Prison Architect
A top-down prison construction and management simulation with deep micromanagement.
Prison Architect is a prison construction and management simulation game released in 2015, developed and published by Introversion Software. It first became available on September 25, 2012, as a crowdfunded paid alpha pre-order, with new updates arriving every three to four weeks through 2023. The game sold more than 2,000,000 copies and generated over US$10.7 million in pre-order sales during its alpha phase. It was a participant in the 2012 Independent Games Festival and launched officially on October 6, 2015. In 2019, Paradox Interactive purchased the rights to Prison Architect for an undisclosed amount. A sequel, Prison Architect 2, is currently in development.
The game is a top-down 2D construction and management simulation, with a partial 3D mode and extensive modding support. Players are hired by the CEO of a for-profit prison company to design and run a prison, acting as both architect and governor in a sandbox environment. They must build facilities, connect utilities, and manage staff, with some features—like viewing financial details—requiring the recruitment of specific personnel, such as an accountant. Players oversee prison finances and meet inmate needs, such as sanitation, and can implement reform and labor programs to lower recidivism rates. Inmates follow a schedule set indirectly by the player. The game draws inspiration from Theme Hospital, Dungeon Keeper, and Dwarf Fortress.
Players can add optional conditions like simulated temperature, gang activity, or extreme weather to increase difficulty and realism. They may also build a female prison, which requires nursing and childcare facilities for inmates with infants.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Prison Architect
- Developer
- Introversion Software / Double Eleven (2019−present)
- Publisher
- Introversion SoftwareThe console versions were published by Double Eleven, while Paradox Interactive published the mobile versions. / Paradox Interactive (2019−present)
- Producer
- Mark Morris
- Designer
- Chris Delay
- Platforms
- Linux · OS X · Windows · PlayStation 4 · Xbox 360 · Xbox One · iPadOS · Android · Nintendo Switch
- Genre
- Construction and management simulation
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Prison Architect is a top-down 2D construction and management simulation with a partially 3D mode. The player is hired by the CEO of a for-profit prison company to build and run a prison, acting as both architect and governor. The player manages facilities, utilities, staff, and finances, and must meet prisoner needs such as sanitation. Reform and labour programmes can reduce recidivism rates. The player indirectly controls prisoners by setting their schedule. The game draws inspiration from Theme Hospital, Dungeon Keeper, and Dwarf Fortress. Additional conditions like simulated temperature, gang activities, and extreme weather can be enabled. Players may build a female prison, requiring nursing and childcare facilities for inmates with infants. Prisons are graded on recidivism, happiness, and violence levels. Prisoners are classed into five security levels, with higher levels offering more cashflow but more difficult reputations. Death Row prisoners have a clemency gauge that can drop with failed appeals, allowing execution below a certain threshold. Protective Custody is an assignable class. Players can be fired by the CEO upon reaching a failure condition. Creative mode ignores finance, unlocks research, and enables instant building. The first non-beta release added a story mode tutorial and an escape mode where the player is a prisoner trying to escape. The Psych Ward DLC introduced criminally insane prisoners, padded cells, orderlies, and psychiatrists. Ten other DLCs followed: Going Green, Perfect Storm, Island Bound, Gangs, Second Chances, Future Tech Pack, Jungle Pack, Free for Life, and Cleared for Transfer. Active development ended with the Sunset update on May 16, 2023.
Reader's Guide
Prison Architect was developed by British studio Introversion Software, announced in October 2011 after postponing their bank heist simulator Subversion. The alpha version was crowdfunded via pre-orders, making over US$270,000 in two weeks with close to 8,000 sales. Co-founder Mark Morris noted that independent crowdfunding allowed no time limit on the alpha and no platform fees. By December 2013, the developers had raised over US$9 million. A mobile version was initially planned but faced delays; a direct iPad port did not impress Apple. Paradox Interactive later resumed mobile development with Tag Games, releasing a tablet version for iPad and Android on May 25, 2017. Double Eleven ported the game to Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4, released June 28, 2016. The Xbox edition was offered via Games With Gold in September 2018. Multiplayer mode was introduced in Update 16 on September 4, 2018, allowing up to 8 players cooperatively, later reduced to 4. The final update, The Sunset Update, was released on May 16, 2023. A sequel, Prison Architect 2, is under development by Kokku and Double Eleven, published by Paradox Interactive, and will be fully 3D with multi-floor construction, planned for Windows PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Did You Know?
- Prison Architect made over US$10.7 million in pre-order sales for its alpha version.
- The game won the 2016 BAFTA award in the Persistent Game category.
- Multiplayer mode initially allowed up to 8 players, later reduced to 4 in a December 2018 update.
- The Psych Ward DLC added criminally insane prisoners and padded cells.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Prison Architect?
Prison Architect is a top-down simulation game in which players design, build, and manage their own correctional facility from the ground up. It was created by Introversion Software and originally self-published by the same studio.
Who developed and published Prison Architect?
Introversion Software handled both the development and the initial publishing of the title. In 2019, Paradox Interactive purchased the rights and assumed the publishing role going forward.
When was Prison Architect released?
The game first became available as a crowdfunded paid alpha pre-order on September 25, 2012, with new content updates arriving roughly every three to four weeks through 2023. Its official full release came on October 6, 2015.
How many copies of Prison Architect were sold?
By August 2016 the title had sold more than two million copies, and by June 2019 total downloads across all platforms exceeded four million. During the alpha pre-order phase alone it generated over US$10.7 million in revenue.
What platforms is Prison Architect available on and how was it received?
The game can be played on Windows PC, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. It received a Metacritic score of 83 out of 100 and was a participant in the 2012 Independent Games Festival.
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