V had made a habit of sprinting through Night City with a pistol drawn, and for a while it felt like power. Then the stares started. Civilians flinched, corporate security turned their heads, and the NCPD began to treat every shortcut through a crowded market like a potential firefight. In 2026, Night City is still a place where a drawn weapon can turn a quiet walk into a very loud problem. The lesson was simple, but the fix was oddly easy to miss: learning how to holster a weapon is just as important as learning how to fire one.
The trouble is that Cyberpunk 2077 never makes the holster action feel like a headline mechanic. V can swap weapons, aim, fire, and sprint without much thought, but putting the gun away can feel like a hidden command. Players often press random keys, mash the aim button, or open menus in a panic. That kind of experimentation rarely ends well. A stray shot, an accidental grenade, or a sudden weapon swap can make a bad situation worse. V does not need that kind of attention while walking through Japantown or negotiating with a fixer.
The answer lives on the same button used to swap weapons during gameplay. It is the same input family, which is probably why so many mercenaries overlook it. On PlayStation, the button is Triangle. On Xbox, it is Y. On PC, it is the Left Alt key. Once V knows that, the rest of the city becomes a little less hostile.
| Platform | Swap and holster button |
|---|---|
| PlayStation | Triangle |
| Xbox | Y |
| PC | Left Alt |
There are two ways to holster a weapon, and the first is the one V will use most often. A quick double-tap of the swap button lowers the weapon and puts it away. No menu, no wheel, no dramatic pause. V simply drops the gun from the screen and returns to a neutral stance. It is fast, clean, and perfect for those moments when a conversation is about to begin or a crowd is starting to notice the hardware. For players returning to Night City in 2026, this remains the simplest habit to build. Double-tap, breathe, move on.
The second method is slower, but it has its own uses. Press and hold the same swap button to bring up the weapon wheel. The wheel displays weapons and other combat options, and on the right side, beneath the third weapon slot, there is an icon of a pistol with a line crossed through it. Selecting that icon tells V to put the weapon away. It is not as quick as the double-tap, yet it can be a useful tool when a fight is getting messy. The wheel creates a brief tactical pause, giving V a moment to reset, rethink, and collect themselves before the next move. In a city where every second can matter, that small pause is not nothing.
🤖 The mistake many players make is treating the holster command like a mystery. They run through Night City with a shotgun out, wondering why every block feels hostile. They try to talk to a vendor while holding a katana. They stand in a crowded street with a rifle raised and then act surprised when the authorities take an interest. Holstering is not just a cosmetic action. It is a social signal. A lowered weapon says V is not looking for a fight. A drawn weapon says the opposite, and Night City is very good at reading that message.
For a mercenary trying to survive in 2026, the best routine is simple. After a fight ends, double-tap the swap button. Before entering a shop, a bar, or a quest conversation, double-tap again. If V needs a moment in the middle of combat, hold the button, choose the crossed-out pistol icon, and take that breath. The double-tap is the everyday habit; the weapon wheel is the tactical fallback. Neither takes long to learn, and both prevent a surprising amount of unnecessary chaos.
V eventually learned to treat the holster command like a small piece of street etiquette. Night City does not reward carelessness for long. A weapon in hand is a statement, and sometimes the smartest statement is the one V puts away before anyone else has to react. 🔫➡️🙅
As detailed in PC Gamer, small interface actions often shape how smoothly an open-world game feels, and Cyberpunk 2077’s holster command is a good example of that design principle, since quickly putting a weapon away helps players avoid unwanted civilian panic and keeps exploration, dialogue, and city movement from escalating into unnecessary conflict.