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While AAA titles are the go-to for the casual gamer, some seriously hidden gems are just as good as the big game releases. The original Prison Architect definitely had that feel and with Prison Architect 2, it looks to take things to another level.
Below, we’ll reveal all on the Prison Architect 2 release date, any trailers for the game, its platforms, and a bunch of further info on the evolution of virtual prison-building.
Prison Architect 2 expected release date
We were gearing up to see Prison Architect 2 released on September 3, 2024. But that isn’t going to happen now.
In a post on the Paradox forums on August 2, the Prison Architect 2 team said: “We have some difficult news to share: unfortunately, we will not release Prison Architect 2 on September 3rd because we need more time to improve both the game’s performance and its content. Our continuous internal reviews and beta test groups have highlighted areas that we need to focus on more, mainly performance and content, which we need to address before launch to ensure that you, the players, get a good experience in the game. We need to raise the quality a bit more to meet the standards we’d like to achieve with this sequel.”
As things stand we don’t currently have a new release window.
Prison Architect 2 trailers
As previously stated, Prison Architect 2 isn’t one of those big-budget, AAA experiences, so there isn’t an abundance of trailers to hype up the game. There is however one ‘announcement’ trailer that reveals some big changes from the first game.
The one major reveal here that you might not have expected is the jump from 2D to a full 3D experience. This brings an extra dynamic to the game and certainly freshens up the original’s mechanics.
While there is only one trailer, the developers have done deep dives into the game coupled with some ‘how to’ videos on various aspects of the game to aid you through the early stages. You can find these on the official Prison Architect YouTube channel if you fancy getting up to speed before launch.
Prison Architect 2 platforms
Prison Architect is expected to be released on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, following the trend of its predecessor being on both PC and consoles.
This is fantastic for those who want to continue the fun on their platform of choice, rather than being constrained to purchasing a new system just to make the jump into this new 3D prison-management realm.
Prison Architect 2 system requirements
If you’re wanting to play Prison Architect 2 on PC, even though it’s not the most graphically demanding of games, you’ll still need to know the system requirements, just in case you need to make any upgrades.
At this moment in time, there have only been minimum system requirements released for Prison Architect 2 and here is all you need to know:
- OS: OS: Windows® 10 Home 64 Bit
- CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K or AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
- RAM: 8 GB
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 (4 GB) or AMD Radeon RX 480 (8 GB)
Prison Architect 2 editions
There are a total of two editions for Prison Architect 2 – the base game ‘edition’ and the Warden’s Edition.
The first of the editions is the game and the game only, no additional content is included in the price tag. However, with the Warden’s Edition, you’ll receive some extra goodies.
The Prison Architect 2 Warden’s Edition includes the game and a ‘pack’ with the following contents:
- Captain Sandens
- Rahul Banks
- Professor Yung
- Nina Barros
- Warden’s Rug
- Warden’s Desk
- Warden’s Wallpaper
These are all either characters or cosmetics so if that isn’t your thing, maybe just stick to the game edition only. However, if you do change your mind, you can purchase the pack completely separately, perfect if you’re enjoying the game and want to add more flavor to your playthrough.
What is the Prison Architect 2 pre-order bonus?
Despite there not being many editions for the game, there is a pre-order bonus for Prison Architect 2. This pre-order bonus is the K9 Skins Pack and can be obtained by pre-ordering either the basic or the Warden’s Edition package.
This is a simple cosmetics pack for the dogs in the game so isn’t necessarily integral to the experience, but is a fun little addition all the same. What we would say though is that while this is a pre-order bonus, the game’s store page does state that the pack may be released for purchase at a later date. So, if you’d rather just wait for that to come to fruition, you can avoid pre-ordering.
Is Prison Architect 2 multiplayer or co-op?
Sadly, no, Prison Architect 2 is a single-player experience with no multiplayer or co-op on launch. This is pretty unfortunate considering that the first game did have multiplayer functionality so, sadly, this didn’t translate to 2.
One upside to the situation though is that multiplayer only comes to the original title after multiple updates over a number of years, so even if the feature doesn’t come with the launch experience, it could very well be something that is added with an update later down the line.
