2025 is already jam-packed with some highly-anticipated games with the likes of Avowed, Monster Hunter Wilds, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, and GTA 6 (supposedly) on the horizon, with many eager to call them the best games of the year before being released. While being highly-anticipated games is one thing, some under-the-radar titles end up earning the ranks of these top-tier positions by year’s end. Starting this year with a bang, one long-awaited title from a critically acclaimed series has already risen through the charts, taking the second spot within Metacritic’s Best Games of 2025 a day after release, with critics citing its incredible sci-fi narrative and strategic design. Luckily for Xbox users, this new game is an Xbox Game Pass Day One title that you can launch right now.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Indie games have been a staple within the gaming industry, with many reaching acclaimed status against AAA studios. In this case, Jump Over The Age’s indie RPG Citizen Sleeper did just that. The first installment in the series earned an overwhelming amount of positive reviews, with ComicBook rating it 9 out of 10. The one-person studio, run by developer Gareth Damian Martin, has released Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector to the masses. Having only been out a few days the game is already earning major acclaim.
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector Is One of 2025’s Highest-Rated Games on Metacritic
RELATED: Top 10 Indie Games to Watch For in 2025
The Citizen Sleeper games are narrative-driven titles inspired by table-top RPGs. Both titles follow people known as “sleepers,” an emulation of a human mind inside of a corporate-owned artificial body. Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector continues its dystopian cyberpunk setting within the Starward Belt, a dilapidated set of habitats filled with interesting stories and characters. The sequel to the dice-driven title follows an escaped android with a price on its head, no memory of the past, and a malfunctioning body. To free yourself from the chains of your past, you must roll the dice (literally) and assemble a tight crew, a belt-worthy ship, and a contract or two.
With the title already available on consoles and PC on January 31, critics and players of all spacewalks of life have praised the sequel. As it currently stands on Metacritic, Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector has a score of 85, earning the second spot on the Best Games of 2025. Seeing how titles such as Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, Dynasty Warriors: Origins, and Donkey Kong Country Returns HD were poised to be competitive releases this year, Citizen Sleeper 2 has proven itself worthy of acclaim. Currently, the sequel has a higher Metacritic score than its predecessor, Citizen Sleeper, which has an 82.
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector was announced to arrive to Xbox Game Pass subscribers on Day One back in 2023 during Gamescom. For those who want to play the first installment, Citizen Sleeper is currently available to immerse yourself in on Xbox Game Pass before tackling the latest entry. While the sequel might face some heavy hitters in the next couple of months, the series won’t fade away within the sea of incoming titles… it will only shine brighter.
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector is now available on Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation 5, and PC.
