Prison Architect

Top-down prison management sim built around design and crisis control

Introversion Software, Double Eleven · Published by Paradox Interactive · Released Oct 6, 2015

Reviews: Very Positive; 89% of 74K
Recent reviews: Very Positive; 80% of 199 in 30 days
Playing now: 562; right now
Steam Deck: Playable
Last update: 3 years ago; May 16, 2023

What is Prison Architect?

A 2D, top-down prison-building and management simulation. You design cell blocks and facilities, hire staff, allocate money and resources, schedule prisoner labor and treatment, and respond to disease, gangs, fires, fights, riots, and escape attempts. Sandbox mode is for open-ended expansion, while Escape Mode lets you break out of a prison you built.

For you if...

+you enjoy detailed base building and resource management
+you want an open-ended sandbox to expand and optimize
+you like balancing staff, security, schedules, and inmate needs

Not for you if...

−you prefer action over systems-heavy management and planning
−you dislike handling riots, escapes, and cascading facility problems

What players say

89% of 73,873 reviews are positive · 80% of 199 in the last 30 days

Players praise the prison-building loop, especially expanding layouts, optimizing programs, and containing chaos. Common complaints include persistent bugs, poor performance in large prisons, and paid DLC. Recent players also report that the added launcher slows startup or prevents the game from launching.

Screenshots and trailer

Prison Architect system requirements

As published by the developer.

Minimum

OS: Windows® 10 Home 64 Bit
Processor: Intel Core2 Duo 2.4Ghz or Higher / AMD 3Ghz or Higher
Graphics: Nvidia 8600 / Radeon equivalent (2009 era)
Memory: 6 GB RAM
Storage: 400 MB HD space

PC version details

DRM, required accounts, controller support and Steam features.

DRM: None declared on Steam
Controller: Keyboard and mouse
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Achievements: 18
Steam features: Workshop, Cloud saves, Family Sharing, Trading cards

Steam Deck: Playable

Sometimes shows mouse, keyboard or non-Deck controller icons
Some text entry requires manually opening the on-screen keyboard
Some in-game text is small and may be hard to read
All functionality is accessible with the default controller configuration
Default graphics settings perform well on Steam Deck
External controllers are not supported for the primary player

Multiplayer and co-op

Single-player

Languages

Text only: English, French, Italian, German, Korean, Polish, Portuguese - Brazil, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish - Spain, Dutch, Japanese, Swedish, Traditional Chinese, Turkish.