Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 84 | 45 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 92% | 87 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 92% | 86 | 42 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 121 reviews sampled · 74 total reviews in window · weighted 78.1 up / 7.1 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (45)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 80
“Citizen Sleeper certainly won’t dazzle you with realistic graphics, a vast open world, or heartfelt voice acting. Its charm, on the other hand, lies in its simple mechanics and a brilliantly written story that illustrates the harsh fates of its intriguing characters. This space simulator, clearly dominated by the written word, falls slightly short due to the need for a good command of written English and a healthy dose of imagination. Nevertheless, the game will completely absorb you and won’t let you go until you’ve worked your way through the roughly eight-hour adventure. While some players may experience a slight sense of repetition, you certainly won’t be bored.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“An excellent genre-defining game that breathes new life into popular and thought-provoking sci-fi tropes. The fact there's more content to be released in the coming year makes it even more appealing.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“We’d give Citizen Sleeper a strong recommendation to anybody who liked Disco Elysium or any general role playing games with a heavy emphasis on the role. A synthwave soundtrack, strong writing, and high-pressure gameplay make this a game that’ll be tough to put down once you get into it.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Citizen Sleeper is the kind of game one has to be in the right mood for. The setting is cold and alienating, while the overall mood for much of the game is a desperate struggle for survival against stacked odds. Once the stress of this abates, however, there are some genuinely lovely moments of characterization and storytelling that are absolutely worth it to experience.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Citizen Sleeper is a very compelling experience, with an enticing story supported by some solid strategy gameplay and barebones but still competent RPG mechanics. If you’re open to a Disco Elysium-esque visual novel that’s a bit lighter in tone (despite the dystopian setting) and emphasizes resource management more, it’s safe to say you’ll enjoy this.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“As regulars probably know well by now, I don't tend to be a fan of visual novels and even sometimes struggle with titles that are too heavily text-driven, but when they're done right its almost impossible not to take notice...”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Much like In Other Waters, this is a game you simply need to sit down and play in order to fully appreciate, as no screenshot or explanation will fully do it justice, and having it release on Game Pass is just the ticket to entice interested parties to try their hand. We urge you to dive in here, as this is a game of real style and substance with multiple endings to mop up as you peel back layers and dig deeper into Eldin's Eye and its inhabitants. Citizen Sleeper is a unique and thought-provoking adventure that's truly taken us by surprise.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Unfortunately the game falters somewhat at the end, with multiple conclusions that don't feel particularly fulfilling. However, overall the journey is a worthwhile one. Citizen Sleeper hooks you with its elegant presentation, thoughtful narrative, and memorable characters, and despite one or two small missteps, it's an engrossing, atmospheric experience worth a roll of the dice.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“While the game mechanics starts to lose its pacing at the very end, Citizen Sleeper offers a great story rich experience for fans of narrative heavy games and the sci-fi genre.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“undefined.Citizen Sleeper allows for multiple playthroughs, and even when looking through screenshots during my review there are characters and locations I never once encountered within my first playthrough. Because of the heavy story-driven nature of Citizen Sleeper, your enjoyment will be contingent on your appreciation of the sci-fi genre as well as how much brain space is occupied by thoughts of Turing Tests. While that itself will denote that Citizen Sleeper isn't for everyone, for those that have even a slight interest in the genre, you don't want to sleep on this one.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Citizen Sleeper is an RPG inspired by board games and it delivers a competent experience on the Nintendo Switch based on its dystopian atmosphere, audiovisual work, and simultaneous and involving plot lines. It does not quite make a great leap towards a larger audience, however, given its rather short length and lack of new, differentiating gameplay mechanics, which means its appeal will remain mostly within its main audience.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“With its emotional story and complex management mechanics, Citizen Sleeper is a game you don’t want to sleep on. You’ll be swept away by its beautiful and harrowing world-building and fall for the characters that breathe life into this already intricate world. You will die and the learning curve is steep, however it is all worth it for the philosophical story Citizen Sleeper intends to tell.”
read full review ↗
Gaming Professors
Jump Dash Roll
Nintendo Life
RPGamer
VGChartz
Nindie Spotlight
Pure Xbox
Push Square
Capsule Computers
NintendoWorldReport
Starbit
Checkpoint Gaming…and 33 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Update 1.4.14Jul 21, 2026
- Update 1.4.12Dec 18, 2025
- UPDATE 1.4.9Jul 24, 2024
- New Languages Update - Out Now!Feb 1, 2024
- UPDATE 1.3.9Jun 21, 2023
- UPDATE 1.3.5Apr 26, 2023
- Mac Hotfix 1.3.2Mar 31, 2023
- UPDATE 1.0.16May 27, 2022
- UPDATE 1.0.15May 18, 2022significant · resets scoring window
- PATCH 1.0.12May 10, 2022