Prison Architect

What to Know

Critics Recommend

Average Score

Total Reviews: 43

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An in-depth, focused, and satisfying builder that recalls the glory days of games like Theme Hospital.

Play It

Critics Recommend

Critic Reviews: 43

Critics Consensus

# Reviews: 43

An in-depth, focused, and satisfying builder that recalls the glory days of games like Theme Hospital.

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Critic Reviews for Prison Architect

Reviews

High Score - 100/100

Low Score - 30/100

Bronze TIER

68% of scored reviews fell within the range of 80 to 86 / 100

Paul Dean (Eurogamer)

Recommended

“Emerging from Early Access lean and focused, Prison Architect is one of the best management games in a long time.”

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Justin Clark (GameSpot)

7/10

“Tonally schizophrenic, yet still one of the more fascinating game experiences ever made.”

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Chris Sullentrop (Kotaku)

Recommended

“A deep, absorbing prison sim that won’t teach you anything about mass incarceration in America. Enough interlocking systems to keep your mind off the systemic inequities in our actual prison system. The campaign can be boring and the tutorials are inadequate. Escape mode is disappointing.”

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Read the Reviews (43 total)

Outlet	Author	Score	Date	Quote	Read
CGMagazine	Sean O’Sullivan	8 / 10	10-14-2015	Prison Architect isn’t going to appeal to everyone; the simple graphics and initially overwhelming influence may scare off those hoping for something as immediately accessible and fun as Theme Park. Those who persevere will find an incredibly complex simulation that will gradually reveal more and more layers of strata as the hours invested pile up.	Read review
COGconnected	Erin Soares	87 / 100	07-01-2016	Introversion Software and Double Eleven did a superb job making sure Prison Architect was more than your typical simulation game.	Read review
ComiConverse	Alan Stock	4 / 5 stars	09-26-2016	If you can persevere through the game’s poor useability, you’ll find a complex and compelling sim with many player stories to tell.	Read review
Cubed3	Ian Soltes	8 / 10	01-13-2016	There are many upsides to Prison Architect. From its smooth and easy controls, strong gameplay, and the chance for anyone to test how they would react when placed at a position of power. Of course, the game is not without its downsides either, such as the way it can end up fairly monotone once the game is mastered, but, as a whole, it’s very worthwhile.	Read review
Destructoid	Joel Peterson	8.5 / 10	10-06-2018	I like computer books. I have a shelf packed with programming textbooks, stories about the industry, and a library of eBooks on various languages I learn and work with. I also have one oddity published by O’Reily called Getting Started With Dwarf Fortress. Of course Dwarf Fortress is not a programming language, but a game. An infamous game known for an incredible depth of complexity and one of the worst user interfaces ever built. Aside the fact that the game is comprised entirely of ASCII characters, it is difficult enough to parse that it has its own sizeable text box. A shame considering it is one of the most unique and wonderful games around.I never mastered Dwarf Fortress, but it stoked the fires of my interest in the simulation genre and as the years have gone by there have been plenty of interesting clones of the game. Prison Architect is one such game, and while it chooses to ditch the mind boggling scope of Dwarf Fortress and focus the player on a singular task, it is not any worse off or lacking in depth because of this. After hanging around on PC, it has made its way to the Nintendo Switch, making it (for now…Rimworld, anyone?) the only notable title like it on the console.	Read review
Digital Chumps	Eric Layman	7.2 / 10	06-28-2016	Creating a candid simulation of a correctional facility is Prison Architect’s purpose. Its power is allowing the player to decide if moral indifference—their own or Prison Architect’s—is either a strength or weakness. Prison Architect’s trip to the PlayStation 4 undermines its capability with an unnecessary layer of obstruction, but the interference it creates isn’t impossible to overcome.	Read review
Eurogamer	Paul Dean	Recommended	10-07-2015	Emerging from Early Access lean and focused, Prison Architect is one of the best management games in a long time.	Read review
Game Informer	Joe Juba	8 / 10	10-06-2015	Great moments emerge naturally from well-made simulations, and Prison Architect has no shortage	Read review
GameCrate	Afroxander	8 / 10	08-10-2016	Prison Architect isn’t the easiest game to delve into, but it provides patient players with a deep, challenging, and entertaining experience.	Read review
GameGrin	Alex Hamilton	9 / 10	10-20-2015	Prison Architect started out as a diamond in the rough and has been polished and hewn into a truly unique gaming experience. Introversion Software can be proud that they’ve built Prison Architect the right way and created an exceptional game unrivalled by many in the industry.	Read review
GameSpew	Sam Arthur	9 / 10	10-19-2015	Prison Architect does have a campaign mode (if you can call it that), but it’s a bit subsided… where it does shine though is in its storytelling	Read review
GameSpot	Justin Clark	7 / 10	10-13-2015	Tonally schizophrenic, yet still one of the more fascinating game experiences ever made.	Read review
GameWatcher	John-Paul Jones	8.5 / 10	11-17-2015	In many ways, Prison Architect feels like the ‘Theme Prison’ game from Bullfrog’s golden years that we never actually got. Certainly, if Prison Architect’s extended stint in Early Access was any indication, developer Introversion, much like the aforementioned legendary British developer, had no shortage of ambition and this is certainly something that has translated into the final product because minor niggles aside, Prison Architect is a one-of-a-kind prison building experience rife with emergent stories the caliber of which we haven’t seen in some time.	Read review
Gaming Nexus	Randy Kalista	8.8 / 10	07-18-2016	Prison Architect is one of the more unique game releases in years. What would seem daunting at first, with building and managing a prison, quickly reveals to be both an addictive and entertaining gameplay experience. While minor bugs can still be found from time to time, these don’t distract from the overall enjoyment of creating the perfect prison. Entrepreneurial prison designers, this is the game you need to buy.	Read review
GamingTrend	Patrick Rost	95 / 100	07-01-2016	The game is so deep that no review can capture all you will see and do in Prison Architect, but rarely does a simulation game hit on all levels from building down to micromanagement so well. Prison Architect overcomes a few minor glitches to earn extraordinary status, and is a must-play for anyone looking to kill some time punishing crime.	Read review
Geeks Under Grace	Maurice Pogue	8.3 / 10	05-16-2016	Prison Architect is in good company with games like Papers, Please, providing great entertainment value without obstructing its sobering social commentary.	Read review
God is a Geek	Chris White	8.5 / 10	06-28-2016	Prison Architect is a fantastic strategy sim which highlights both the difficulty of running a prison and keeping a lot of prisoners happy.	Read review
Guardian	Ian Keary	5 / 5 stars	10-09-2015	How difficult could it be to build a jail and keep everyone inside? With this impressively detailed simulation, you’re about to find out	Read review
Hardcore Gamer	Luke George	4 / 5 stars	10-20-2015	Prison Architect is a genuinely fun game that makes you think in unexpected ways. Apart from some slight campaign fatigue and an Escape Mode with plenty of potential but poor execution, it’s hard to put it down. A surprising depth of character draws you in and a depth of gameplay that keeps you there. If you love the Tycoon style of game then this is definitely for you. If that’s not your thing, then give Prison Architect a go anyway, you will be pleasantly surprised. Until you realize that it’s 3:23 am and you have work tomorrow, at least.	Read review
IGN	Richard Cobbett	8.3 / 10	10-06-2015	Prison Architect is one of the most in-depth, satisfying builder games in ages, if you can get past the initiation.	Read review
Impulsegamer	Daniel Coomans	2.5 / 5 stars	07-31-2016	The game definitely suits one who loves crafting games, though as a beginner in the field this game works well as it’s fairly user friendly and small enough in scale you won’t get lost in it, strangely addictive at times yet not enough to steal you away from the big names in terms of longevity.	Read review
Kill Screen	Will Partin	55 / 100	10-06-2015	Every system locks us up. But sims like Prison Architect throw away the keys.	Read review
Kotaku	Chris Suellentrop	Recommended	10-12-2015	A deep, absorbing prison sim that won’t teach you anything about mass incarceration in America. Enough interlocking systems to keep your mind off the systemic inequities in our actual prison system. The campaign can be boring and the tutorials are inadequate. Escape mode is disappointing.	Read review
Metro GameCentral	Alex Hudson	8 / 10	07-11-2016	A great simulation game that recalls the glory days of Theme Hospital et al. Although at times it almost feels like a psychology study of the player rather than the inmates.	Read review
MonsterVine	Michael Elliott	4 / 5 stars	07-27-2016	Prison Architect is a solid title with an engaging premise and an enjoyable campaign that can last as long as 6 hours or more.	Read review
Nintendo Life	Dom Reseigh-Lincoln	8 / 10	08-24-2018	It’s still an awkward fit for console controls, but the game beneath them is worth the effort nonetheless.	Read review
NintendoWorldReport	Joel DeWitte	8 / 10	10-09-2018	It should be noted that the Switch version is meant to also include an Escape Mode where you control an inmate trying to find their way out. For the purposes of this review, we haven’t been able to check it out. Despite that omission, it’s not hard to pour a bunch of time into Prison Architect, and I am happy to recommend it to anyone looking for a sim game to play on their couch.	Read review
PC Gamer	Christopher Livingston	87 / 100	10-15-2015	A complex, challenging, and grimly satisfying simulator.	Read review
PCWorld	Hayden Dingman	4 / 5 stars	10-06-2015	Prison Architect is a mostly-honest and unflinching look at our modern society and its approach towards prisoner rehabilitation…or lack thereof. It’s a fascinating game, in no small part because it so expertly casts a real-world debate in video game terms and in doing so forces players to examine their own beliefs.	Read review
Player.One	Mo Mozuch	3 / 10	10-09-2015	Prison Architect finally launched a full version with a campaign, but longtime fans will be disappointed.	Read review
PlayStation Universe	Aaron Varshney	8 / 10	07-13-2016	The pick up and play nature of Prison Architect in tandem with its wealth of gameplay options make this title far outshine its few flaws with a charming and engaging overall package.	Read review
Post Arcade (National Post)	Chad Sapieha	8 / 10	08-03-2016	This deep penitentiary construction and simulation game is a lesson why for-profit prisons are destined for corruption and inmate mistreatment	Read review
Push Square	Kell Andersen	8 / 10	06-27-2016	Prison Architect is a fantastic simulation game. Its clever systems combine in interesting and intuitive ways to create an experience which is tense, challenging, and engaging. Niggling control issues aside, the title is a terrific example of how a traditionally PC-only genre should be ported to consoles.	Read review
Rectify Gaming	Khris Golder	8 / 10	06-29-2016	This prison sim game is unique, memorable, and has the makings of an incredibly long playthrough off a single save file.	Read review
Rock, Paper, Shotgun	Brendan Caldwell	Recommended	10-06-2015	There is only one major difficulty for any reviewer of Introversion’s incarceration fest. It isn’t deciding whether or not to recommend it. I very much do. It is that anyone who is interested in Prison Architect is already likely to have picked it up. Many of us have already had 36 months of early access to amuse ourselves by building giant toilets with some prison beds inside. And those who haven’t got it by now may be quite happy to continue ignoring it. I think this would be an enormous shame.	Read review
Saving Content	Ed Acosta	4 / 5 stars	06-28-2016	The team at Introversion has made a very fun management sim and Double Eleven has done a wonderful job translating the game and it’s controls to consoles. It’s fun to design a prison and just as fun to run it like a well-oiled machine. That is unless you connect two power generators together causing them to short and lose power to your entire prison leaving the high security prisoners free to wander and kill any guard who happens to cross their path.	Read review
Stevivor	Stuart Gollan	7.5 / 10	07-14-2016	Prison Architect is an excellent sandbox, a throwback to the days of Bullfrog’s Theme series that forces you to balance an eye for aesthetics with pure functionality. Those who don’t need to be led by the hand to explore the deep systems at play will find an excellent simulation to lose themselves in, with online sharing options providing a huge selection of prisons to explore, tear down and rebuild. If you can stomach the morality of prisons for profit you will enjoy Prison Architect.	Read review
TechRaptor	Reagan Cox	8 / 10	07-01-2016	Prison Architect is a great simulator that made the transition from computers to console admirably.	Read review
TheSixthAxis	Kris Lipscombe	8 / 10	10-05-2015	Even if Prison Architect didn’t come with a thought provoking, if short, campaign, it’d be easy to recommend to anyone with an interest in management sims. That addition not only brings some depth to the game, but it also serves as one of the most enjoyable and comprehensive tutorials I’ve ever played in a game.	Read review
TrueAchievements	Mark Delaney	4 / 5 stars	06-28-2016	Prison Architect is a deep offering of gameplay elements, interconnected systems, and emergent storytelling, all of which remain addictive for fans of such micromanagement. If all this sounds like more work than fun, you’re probably right; this game just isn’t for you. There were times when I looked at the game in my library and became stressed at the idea of playing it some more. Controlling a population of inmates who, by the basic nature of prison, don’t want to be there, can feel like a second job. More often, though, I was amazed by the game’s intense level of detail to the human element of being behind bars, and I walked away from the experience with an appreciation for such a stellar genre title. If you’re a fan of simulations, Prison Architect is one of the best there is.	Read review
USgamer	Jaz Rignall	4 / 5 stars	06-29-2016	This port of the popular PC prison-building game has been nicely executed to deliver a deep and compelling experience on consoles. Its complex menus and mechanics present a fairly steep learning curve, even with the game’s effective tutorials, but once you get over it, Prison Architect is a challenging, entertaining, and surprisingly addictive game that offers plenty of potential for long-term play.	Read review
VideoGamer	Tom Orry	8 / 10	07-05-2016	Prison Architect is a full-on sim that will eat your time. If you fancy a dark look inside the running of a prison, look no further.	Read review
ZTGD	Jae Lee	8 / 10	10-22-2015	Prison Architect allows for freedom and creativity with its deep simulation systems and the multitude of player options. Players may become surprisingly invested in their prison and in their prisoners, something that can only be achieved by letting them mess with every small detail.	Read review

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Game Info

Game Description / Storyline:

The game is a top-down 2D construction and management simulation where the player takes control of building and running a prison. The player is responsible for managing various aspects of their prison including building cells and facilities, planning and connecting utilities, hiring and assigning staff, including a warden, guards, workers, and more. The player needs to recruit staff to unlock more aspects of the game. The player is also responsible for the finance, and keeping their inmates content.

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