Prison Architect 2 Coming With Huge Upgrade

Game ZXC

Prison Architect

By J.W. DiCarlo

Published Jan 16, 2024

Highlights

Prison Architect 2 is getting a 3D overhaul while still maintaining the beloved art style of the original game, allowing for more impressive and complex prisons.
The sequel will feature smarter inmates with distinct personalities and relationships, a Career Mode that lets players progress through different prisons, and improved control over various aspects of the game.
Fans are hopeful for Prison Architect 2, but some are hesitant due to the mixed reviews of the paid DLC released for the original game.

Prison Architect 2 released a new trailer that showcased some of the game's major upgrades, such as its 3D overhaul. The Prison Architect sequel will be released this Spring on March 26.

2015's Prison Architect was originally an indie game that went viral due to its well-made and intuitive simulation features, as well as its charming UI and unique prison theme. These attributes led Prison Architect to become regarded as one of the best sandbox simulation games out there. Since then, many things have changed for Prison Architect, including who owns the franchise. However, Prison Architect 2's new trailer gives fans good reason to be excited about the series' future.

Ex-Prison Inmate Talks About Experience While Playing Prison Architect

Larry Lawton, a former jewel thief and ex-prison inmate, discusses his experiences behind bars while playing Prison Architect.

Prison Architect 2's trailer revealed that the series is going 3D in 2024. The original game featured a lovable yet simple 2D design, but it seems that the sequel is going for a slightly more modern look. However, Prison Architect 2 is still keeping the original game's beloved art style. The trailer shows an inmate attempting to escape a prison as the world around him morphs from 2D to 3D. The trailer also reveals some gameplay which shows that Prison Architect 2 will now allow players to build vertically, allowing users to create even more impressive and complex prisons. The game's Steam page further reveals that Prison Architect 2 will feature smarter inmates with distinct personalities and relationships, a Career Mode that allows the user to progress through different prisons, and improved control over a prison's inmates, policies, architecture, and more. Prison Architect 2 will be available on PC and current-gen consoles for $39.99.

Prison Architect 2 Release Date

March 26, 2024

While details remain pretty sparse regarding the sequel, fans are hopeful that the game will be a worthy successor to the cult-favorite Prison Architect. However, fans also have reason to be somewhat hesitant in trusting Prison Architect 2 to be a successful title. In 2019, Prison Architect was purchased by Paradox Interactive, leading to some significant changes.

Paradox Interactive quickly began to develop paid DLC for the popular indie game, releasing small additions that could be purchased for anywhere between $1.99 to $9.99, and also released some free Prison Architect expansions. Most of the paid additions were received with mixed reviews despite introducing unique, new features. The game's immediate transition to paid DLC left a sour taste in some fans.

Prison Architect's Jungle Pack DLC, the game's most recent expansion released in February 2023. This DLC allowed players to manage a prison built deep in a tropical forest, introducing a new look to the game in addition to new features like tropical fever. Hopefully, Prison Architect 2 will launch with a full lineup of features instead of holding some back for later DLC releases.

Prison Architect

Prison Architect is a prison/penitentiary building and management game where a central Warden must house countless inmates. Developed by Double Eleven and Introversion Software, the game lets players customize their very own prison while managing the inmates through normal and atypical scenarios.