Prison Architect: Complete Guide

How to build a prison that pays for itself and doesn't burn down: the opening build order, prisoner needs, the regime, security, reform programs, prison labor, grants, and the DLC systems (Gangs, Psych Ward, Island Bound and more).

Researched September 2026 — current as of the final PC build after The Sunset Update (May 16, 2023). The game is no longer receiving patches; Prison Architect 2 is still listed as "To be announced" on Steam. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Game Status in 2026

Prison Architect (Introversion Software, later Double Eleven, published by Paradox Interactive) launched on October 6, 2015. Paradox ended active development with The Sunset Update on May 16, 2023. The game still sells, runs fine, and keeps a big Steam Workshop scene, but there will be no new balance changes. The sequel, Prison Architect 2, was delayed indefinitely from its planned September 2024 date and its Steam page still shows no release date as of September 2026.

That makes the current build stable. Guides from 2023 onward are still accurate.

Quick Start

Accept the Basic Detention Centre and Administration Centre grants first. They pay for your first build and unlock the full grant tree once you hire a Warden and an Accountant.
Build infrastructure before cells. Deliveries, a Kitchen, a Canteen, Showers, a Yard and Holding Cells need to exist before the first prisoner bus arrives.
Put a toilet in every cell. Bladder and Bowels are the needs that cause mess and trouble fastest. The cheapest valid cell is a bed plus a toilet.
Use the time controls. Pause and plan: foundations and walls are cheap to lay out, and the first-day timer is forgiving if you're paused.
Keep deliveries and the garbage flow separate from where prisoners walk. Deliveries are one of the main ways contraband gets in.
Hire more guards than you think you need. Low Safety leads prisoners to go looking for weapons.
Use Intake settings to control who arrives. Start with minimum and medium security only. Leave maximum security and supermax for later.
Get prisoners working early. Kitchen and Laundry jobs cut staff costs, and later the Workshop makes real money.
Research Deployment and Patrols in Bureaucracy early. The Chief of Security unlocks them. Guards without assigned zones wander around doing nothing useful.
Save often, and keep more than one save. A riot can snowball quickly.

Core Systems

Needs

Every prisoner has a set of needs. When a need goes critical, their mood drops and dangerous behavior becomes more likely. The main ones:

Need	How to satisfy it	If it goes critical
Bladder / Bowels	Toilet in the cell, dorm, holding cell, or the room they're in	Mess on the floor, soiled uniforms
Food	Kitchen with Cooks, then Canteen serving tables at Eat time	Starvation, anger
Sleep	Bed or bunk during Sleep or Free Time	Tiredness, bad mood
Hygiene	Shower room during Shower or Free Time	Bad mood
Clothing	Clean uniforms from a working Laundry	Bad mood
Comfort	Beds, benches, chairs, reading mail	Bad mood
Exercise	Yard with laps, weights benches	Bad mood
Safety	Guards nearby, low danger	Prisoners seek weapons
Freedom	Free Time, open doors, arcade cabinets	Tunnel digging
Family	Phone booths, Visitation room	Bad mood
Recreation	Pool tables, TVs, radios in a Common Room	Bad mood
Environment	Clean floors (Janitors or prisoner cleaners)	Bad mood
Privacy	Personal cells instead of dorms or holding cells	Bad mood
Literacy	Library, bookshelves	Bad mood
Spirituality	Religious services in a room with an altar	Bad mood
Drugs / Alcohol	Addiction programs, or smuggling	Withdrawal
Warmth	Radiators in cold climates	Bad mood
Luxuries	Prison Shop	Bad mood

The Needs screen (and the prisoner profile) shows the worst needs across the population. If one bar is red for everyone, fix that before building anything else.

The Regime

The Regime is the 24-hour schedule. Slots are Sleep, Lockup, Eat, Shower, Yard, Free Time, Work/Free Time and Work/Lockup (plus Programs/Free Time for insane prisoners with Psych Ward). Reform programs run during work hours rather than in their own slot. Rules of thumb:

Eat needs enough time for everyone to get through the serving line. If prisoners go hungry, add serving tables or lengthen the Eat slot.
Free Time covers a lot of needs at once. Prisoners pick whichever need is worst.
Stagger regimes by security level. Different categories can have different schedules, which cuts canteen crowding.
Don't overdo Lockup. It cuts Freedom and makes prisoners angry.

Staff

Staff	Role
Warden	Unlocks Bureaucracy research, other department heads, grants
Accountant	Finance reports, a third grant slot, advanced grants
Chief of Security	Deployment, Patrols, Dogs, Armed Guards, Contraband research
Foreman	Workers, Janitors, Gardeners, Prison Labor
Psychologist	Prisoner profile and reputation reveals, mood tracking, Behavioural Therapy
Lawyer	Legal matters: death row, parole, and lawsuits
Guards	Escort, search, break up fights, open doors
Workmen	Build, repair, carry deliveries
Cooks	Run the Kitchen
Janitors	Clean
Doctors	Heal injured prisoners and staff
Teachers	Run Foundation and General Education, among others

Each department head needs their own office and unlocks new Bureaucracy options. Deployment (Chief) is the single most valuable: paint guard zones and set patrols so guards are posted near the canteen, yard, and cell blocks.

Security Levels

Prisoners come in categories: Minimum (grey uniform), Medium (orange), Maximum (red), plus Protective Custody, Supermax, Death Row and (with Psych Ward) Criminally Insane, depending on settings and DLC. Each carries a different Grant income per day, with higher categories paying more and being far more dangerous. Room access is set per room (Deployment tab) using these colors, so you can keep Max prisoners out of the Min yard.

Opening Build Order

This order works on a default map with the two starter grants.

Lay out the grounds. Road access comes in from the edge of the map. Place Deliveries and Garbage zones near the road, fenced off from the prison.
Build a Holding Cell big enough for your first intake, with toilets and benches. This buys you time before cells are finished.
Kitchen and Canteen next to each other. A Kitchen needs a cooker, fridge and sink. The Canteen needs serving tables, tables and benches. Hire Cooks.
Shower room with shower heads and a drain.
Yard — a fenced outdoor area. Add weights benches later.
Cells. A cell is at least 2x3 tiles, enclosed and indoors, with a bed and a toilet (the Lawyer's Small Cells research removes the size minimum). Build a row sharing walls to save money.
Offices for the Warden and the Accountant, then take on more grants.
Laundry with washing machines, an ironing board and laundry baskets, staffed by prisoners once you have Prison Labor researched.
Common Room, Visitation, Infirmary, Staff Room as money allows. Guards and staff get tired too, so the Staff Room matters.

Use utilities from day one: electricity (Power Station, Capacitors and cables) and water (Water Pump Station and pipes) feed kitchens, showers and toilets. Big prisons run power through Capacitors and keep a backup.

Money and Grants

Income comes from three sources:

Prisoner income — a per-prisoner daily payment that rises with security level.
Grants — one-off payments for completing objectives.
Prison Labor — products made in the Workshop (license plates, furniture), and services like Laundry and Cleaning.

Starter Grants

Grant	Advance	On completion	Notes
Basic Detention Centre	$20,000	$10,000	Your first build. Always take it.
Administration Centre	$5,000	$5,000	Warden + Accountant, unlocks more grants
Health and Well Being	$10,000	$10,000	Infirmary and a Doctor
Reform through Education Initiative	$15,000	$40,000	Classroom + education programs; biggest payout
Staff Well-being Initiative	$0	$10,000	Staff Room

You can run two grants at once (three once you have an Accountant). A strong early sequence is Basic Detention Centre + Administration Centre, then Health and Well Being or the Education grant.

Making Real Money

The Workshop (Carpentry benches, saws, a license plate press) is the classic money-maker. Prisoners need the Workshop Safety Induction program first, and they'll be carrying tools, so put metal detectors at the exits and guards inside.
Reform programs raise prisoner "reoffending" stats and can earn bonuses in some modes, but mostly they reduce trouble and unlock work.
Cheaper cells — Dorms are cheap per prisoner but hurt Privacy.

Security and Contraband

Contraband comes in through deliveries, visitors, the trash, and from items prisoners pick up in the kitchen, workshop or garden. The counters:

Metal detectors at doors between work areas and cell blocks.
Shakedowns (search all cells) from the Reports panel when the contraband chart spikes.
Dogs and Dog Handlers to find drugs and tunnels.
CCTV with a Security room and monitors.
Informants — convert a prisoner to snitch on others (Intelligence tab).
Tunnels — prisoners dig with spoons and tools. Build outer walls with a gap between two perimeter fences, run patrols, and search cells when a prisoner has Tunnel suspicion.

Riots start with a few angry prisoners. Keep Riot Guards or Armed Guards for later, lock down the affected area, and fix the need that caused it afterwards.

Reform Programs

Programs run in Classrooms, Common Rooms, the Workshop and other rooms. They cost money per session but lower reoffending and unlock labor. The ones worth running first:

Program	Why
Workshop Safety Induction	Required before prisoners can work in the Workshop
Kitchen Safety and Hygiene	Required for prisoners working the Kitchen
Foundation Education	Base qualification; leads to General Education
General Education	Improves reoffending and unlocks further programs
Behavioural Therapy	Calms violent prisoners
Alcoholics Group Therapy / Pharmacological Treatment of Drug Addiction	Deal with Alcohol and Drug needs
Spiritual Guidance	Covers Spirituality
Carpentry Apprenticeship	Needed for the Carpentry workshop line

DLC Overview

The DLC released between 2019 and 2023:

DLC	Release	What it adds
Psych Ward: Warden's Edition	Nov 2019	Criminally insane prisoners, Psych Ward, Psychiatrists, Padded Cells
Cleared for Transfer	May 2020	Smaller content pack (check the store page for its exact contents)
Island Bound	Jun 2020	Islands, bridges, ferry deliveries, weather
Going Green	Jan 2021	Farming, green power, solar/wind
Second Chances	Jun 2021	Parole, rehabilitation and prisoner reintegration
Perfect Storm	Jan 2022	Natural disasters, emergency tools
Gangs	Jun 2022	Gang systems, turf wars, gang reputation
Undead	Oct 2022	Zombie-themed scenario content
Future Tech Pack	Nov 2022	Futuristic objects and robots
Jungle Pack	Feb 2023	Jungle-themed objects and biome

None are required for the core game. Going Green (farming for food) and Gangs add the most gameplay depth. Island Bound is great if you want a new layout challenge.

Game Modes

Campaign — story chapters that double as tutorials. Worth playing the first few for the mechanics.
Prison Warden (sandbox) — the main mode. Pick map size and starting options.
Escape Mode — play as a prisoner trying to break out of a prison you or someone else designed.
Online — download player-made prisons from the community.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Building cells before food and showers. Hunger and bad hygiene cause a riot before you finish the block.
Mixing security levels. Max security prisoners in shared areas with Min will hurt and kill people.
One door in, one door out. Crowded corridors and bottlenecks during Eat time start fights.
Leaving delivery zones inside the prison. Contraband goes straight to the cell blocks.
Forgetting staff needs. Tired guards break down. Build a Staff Room early.
Running with no reserve cash. Payroll is due daily. Keep a buffer for emergencies.
Skipping Deployment. Unassigned guards cluster in the wrong places.
Taking in too many prisoners at once. Set Intake to a few per day until you can handle more.

Advanced Tips

Build a "sally port": double doors with a staff-only corridor between them. Door servos and remote doors from a Security room make this even stronger.
Separate staff corridors keep deliveries and staff away from prisoners, which cuts both contraband and assaults.
Use Logistics (its own toolbar tab) to link specific Kitchens to Canteens, Laundries to cell blocks, and to control which prisoners work where. This alone fixes most "prisoners go hungry" issues in big prisons.
Build Solitary and set punishments in the Policy menu so repeat offenders don't keep causing trouble.
Plan for fire. Kitchens catch fire. Keep Firemen (after research) and a Fire Station, and don't build the kitchen with one exit.
Workshop throughput: saws, a workshop press and stacks of wood near the Deliveries area keep production moving; the Workshop is only profitable once guards stop contraband theft.
Mods from the Steam Workshop add rooms and objects, but some older mods conflict with the final DLC build. Test new mods on a fresh save.

FAQ

Is Prison Architect still updated? No. The Sunset Update (May 16, 2023) was the last update. The game remains on sale and playable.

What happened to Prison Architect 2? It was delayed indefinitely from its September 2024 date. The Steam page still says "To be announced" as of September 2026.

Why won't my prisoners eat? The usual causes: not enough cooks, no fridge or cooker, the Eat slot is too short, or the canteen isn't reachable. Check Logistics to confirm the Kitchen serves that Canteen.

How do I stop tunnels? Build the perimeter with a gap between two fences, patrol it with dogs, and shake down cells regularly. Tunnels show up once the dog handlers find them.

How do I get prisoners to work? Research Prison Labor (Foreman), then assign rooms to prison labor in the room's settings. Workshop and Kitchen jobs require their safety programs first.

Do I need the DLC? No. The base game is complete. Going Green and Gangs are the best extras.