The Time/Age Of Red (2023 - 2045)

In the Cyberpunk 2077 lore, the Time of the Red was a period of time post 4th corporate. Aptly named the Time of the Red due to the red tinge in the Night City sky from the debris and sediment in the 2 years following the detonation of a pocket nuke in the Arasaka Towers, this is a segment in the 2077 timeline where Night City took a step back from the world stage in a consolidated effort to stay afloat.

The Aftermath of the Nuke

Night City was inhabitable again within 24 hours after the Nuke went off at around 1200 feet in the Arasaka towers. Many augmentations or filters installed in the bodies of the general populace meant that the people themselves had largely weathered the effects, but the city was a different story. The infrastucture of the city was in tatters, and a large part of the housing reduced to brick and mortar. This led to an exodus of people out of the city as they moved into the North, South and East to find food, water and shelter that Night City was currently lacking. From 2023 to 2025 this is where Night City and it’s immediate surroundings stood.

The red tinged skies during the Time of the Red - via Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit

The president of Night City at the time, President Elizabeth Kress, blamed the alleged attack on Arasaka claiming that the japanese megacorporation had blown up the Corporate Center in an area denial counter-attack, a claim that was later called into question with the actual weapon actually being supplied by a Militech team. Arasaka did have a thermonuclear device in the foundations of the tower, but no one actually knew about it. This device is still at large in Night City, likely still buried somewhere under the corporate center.

Arasaka was painted as a ruthless foreign entity and their license to operate in the United States was revoked, it’s assets seized.

Due to the resources being far and few between, Night City’s reconstruction was denounced. President Kress believed it was beyond repair, but Night City inevitably experienced a resurgence thanks to the concentrated efforts of its citizens.

The Reconstruction of Night City

The period of rebuilding between 2040-2045 was largely on the shoulders of outsourced Edgerunners and Nomad packs such as the Aldecaldo clan, in collaboration with Chicago-based StormTech. Having the man-power for rebuilding efforts, temporary housing from shipping crates and modules were erected to house Night City’s fragmented population.

A “giraffe-bot” aiding in the reconstruction efforts in Night City - via Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit

Clearing the initial wreckage around the radius of the blast was a monumental task, as tanks and large construction plows were brought in to shovel debris into the Bay. This rebuilding process forged relationships throughout the US and Night City, who collectively vowed to never place someone like President Kress into power ever again.

The State of Night City During the Time of the Red

The fallout from the destruction of Arasaka Towers in 2023 affected the districts in Night City differently. A hot-zone wasteland stood where the central corporate zone formerly was, and although the radiation did eventually subside it was still present. The worst gangs seemed to favor this area.

The Urban Centre was largely untouched although breaks in The Bay allowed the Pacific ocean to periodically flood the area. The NCART subway still ran, but city planners were looking into raising the track into a monorail configuration, although they lacked the resources during this time to get the job done. The Urban Centre is an important area within Night City, and thus this area was a focal point for re-construction efforts.

An edgerunner leans up against a supercar during the Time of the Red - via Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit

Central Night City housed 2 of Night City’s hospitals, which are the main source of medical care along with scattered clinics and ripperdoc offices. There was also a large body bank large in part due to the casualties in this time period, which supported a big illicit body part trade business.

Suburbs were over-packed with tent cities and refugee camps filled with people hit hardest by the fallout. Megabuildings were under construction during this time to address the huge populations that were swallowed by crime and overcrowding.

Ghost towns on the edges of Night City were being transformed to accommodate NC’s most desperate. These were typically abandoned during the 2000 – 2020 period, and were too far out from the city to be protected from marauding factions. Under the stress of reconstruction it was rebuilt with the help of some Nomad families.

Nomads & Shipping

Nomad families had a bigger presence in the Cyberpunk landscape during the Time of the red. With the Night City and surrounding area largely being under construction and with Nomadic packs being well versed in trade routes and commerce, they were integral to Night Cities’ reconstruction.

Rise of the Megabuildings

Gigantic megabuildings were the focus in the Time of the red, aimed to not only house massive amounts of people, but to also contain entertainment, food courts, shopping malls and central hubs. This was Night City’s go to plan moving forward.

Politically Night City was in disarray. Run by nomad families, edgerunners, the old city government and corporate interests there were naturally too many voices at the table. Strong central leadership was missing which generally meant that disputes were settled in the streets instead of meeting rooms.

Cyberpunk 2077 Megabuilding concept art

The Net

In the time of the red, the Net was (And still is in Cyberpunk 2077) the digital wild wild west. Mastermind netrunner Rache Bartmoss had released the RABIDS a debilitating global net virus, leading to the DATAKRASH. Netwatch, the global police of the net tried to ban netrunners from accessing the net and net traffic was localized to individual buildings or campuses to keep everything running smoothly.

The NCPD

Law enforcement post 4th corporate war and the fall of the towers was unreliable. Because of limited law enforcement units, bribery was common and corruption standard in who Law enforcement looks after. Corpos frequently bribed the police for extra protection and care.

From the old Night City police departments, only one stood the test of time, the MAX TAC aka the Psycho Squad. The MAX TAC was incorruptible and focused on tracking down and neutralizing Cyberpsychos as well as mitigating the damage caused by Cyberpsychosis. Commander Max Hammerman was their leader and by 2030 Max Tac had brought the NCPD back to life to bring uniform services across the city. By the end of this time period the NPCD were efficient, dangerous and reasonably moral. They followed a strict code and do not back down.

Moving Into 2077

The Time of the Red lasted for quite some time, and although Night City resurfaced as a world player, it would see more violent changes during the Unification and Metal wars.