The Great April Eviction: Why You Need to Play Citizen Sleeper Before Xbox Pulls the Plug
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Microsoft is clearing house on Xbox Game Pass this April, with heavy hitters like Citizen Sleeper and Hunt Showdown 1896 heading for the exit. You've got until April 30th to finish your backlog or decide if these titles are worth a permanent spot in your digital library.
Right, so we’ve all been there. You’ve just gotten comfortable in your digital armchair, you’ve finally mastered that one tricky combo, or you’ve just started to feel a genuine emotional connection to a pile of pixels, and then—poof! The landlord comes knocking. In this case, the landlord is Microsoft, and they’re clearing out the guest rooms of Xbox Game Pass this April.
I was digging through the latest reports from Aimee Hart over at Polygon, and bloody hell, it’s a bit of a heartbreaker this month. It’s that classic subscription service conundrum, isn't it? We get access to a literal mountain of digital gold, but we never actually *own* the mountain. It’s more like we’re renting a view of it until the clouds roll in. If you’ve been procrastinating on your backlog (and let’s be honest, who hasn't?), you’ve got until April 30th to wrap these up.
### The Crown Jewel: Saying Goodbye to the Eye
If you only have time to squeeze in one game before the month is out, make it *Citizen Sleeper*. This isn't just another 'indie darling'—it’s a mood, a vibe, and a bloody brilliant piece of storytelling. You play as a Sleeper, which is basically a human consciousness that’s been digitized and shoved into a decaying robotic body. Think of it like a very stressed, very metallic version of your Monday morning self.
What’s fascinating about *Citizen Sleeper*—and why it hurts to see it go—is how it handles the concept of identity and survival on a space station called the Eye. It uses a dice-based system inspired by tabletop RPGs, which sounds simple enough until you’re one bad roll away from your chassis falling apart while you’re just trying to buy some synthetic noodles.
Polygon’s review hit the nail on the head, noting that the game’s greatest strength is letting players 'exist without a purpose or concrete objectives.' In a world that constantly demands we 'level up' or 'pre-order now,' there’s something genuinely magical about a game that just lets you *be*. (Though, ironically, you won't 'be' on Game Pass for much longer.) If you enjoy it, the silver lining is that the sequel, *Citizen Sleeper 2*, is sticking around for now. It’s like the universe giving with one hand while the corporate overlords take with the other.
### The Chaotic Middle Ground: Goats, Dragons, and Gunning People Down
But wait, there’s more! And by 'more,' I mean 'more stuff you’re going to lose access to.' The list of departures is actually quite varied, which makes the sting a bit more universal.
We’re losing *Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2*, which is basically a love letter to anyone who spent their childhood screaming in front of a TV hoping their hair would turn blonde. It’s been a staple for a while, and its departure feels like losing an old friend who always knew how to throw a punch. Then there’s *Hunt Showdown 1896*. If you haven’t tried this extraction shooter yet, you’re missing out on some of the most tense, sweat-inducing horror-pve-pvp-hybrid-whatever-you-call-it gameplay out there. It’s brilliant, it’s brutal, and it’s about to be 'buy-to-play' only for the Game Pass crowd.
And then we have the *Goat Simulator* duo. Look, I reckon we all need a bit of slapstick chaos in our lives. There is no logical reason why a game about a physics-defying goat should be this much fun, yet here we are. If you haven’t licked a moving car and been dragged across a map today, have you even really lived?
Here is the full list of what’s leaving the nest on April 30th: * Citizen Sleeper * Creatures of Ava * Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 * Endless Legend 2 * Goat Simulator / Goat Simulator Remastered * Hunt Showdown 1896 * NHL 24 * Revenge of the Savage Planet
### The 'Why' Behind the 'What'
Now, let’s put on our wizard hats and look at the digital tea leaves. Why do these games leave? Usually, it’s just boring old licensing contracts expiring. But it highlights a bigger conversation we’re having in the gaming world right now—the fragility of digital access.
This is where my curious, slightly skeptical brain starts ticking. We love the convenience of Game Pass (it’s a fair dinkum bargain, let’s be real), but it also keeps us on a hamster wheel. You don't own the game; you own the *permission* to play it this Tuesday. This is exactly why some of the Web3 crowd gets so loud about 'on-chain assets' and 'true ownership.' Imagine if your progress in *Citizen Sleeper* or your rare skin in *Hunt Showdown* was actually *yours*, regardless of whether the game was on a specific subscription service. We aren't quite there yet with the big titles, but every time a list like this drops, it makes the argument for digital ownership feel a bit less like sci-fi and a bit more like common sense.
### Jeff’s Final Verdict
Don’t panic, but do move your arse. If you’re halfway through a season in *NHL 24* or just starting your journey in *Creatures of Ava*, you’ve got a couple of weeks to wrap things up. If you absolutely fall in love with something, Microsoft usually gives you a 20% discount to buy it permanently before it leaves. It’s like the landlord offering to sell you the fridge before they kick you out of the apartment.
Personally? I’ll be spending my final hours on the Eye in *Citizen Sleeper*. There’s something poetic about playing a game about survival and corporate control right as it’s being removed from a corporate subscription service. It’s meta, it’s moody, and it’s bloody well worth your time.
Original reporting by Aimee Hart at Polygon.
Tags: Xbox Game Pass, Citizen Sleeper, Gaming News, Indie Games, Digital Ownership
Original article: Polygon