Prison Architect 2 goes full 3D, launches this year

Paradox Interactive and Double Eleven have formally announced Prison Architect 2, which is scheduled to release in just a couple of months on March 26.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise to diehard fans as Prison Architect 2 was rated in South Korea this past November. Paradox also appeared to tease a sequel last May when it released the first game’s final update. The trailer for that update even saw one of the game’s characters turn into a 3D character model, suggesting Prison Architect 2 would ditch the original 2D visuals.

The official reveal shows it’s not just the graphics that have changed. Rather than a top-down game, Prison Architect 2 lets you design and interact with your bespoke prison in a full 3D environment. If the trailer is anything to go by, the new visuals should allow characters to be more expressive, though I wouldn’t be surprised if a good portion of fans express a preference for the first game’s simpler visuals.

“In Prison Architect 2, our team set out to create the next level in management gameplay,” game director Gareth Wright said in a press release. “A greater degree of player freedom, impactful choices, and inmate simulation come together to provide an enhanced presentation of prison management, in a 3D world.” He added how staple features will be returning from the first game, such as the option to share the prisons you design with other players. This feature, however, has been improved since there will be cross-play functionality this time, meaning you can share prisons with players regardless of the platform they’re using.

Speaking of platforms, Prison Architect 2 is leaving behind last-gen systems and releasing only for PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. This means there are no mobile or Nintendo Switch versions yet, even though the game suits both platforms perfectly. With any luck, mobile and/or Switch ports will be developed down the line. After all, the first game was originally a PC exclusive in 2015 before being ported to consoles and mobile over the following years.

As for wholly new features, the 3D perspective means would-be architects can design their prisons with multiple floors and catwalks, inmates are much smarter and capable of fostering distinct relationships with one another as they plot their escapes, and there’s a new Career mode that will “take you across a brand-new world map.”

Prison Architect 2 isn’t the only game Paradox has planned for 2024; in fact, this year could be a significant one for the company. On March 5, it’ll launch its Sims rival Life by You, in early access, which has former Sims head honcho Rod Humble behind the wheel. Then, much later in the year, it’ll finally release the long-awaited action RPG sequel Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, which has seen several delays since its 2019 reveal. It even changed developers, with The Chinese Room taking over in 2021.