The gameplay of Citizen Sleeper is centered around its story. The main story, in a futuristic setting, tells the story of an AI who is uploaded into an artificial body and is forced to live on an space station. The AI has to eke out an existence in this hostile environment, while struggling to uncover the truth about the station and the origins of the humans.

Citizen Sleeper is a combination of several genres. It is a narrative RPG with elements of simulation and strategy games. The gameplay is centered around the story of an AI who is uploaded into an artificial body and is forced to live on an space station. The player is the AI and has to control the character.