Citizen Sleeper is a Good Game everyone should play [GG #7]

Interplanetary capitalism? Be free

The GG series highlights Good Games everyone should play at least once, with links to the cheapest deals and fantastic writing. Scroll down to the bottom for a list of previous GG posts — and if you enjoy these, considering sharing them with a friend. You can subscribe here.

I’ve picked a difficult one to write about this week — so I’ll keep it short.

Roleplaying in the ruins of interplanetary capitalism is how Citizen Sleeper (2022, PC, Switch, PS, Xbox) describes itself, but that synopsis is far loftier, far broader, than what makes this game sing.

Instead, it’s the characters — the improbable bonds formed between strangers on a broken space station — that stand out.

You play a sleeper, a digitised human mind slotted into a robot body by a megacorp for labour. At the start of the game, you escape your servitude and land on the Eye with two real objectives: first, survive (which requires expensive medicine) and second, find a purpose.

The interactions — mostly dialogue choices — are handled just fine through dice rolls (see images below, or trailer above, to get the gist), but the stories of the people you meet stick with you. I played it two years ago and still remember Emphis, a chef who dispenses mushroom stews with a side of wisdom, and Lem, who is desperate to get his daughter off the Eye.

Your decisions are pivotal, and potentially devastating, for each character. The game has a remarkable knack for reflecting our everyday relationships, despite its other-worldly setting.

Here’s PC Gamer’s Harvey Randle, writing for the publications top 100 games list (Citizen Sleeper is #75, one ahead of GTA 5):

Citizen Sleeper holds a mirror up to your heart and forces you to make a choice about who you are, what you want, and why. I think you should play it, especially if you're going through a transitory period of your life. It'll help, trust me.

I found the writing sparse, lyrical, haunting — easy to digest but opaque enough that you want to grasp it, to really understand it.

It’s a lot of heart for not too much money: it’s normally around £16/$20, and it’s currently 30% off on the Playstation Store. On PC, the cheapest price at time of writing is on Fanatical (a reputable store), where it’s 20% off.

Don’t just take my word for it…

• Read Renata Price’s powerful article for Waypoint/VICE (back when it still existed, 😢) - 'Citizen Sleeper' Is a Game About Finding Home in a World That Hates You

• And then read RPS’ Brendan Caldwell - Citizen Sleeper review: a stylish machine with a gooey human heart

Cheers, and subscribe for more

---

Previous GG posts

GG #1: Hades (2020, PC, Switch)

GG #2: Dishonored 2 (2016, PC, Xbox One, PS4)

GG #3: The Witness (2016, PS4, Xbox One, PC, mobiles)

GG #4: Amnesia: The Dark Descent (2010, PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch)

GG #5: Disco Elysium (2019, PC, Switch)

GG #6: Into the Breach (2018, PC, Switch, mobiles)

GG #7: Balatro (2024, PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch)