Popular Steam game Prison Architect, which was originally released in October as part of Steam's Early Access program, is making its way to the Mac App Store today through a partnership between developer Introversion Software and MacPlay.


Prison Architect is a top-down simulation game where the goal is to build and run a successful prison. Players are tasked with building cells, recruiting prisoners, hiring staff, establishing utilities, developing prisoner schedules, managing entertainment and reform programs, and keeping prisoners from escaping.

Prison Architect features two game modes -- story and escape. In story mode, the player follows the story of Edward, a man who is facing the electric chair for committing a crime of passion, while in escape mode, the player takes on the role of a prisoner attempting to escape from the prison.

On the Mac, Prison Architect requires 4GB RAM, a Core2 Duo processor or better, and 300MB hard drive space.

In addition to being available in the Mac App Store, Prison Architect can also be played on the iPad, as an iOS version of the game was released earlier this year.

The Mac App Store version of Prison Architect is priced at $29.99. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

ikir Avatar
97 months ago
Better to buy on steam. AppStore doesnt have mods
AppStore have family sharing and it doesn't crash like Steam :P Also Valve seems to think last MacOS is Mavericks. It amaze me how bad is Steam (I also on PC) considering the potential.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jinnj Avatar
97 months ago
I backed this game years ago when it was just an idea, before any code had been released. I'm really glad they continued to work on it and it has come so far.

If you liked Theme Hospital, Theme Park, Zoo Tycoon or Rollercoaster Tycoon you will likely enjoy this game.
I really like this game. I stopped playing only because I get hooked on it and before you know it, it 4am and even on the weekends the kids are up early!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
H2SO4 Avatar
97 months ago
AppStore have family sharing and it doesn't crash like Steam :p Also Valve seems to think last MacOS is Mavericks. It amaze me how bad is Steam (I also on PC) considering the potential.
Interesting that, I have never and I do mean never had Steam crash out on me. Each to their own but I'll stick to Steam also. Much better model, I can play that title, (if it's cross platform), on Mac, PC, Steambox. Also going to the Steam Store more often than not yields regular discount.
I do however applaud them for making it available to those that want to buy from the Mac (cr)App store.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Eorlas Avatar
97 months ago
Signal boosting the prospect of purchasing this on Steam instead of the Mac app store.

Prison Architect is one of those titles that on Steam will allow you to play it on Windows, OS X, and SteamOS (should that be relevant to you) after you buy it once. Steam also has major sales running midweek, weekends, and around major holidays so you can grab this at a more convenient price.

Not sure why some of the people here are having issues with Steam on OS X; personally I've been using it cross-platform for a long time with no issues. On my last plane trip I brought my 15" MBP with a DS4 controller and played a bunch of games I had already installed on Steam.

Overall it just seems like a more wise investment.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ZacNicholson Avatar
97 months ago
Better to buy on steam. AppStore doesnt have mods
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TechZeke Avatar
97 months ago
AppStore have family sharing and it doesn't crash like Steam :p Also Valve seems to think last MacOS is Mavericks. It amaze me how bad is Steam (I also on PC) considering the potential.
Steam is horrific on Mac. You'd think since Valve is making boatloads from steam that they'd put more effort into it.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Leak Reveals All-New Design

Friday January 17, 2025 2:42 pm PST by
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app. Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...
2024 App Store Awards

Apple Explains Why It Removed TikTok From the App Store in the U.S.

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:58 am PST by
Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action. Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google...
iPhone 17 Air Size Feature

'iPhone 17 Air' With Rear Camera Bar Allegedly Shown in Leaked Photo

Tuesday January 21, 2025 12:46 pm PST by
A leaker known as "Majin Bu" today shared an alleged image of a component for the rumored, ultra-thin "iPhone 17 Air" model. The blurry, pixelated image shows a pair of rear iPhone shells with a pill-shaped, raised camera bar along the top. On the left side of the bar, there is a circular cutout that appears to be for a single rear camera. On the right side of the bar, there appears to be an ...
iPhone SE Dynamic Island Majin Bu

iPhone SE 4 Leak Shows Dynamic Island, Casts Doubt on Rumored 'iPhone 16E' Name

Monday January 20, 2025 9:01 am PST by
A new iPhone SE is widely rumored to launch this year, and the device has potentially been confirmed today by known leaker Evan Blass. In a private social media post, Blass shared an image of what appears to be source code mentioning an iPhone SE (4th Gen), which casts doubt on the alternative "iPhone 16E" name rumored for the device. However, the name in the source code could be a...
airtag 4 pack blue

AirTag 2 Launching This Year With These 3 New Features

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:11 am PST by
After a four-year wait, a new AirTag is finally expected to launch in 2025. Below, we recap rumored upgrades for the accessory. A few months ago, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple was aiming to release the AirTag 2 around the middle of 2025. While he did not offer a more specific timeframe, that means the AirTag 2 could be announced by the end of June. The original AirTag was announced...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Rumored to Be Compatible With These iPhones

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:28 am PST by
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr. The report cited a source who said iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that can run iOS 18, which would mean the following models: iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 14 iPhon...
apple power beats pro 2

Powerbeats Pro 2 Coming Soon: Apple to Announce Them 'Imminently'

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:25 am PST by
In September, Apple said that it would be launching Powerbeats Pro 2 in 2025, and it appears the wireless earbuds are coming very soon. Powerbeats Pro 2 images found in iOS 18 code In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the Powerbeats Pro 2 are "due imminently." In addition to Apple filing the Powerbeats Pro 2 in regulatory databases last month, Gurman said Apple is...
Generic iOS 18

Everything New in iOS 18.3 Beta 3

Thursday January 16, 2025 12:39 pm PST by
Apple provided the third beta of iOS 18.3 to developers today, and while the betas have so far been light on new features, the third beta makes some major changes to Notification Summaries and also tweaks a few other features. Notification Summary Changes Apple made multiple changes to Notification Summaries in response to complaints about inaccurate summaries of news headlines. For...
ipad pro 2024

New iPad Pro Reportedly Launching This Year

Tuesday January 21, 2025 6:40 am PST by
Apple plans to release at least one new iPad Pro model this year, according to a supplier-focused report today from Korean website The Elec. It is likely that the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models would be updated simultaneously. After receiving an OLED display last year, the report said the iPad Pro will receive only "minor" changes this year. Overall, the next iPad Pro is expected to...