred, and it changes based on your actions in their territory.
Can you join a gang in Cyberpunk 2077?
You cannot formally join a gang as a faction. The game does not have a faction system like in Fallout: New Vegas. Instead, you can work with gangs on a mission-by-mission basis. Your choices in certain quests will affect your standing, but you will never become a full member.
Which gang is the most powerful in Night City?
The lore suggests the Tyger Claws control the most territory, including Japantown and parts of the city center. However, the Voodoo Boys are arguably the most dangerous due to their netrunning abilities, as they can hack into V’s cyberware. The game’s power balance is not explicitly quantified.
Do gangs appear in the Cyberpunk 2077 anime or other media?
Yes, the Netflix anime Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (2022) features several gangs, including the Maelstrom and the Tyger Claws. However, it focuses more on a group of mercenaries called Edgerunners. The gangs are portrayed consistently with the game’s lore.
How many gangs are in the final game?
The game features about ten distinct gangs, including the Aldecaldos, Maelstrom, and the Animals. Some are more prominent than others. The trailers only showcased six of them, so the full game has more depth.
Related
Method: the standard formula for this calculation, rounded as each result states. See how the calculators work or report an error.