Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector

 PC
Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 41 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 41
  3. Negative: 0 out of 41
  1. Inverse
    Jan 31, 2025
    70
    This all adds up to a game that feels deeply divided. Any time I was on a contract, I was captivated. The palpable tension of every dice roll left me with sweaty palms and a racing heart, wondering if this would be the job that finally got the better of me. But in slower moments, what takes up the majority of the game when you’re not on the clock, Citizen Sleeper 2 never quite clicked with me. It’s still a stunningly well written game, full of prose that took my breath away, but with a story that overall seems listless and unfocused. There are shining moments of Citizen Sleeper 2 that I’ll carry with me, but in the end it’s much like its protagonist, searching for the core of its own identity and coming up short.
  2. Digital Trends
    Jan 30, 2025
    70
    Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector balances survival stress and transhumanist optimism, even if those ideas are sometimes at odds with one another.
  3. Player 2
    Dec 16, 2025
    58
    It is difficult to grade Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector. There are moments where you feel you have control of how you want to play the game and what you want to do, but so too are there moments where you feel you are just following along on a predetermined story, where the choices don’t matter, and the free agency you have as the Sleeper is just an illusion.
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  1. Kotaku
    Jan 31, 2025
    There was no game quite like Citizen Sleeper when it first came out. It’s nice to finally have another one.
  2. Polygon
    Jan 30, 2025
    Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector sparks constant reflection on the way we interact with others and the philosophies we choose as our driving force. Much like with its predecessor, the team at Jump Over the Age explores themes around precarity, capitalism, and solidarity, among others, as pillars for the sequel. The addition of a crew and far more punishing mechanics for the use of dice, however, emphasize the stronger need for communion. Even if the ambition behind these additions can sometimes result in the game stumbling upon itself, the protagonist’s constant need to rely on others, and vice versa, heightens the foundation of the first game.
  3. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    Jan 30, 2025
    It often loses itself in the long spool of its main quest, in the runaway passages that could have been shorter, and in the stories of characters who sometimes feel like they're hijacking your tale, turning it into a choose-their-own-adventure. But Citizen Sleeper 2 still manages to deliver some heartfelt moments in a sci-fi world that feels more colourful than the likes of Starfield (again), despite being the work of a much smaller team over far less time. It's finely made sci-fi, even if I still prefer the noodles on Erlin's Eye.
  5. The Verge
    Jan 30, 2025
    Despite how anxiety-inducing the game can be, it also does a lot to make things feel calm. You don’t have to make any real-time decisions, so you can take as long as you need to weigh every potential option. I spent multiple cycles and dice on various odd jobs just to raise a little cash for the trip to the next location. And as you go through the game, a chill, ambient soundtrack usually helps lower the temperature of whatever you’re doing.