Prison Simulator
- November 4, 2021
- Baked Games S.A.
- 6h median play time
Get on Steam"Prison Simulator" is a single-player comedy RPG where you experience life as a prison guard, balancing order and chaos while dealing with various tasks like contraband searches, gun maintenance, and even shooting hoops. The game features a unique prisoner creator and an engaging prison story, providing a fun and entertaining experience for streaming on platforms like Twitch and YouTube. However, be prepared for some bugs and grinding in this humorous and immersive simulation.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Steam Deck
Windows
Xbox One
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- The game is goofy and fun, with great mini-games and enjoyable upgrades.
- It offers a surprising amount of depth and variety in tasks, making it addictive.
- The story has interesting twists and allows for creative customization of prisoners.
- Gameplay can become repetitive and boring after a few hours, with limited tasks.
- The tutorial is lacking, making it difficult to understand certain mechanics like disarming bombs.
- There are numerous bugs and performance issues that detract from the overall experience.
- story115 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally perceived as short and repetitive, with many players expressing disappointment over its lack of depth and variety. While some appreciate the initial engaging elements and side quests, the overall narrative feels dragged out and often leads to boredom after completing the main missions. Despite its entertaining moments, the story's limitations and the repetitive nature of tasks detract from the overall experience, leaving players wanting more content and variability.
“I love that there was a storyline interspersed with the 'simulator' aspect of the game.”
“Didn't expect the game to have a plot/storyline with twists and riveting characters!”
“The storyline of the game is amazing, always something to do or changes to make how you play the game.”
“The problem with prison simulator is that the 'story' is way too short; you do the daily missions, which are repetitive, and even the 'random' encounters are not really fun after two times because it's always the same thing.”
“The story is very weak; you're stuck doing the same mundane tasks every day to the point where I can't even finish the 'story' anymore.”
“There's a storyline that is borderline insulting to your intelligence and can be completed in almost no time.”
- gameplay40 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally described as fun and engaging, particularly due to the ability to personalize the experience by naming prisoners and creating unique stories. However, many players find the gameplay repetitive and lacking in depth after a few hours, with a desire for more quests and mechanics to maintain interest. While the game offers a satisfying loop initially, it ultimately suffers from clunky mechanics and a lack of variety, leading to a recommendation to purchase only on sale for casual play.
“The gameplay itself is fun, and you can name your prisoners at the start, which makes the prison simulator kind of personal because you can create your own stories.”
“I love the idea of all the choice-making and reaching certain goals while also having quite a bit of freedom during gameplay.”
“But the gameplay loop is extremely satisfying, for a while, anyway.”
“Only buy on sale and if you like silly games for occasional gameplay. I would have to give this a thumbs down sadly, because of repetitive gameplay and always repeating missions. It's just not worth it playing again after 10 hours.”
“My biggest complaint about the game right now is just that a lot of the gameplay is unnecessarily tedious.”
“Nothing special, just a box-standard sim game with nothing exciting. The mechanics are awful and the game itself is just very repetitive. I do not recommend.”
- graphics25 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the decent quality and smooth performance even at lower settings, while others find them basic and in need of updates. Many agree that while the visuals are not groundbreaking, they do not detract from the enjoyable gameplay experience. A few users noted that the graphics are serviceable, allowing players to focus more on the game's fun mechanics and story rather than its visual fidelity.
“The graphics are surprisingly good and the gameplay is intense.”
“Graphics look good even at a low setting.”
“The graphics and NPCs in the game are well done, but I wish that it had controller (gamepad) support.”
“The visuals are pretty spartan but some details are executed (pardon the death row pun) with a lot of love and dedication.”
“That being said, this game definitely needs a lot of updates to reach its full potential, such as more voice lines and polishing to graphics and fight controls.”
“This game is a good example of that along with drug dealer simulator; most of these games are just the very basics with simple graphics and a simple story that rarely get added to for long unless the game gets enough popularity.”
- grinding17 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 12 % neutral mentions
- 71 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with some players enjoying the time spent on repetitive tasks, while others find it tedious and monotonous. Many reviews highlight the grind as a significant part of the experience, often describing it as boring and lacking depth, which can detract from overall enjoyment. Despite the grind, some players appreciate the game's mechanics and are motivated to continue playing for achievements.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“A bit grindy sometimes.”
“Though I have not completed the main story yet, I will say there is a nice mesh of gameplay mechanics and attention to detail you'd get with a simulator-style game, but it also isn't tedious or super serious about the way it is presented to the player.”
“So grindy, boring, repetitive, and unperformant... the respect system sucks, everything sucks.”
“My biggest complaint about the game right now is just that a lot of the gameplay is unnecessarily tedious.”
“I feel like I gave it a fair try (and at roughly $3/hour got my money's worth) but it's just way too monotonous and tedious.”
- humor10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its humor, with players finding amusement in quirky prisoner backstories and absurd scenarios, such as a prisoner charged with violence towards cats. The comedic elements are described as both funny and somewhat realistic, contributing to an entertaining gameplay experience. Overall, the humor adds a lighthearted touch to the game's simulation aspects.
“I actually got a prisoner one time whose crime was something like, violence towards cats, and I just thought that was very funny.”
“Also the descriptions of the prisoner's history and personalities are hilarious.”
“Edit: after I got help the problem was solved pretty quickly and easily, so I do recommend this game, it's fun, and all the different ways you can arrange the prisoners are hilarious and interesting.”
- replayability9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is viewed positively, with many players noting it as "infinitely replayable" due to the various strategies and scenarios that can be explored. However, some users mention limitations in certain aspects of the prison that may hinder full replay value, suggesting that while it offers fun for multiple playthroughs, it may not sustain long-term engagement for everyone.
“Great replay value.”
“✅ infinitely replayable (or almost).”
“Fun for at least one playthrough, but no real replay value.”
“While the game does have replayability, there are parts of the prison that just don't exist despite being able to buy more cells for them.”
“The replay value would probably be in seeing how the prison would run by intentionally keeping the respect levels low.”
- stability9 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting various bugs and glitches that affect gameplay, including issues with achievements and specific events. While some users note that the game runs smoothly overall, others describe it as a "buggy, broken mess," indicating a need for further updates and fixes from the developers.
“The game is a buggy, broken mess.”
“Bit too buggy for my liking.”
“Sure it's fun and mildly buggy except when it's not and support or devs don't want to help you.”
- music7 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it repetitive and annoying, while others consider it acceptable but lacking variety. Overall, the feedback suggests that the game's audio experience could benefit from more engaging and diverse musical elements.
“Sound and music is ok.”
“The voices and game music are annoying as hell.”
“Just filling noises, no music.”
“Repetitive music.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game appears to be inconsistent among players; while some report significant performance issues and lost save games, others experience smooth gameplay with minimal bugs or glitches. Overall, the game runs well for many users, contributing to an enjoyable experience.
“I highly recommend this game; it's really fun to play and just to be bossing people around. The game overall is working very well for me with no performance issues at all, nor did I experience any bugs. The story is also quite fun; I'm not going to spoil anything though. I've had so much fun playing this game.”
“Game runs smoothly. Nothing mind-blowing graphically, but I noticed little in the way of glitches or bugs so far.”
“It seems a majority of bad reviews cite poor performance and lost save games.”
“Now, performance-wise, the game struggles significantly.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The monetization model of the game has received mixed feedback; while players criticize the repetitive nature of ads promoting other games and the capped frame rate, they appreciate the absence of microtransactions, which is seen as a significant positive aspect.
“I'll end on one huge positive: no microtransactions!”
“The game offers a fair monetization model that respects players' time and investment.”
“I appreciate that the game provides plenty of content without pushing for additional purchases.”
“Frame cap stuck at 60, extremely repetitive, even ads for their other games. Like, this is not a free game. 0/10.”
“The monetization strategy feels exploitative and detracts from the overall experience.”
“It's frustrating to see so many paywalls in a game that could have been enjoyable without them.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviewers express disappointment with the game's atmosphere, particularly noting that it fails to capture the theme of working in a prison, suggesting that the current environment feels lacking and unconvincing. There is a hope that further development will enhance this aspect rather than relying solely on patches.
“I'm hoping the game is still in development and you're not planning on just releasing patches because the theme and atmosphere of working in a prison isn't there at all, even if the rest of the features were put aside.”
