Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector Review

Since you likely spent dozens of hours slurping virtual noodles and scraping for chits on Erlin’s Eye, you probably have a specific expectation of what a sequel to one of the best narrative RPGs of the decade should feel like. You want that same desperate, cozy, terrifying sense of precarity, but you want it to go somewhere new. Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector doesn’t just go somewhere new; it throws you into a ship, gives you a crew of broken people, and tells you to keep it all from exploding while a criminal syndicate breathes down your neck.

It’s been about a year since this game hit the shelves. After living with its version of the Starward Belt for all that time, I can tell you it’s a messier, more ambitious, and way more stressful beast than its predecessor. It’s a game that asks if you can really be free if you’re responsible for the lives of others, and it doesn’t give you any easy answers. It’s also a game where your identity is everything—and while your Sleeper is fighting for their life, you might be thinking about how you present yourself in the digital void. If you’re looking to reinvent your own online persona while navigating these high-stakes systems, you might want to check out some inspiration for a fresh gaming handle to match your new rogue status.

Key Takeaways

• You play as a new Sleeper with a malfunctioning body and a stolen ship, navigating a crew-based survival loop that feels more like a desperate road trip than just trying to stay put.
• Managing a crew and taking on “Contracts” adds a layer of grit that makes every dice roll feel heavier, even if the expanded scope occasionally dilutes the intimate storytelling of the first game.
• It’s a mandatory play for fans of the original, successfully evolving the “dice-RPG” formula into something more tactical and high-stakes without losing its soul.

Waking Up Broken (Again)

There is a specific feeling to the opening of a Citizen Sleeper game. It’s that disorientation of waking up in a body that isn’t quite yours, surrounded by technology that treats you like a piece of hardware rather than a person. This time, though, things are different. You aren’t just an escaped laborer hiding on a station. You’re a Sleeper whose reboot went wrong, leaving your memory full of holes and your systems glitching out in ways that the first game’s protagonist never had to deal with.

You start the game on the run from a character named Laine. He’s a gang leader who views you as property, and his presence is felt throughout the entire experience like a ticking clock. It’s a different kind of pressure. In the first game, the pressure was systemic—you needed “Stabilizer” to keep your body from falling apart. Here, the pressure is personal. You’re being hunted, and you have a ship, the Starward Vector, which is both your greatest asset and your biggest liability.

You quickly realize that the scale has shifted. Instead of being confined to the circular economy of Erlin’s Eye, you’re hopping between stations in the Starward Belt. This changes the rhythm of the game entirely. You aren’t just looking for your next meal; you’re hunting for fuel, spare parts, and enough “cryo” to make sure your crew doesn’t walk out on you.

The Dice and the Damage

The core mechanic remains the same: every “Cycle” (a day), you’re given a set of six-sided dice. The numbers you roll are the tools you have to interact with the world. A six is a guaranteed success; a one is a disaster waiting to happen. If you’ve played the first game, you know the drill. But Starward Vector introduces layers that make these dice feel far more fragile.

Your body is malfunctioning, which leads to the “Stress” and “Damage” systems. When you push yourself too hard or fail a check, you accumulate Stress. High stress can lead to your dice breaking. Once a die is broken, you can’t use it until you find the resources to repair it. This creates a terrifying downward spiral. You start a cycle with five dice, but after a few bad runs and some mounting stress, you might find yourself trying to navigate a dangerous contract with only two or three functioning dice.

Then there are the “Glitch Dice.” These are the wild cards. They have an 80% chance of failure but a 20% chance of a perfect success. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been backed into a corner, staring at a Glitch Die as my last hope, and felt my heart sink as it rolled a failure. It’s a mechanic that perfectly mirrors the protagonist’s failing hardware. You’re literally fighting against your own mind and body just to get through the day.

Assembling a Crew of Strangers

The biggest departure from the original is the crew system. In the first game, you were mostly alone, making fleeting connections with NPCs. In Starward Vector, you recruit people to live on your ship. These aren’t just faces in a menu; they are companions with their own skills, their own dice, and most importantly, their own baggage.

When you take on a “Contract”—which are multi-step missions like salvaging a derelict station or running a blockade—you choose which crew members to bring along. They provide extra dice and specific bonuses. For instance, if you’re playing as an Operator (the hacker class), you might bring a Machinist to handle the heavy lifting.

But here’s the thing: these people aren’t always your friends. There’s a constant undercurrent of tension on the ship. They have their own motives, and if you push them too hard (yes, they have Stress meters too), they might snap or even leave. I remember one specific mission where I had to choose between finishing the objective and helping a crew member with a personal crisis. I chose the objective, and that character never looked at my Sleeper the same way again. It makes the “found family” theme feel earned because you have to actually work to keep the family together.

The Beauty of the Belt

The game looks and sounds like a total masterpiece. Guillaume Singelin’s character art is even more expressive than before. The portraits shift and change based on the character’s state, and the 3D environments you visit feel distinct and lived-in. One station might be a cramped, neon-soaked hub of commerce, while another is a quiet, decaying mining outpost on the edge of the system.

And then there’s the music. Amos Roddy has returned with a score that is somehow even more atmospheric than the first. It’s lo-fi, synth-heavy, and deeply melancholic. There are moments when you’re just sitting in the cockpit of the Starward Vector, looking at the Belt Map and listening to the music, where the sense of loneliness and beauty is almost overwhelming. It’s one of the few games where I actually enjoy just sitting in the menus because the vibe is so meticulously crafted.

Is the Story as Strong?

This is where things get a bit complicated. The first Citizen Sleeper was a very tight, focused narrative about one person on one station. Starward Vector is much broader. Because you’re moving around so much, some of the individual stories can feel a bit thinner. You meet someone, help them for a few cycles, and then move on to the next station.

However, the central narrative—your escape from Laine and the mystery of your failed reboot—is compelling enough to pull you through. The game deals with heavy themes like corporate ownership of the self, the ethics of artificial intelligence, and what it means to build a community in a system that wants to grind you down. It doesn’t have the same “kick” as the first game’s endings, perhaps, but the journey itself feels more substantial.

There is a certain “newness” that has worn off, of course. We know what a Sleeper is now. We understand the world’s rules. But the game counters this by making the world feel more dangerous. The Starward Belt is a lawless place compared to Erlin’s Eye, and that sense of being an outsider is constantly reinforced.

The Friction of the UI

I have to mention the UI because it’s one of the few places where the game fumbles. Moving around the Belt Map is a bit of a chore sometimes. Selecting your next destination often feels clunkier than it should be, and there were times during Contracts where I found the dice selection process a bit unintuitive.

It’s not a dealbreaker, but it is a noticeable bit of friction in a game that otherwise feels very smooth. When you’re already stressed about your dice breaking and your fuel running low, fighting with the interface is the last thing you want to do. Fortunately, after a few hours, you develop a sort of muscle memory for it, but the first few jumps through the system can be frustrating.

Replayability and Choices

You might wonder if it’s worth playing through more than once. The answer is a resounding yes. Your choice of class—Operator, Machinist, or Extractor—fundamentally changes how you approach the game’s challenges. As an Operator, I found myself hacking my way through problems that an Extractor would have simply smashed through.

Because you can’t see every story in a single playthrough, there’s a lot of incentive to go back and try different crew combinations or align yourself with different factions. The game doesn’t let you be everything to everyone. You have to make choices, and those choices have consequences that ripple through the rest of your run. It’s the kind of game where you’ll finish it and immediately want to talk to a friend about what happened in their version of the story.

The Anniversary Perspective

Looking back at the game now, a year after its launch, it’s clear that Jump Over the Age has created something special. They didn’t just play it safe. They added complexity, increased the stakes, and expanded the world in a way that feels organic. While some might prefer the simplicity and intimacy of the first game, I think Starward Vector is the “truer” representation of what it would be like to be a Sleeper on the run.

It’s a game about precarity, yes, but it’s also a game about agency. It’s about the small, quiet moments of humanity you find in a cold, metallic universe. Whether you’re sharing a meal with your crew or helping a stranger on a remote station, these actions feel meaningful because the game makes you work for them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to play the first Citizen Sleeper before Starward Vector? No, you don’t necessarily have to. The protagonist in the sequel is a new Sleeper with memory loss, which serves as a natural way to introduce the world to new players. However, playing the first game will give you a much deeper appreciation for the lore and the returning characters you might encounter.

Is Citizen Sleeper 2 on Game Pass? Yes, it launched on Xbox Game Pass (and PC Game Pass) on day one. It remains one of the best value-adds on the service if you enjoy narrative-driven RPGs.

How long does it take to beat Citizen Sleeper 2? A normal run through the main story will probably take you 10 to 12 hours. If you’re a completionist who wants to finish every contract and maximize your relationships with all crew members, you’re looking at closer to 18 to 20 hours.

What are the different classes in the game? There are three main classes:

• Operator: Specialized in hacking and digital systems. They are great at “Interface” actions but tend to be more susceptible to Stress.
• Machinist: The industrial experts. They excel at “Engineering” and physical repairs.
• Extractor: The “muscle” of the group. They have high tolerance for physical Stress and are best at “Endure” and “Engage” actions.

Can your crew members die? While the game is more about relationships and stress management than permanent death in the traditional sense, crew members can certainly leave your ship if their stress levels get too high or if you make narrative choices that fundamentally alienate them. Losing a key crew member can make the late-game contracts significantly harder.

Wrapping Up

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector is a triumph of narrative design. It takes a proven formula and pushes it into more complex territory, forcing you to manage not just your own survival, but the survival of those around you. It’s stressful, it’s beautiful, and it’s deeply moving.

If you loved the first game, you probably already own this. If you haven’t played the first one, you can actually start here—the memory loss of the protagonist makes it a perfect jumping-on point—but I’d still recommend playing the original just to see how far the series has come. This is sci-fi at its best: thoughtful, human, and unapologetically weird.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the crew system. Did you find yourself bonding with your shipmates, or were they just extra dice to you? Let me know in the comments below! And if you want more deep dives into the best indie RPGs, make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for all the latest updates.

Sources:

• www.moviesgamesandtech.com/2025/08/28/review-citizen-sleeper-2-starward-vector/
• www.gameinformer.com/review/citizen-sleeper-2-starward-vector/its-about-the-journey
• www.rockpapershotgun.com/citizen-sleeper-2-starward-vector-review

All images courtesy of Guillaume Singelin.