Prison Architect 2 gets spring 2024 release date and a new 3D art style

16.01.2024 - 18:53 / gamesradar.com / Hope Bellingham

Paradox Interactive's upcoming prison management sim, Prison Architect 2, has now got a release date - and it's less than three months away. 

After promising to share news on the sim's next chapter on January 16, developer Double Eleven has today announced the release date for Prison Architect 2. Shared in a brand-new trailer, we now know that the highly anticipated sequel to Prison Architect is set to launch on March 26, 2024, and will be available on PC (via Steam), Xbox Series X/S, and PS5. 

 A lot has changed since the first Prison Architect game, perhaps most noticeably the sim's new 3D graphics - which make it look like an entirely different game. In a press release, Double Eleven revealed the sequel will offer advanced simulation systems to give players more creative freedom in a 3D environment. 

The main aim of the game is to use your resources to build, manage, and take control of your very own prison - now on multiple floors. This includes designing all of it and managing things like daily schedules and policies. It's not as simple as just building a few cells though, as the design you go for will affect every aspect of your inmates' lives. 

Improving on its 2015 predecessor, Prison Architect 2 will also offer new gameplay and creative tools for an "engaging sandbox experience." The sequel will also introduce a new connection system between inmates which will allow players to see which prisoners are friends (or enemies), which will determine who everyone hangs out with, and more importantly, which prisoners are likely to partner up together or breakout into a fight. 

To keep players on their toes even more, inmates will also now make decisions based on their wants and needs, and plot their paths "better than ever," according to its developer. You'll want to design and manage accordingly or risk things like prisoner escapes, gang wars, and lots of other destructive and expensive problems. 

While we wait for Prison Architect 2, find out what else we've got to look forward to this year with our new games 2024 list.