Prison Architect

Only the world’s most ruthless Warden can contain the world’s most ruthless inmates. Design and develop your personalized penitentiary in Prison Architect.

Are you fans of the prison universe? Have you seen and rewatched 'The Green Mile', 'Midnight Express', 'A Prophet', or 'Prison Break'? Do you dream of running your own penitentiary? Prison Architect is for you.

Don't be fooled by the simplistic graphics of this management game—unlike others, its appeal lies in its deep and subtle mechanics. It blends creativity, management, and humor brilliantly, plunging us into a truly unique prison universe.

You decide: you can reign terror behind bars, or, on the other hand, turn your prison into a vacation resort. Know that, whatever you choose, you'll face problems.

In terms of management, it's simply high-level. The slightest mistake will cost you dearly, with riots and casualties to show for it. The interface is easy to pick up and, as a result, you progress fairly quickly.

To start:

Be aware that when the game launches for the first time, it lets you start a match right away. But we highly recommend playing the 'campaign' in the settings before you begin. The campaign is the tutorial, and without having played it you won't get anywhere later!

The missions in this campaign unfold without much difficulty, but they'll give you the basics of prison construction and inmate management. You'll face humorous situations, punctuated by illustrated polaroids.

You'll need to escort a death-row inmate to the electric chair, or free the prison warden from a gang of prisoners, before you have to deal with a fire and a riot.

Finally, the last mission will confront you with the realities on the ground by building an annex to the prison.

For those who love taking the time to build and fine-tune every little detail before time slips away and you watch the result, this game is a real boon.

Little by little, your small prison will grow into a massive complex that you must organize down to its tiniest corners. To do that, you’ll need to manage the time and the speed at which it passes. Thanks to the soundscape, and the multitude of NPCs at their tasks, the game is alive with life and full of details.

Be careful not to let anyone escape, and not to admit repeat offenders, or you'll be fined. You'll often rely on various exception procedures (general search, instant door lockdown, confinement) as well as emergency calls (firefighters, riot police, medical teams).

Each of the many prisoners has their own biography, and you'll need to consider it when choosing cellmates. Gangs form quickly and are a real bane for the manager you are.

The multitude of ways to occupy prisoners (work, education, isolation, leisure, etc.), the management of guards and staff, the upkeep of security devices, and many other things enable true freedom.

A rare kind of freedom in prison!