Prison break is one of those things that are best done in the virtual world rather than the real one.
Thanks to games we have the unique opportunity to experience the thrills of planning and executing a perfect escape while fighting for our own survival. Today we’ve collected some games you may want to play if you’d like to try your luck in outsmarting the guards and the likes.
Game | Release | Genre | Developer | |
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A Way Out | 2018-03-23 | Adventure | Hazelight Studios | |
Prison Architect | 2015-10-06 | Indie | Introversion Software | |
The Witcher 2 Assassins Of Kings Enhanced Edition | 2017-11-05 | Adventure | CD PROJEKT RED | |
The Escapists 2 | 22-08-2017 | Indie | Mouldy Toof | |
The Escapists | 13-02-2015 | Adventure | Mouldy Toof | |
Outward Definitive Edition | 2022-05-17 | RPG | Nine Dots Studios | |
Dragon Age Origins Ultimate Edition | 2010-09-29 | RPG | BioWare | |
Fable The Lost Chapters | 2011-12-19 | Adventure | Lionhead Studios | |
Portal 2 | 2011-04-18 | Adventure | Valve | |
Dishonored Definitive Edition | 2012-10-11 | Action | Arkane Studios |
10. Prison Architect
Release: | 2015-10-06 |
Genre: | Indie |
Developer: | Introversion Software |
For the first title on the list, let’s take a look at Prison Architect, a game that focuses entirely on prison.
While the architect part of the title accurately describes the original idea, which was designing and managing your perfect prison, there is also something called an escape mode, where you can actually become one of the prisoners and see how it all looks like from the other side.
You’ll be able to do most of the things your prisoners were able to do when you were the one running the prison – the ultimate goal is, of course, escaping. Build your reputation, work, cause trouble, recruit squad members, and with their help try to leave this godforsaken place for good.
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9. Dragon Age: Origins
Release: | 2010-09-29 |
Genre: | RPG |
Developer: | BioWare |
Dragon Age: Origins, the first installment of the role-playing Dragon Age franchise came out in 2009 – feeling old yet?
The prison-related sequence is the Captured! quest, and while it can be completely skipped, it’s worth to play it instead, as it gives players the opportunity to watch the protagonist and his friends engaged in some amusing conversations.
After being captured by Ser Cauthrien and sent to Fort Drakon, you will have two ways of escaping the prison – either do it yourself, or choose the companions you wish to come to the rescue. The latter option allows you to play as the rescue team instead and make your way through with use of diplomatic skills. Hopefully.
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8. Outward
Release: | 2019-03-26 |
Genre: | Role-Playing |
Developer: | Nine Dots |
Outward is a fantasy open-world role-playing game that can be played both solo or with a friend, either online or locally with use of a split-screen, which is not a feature that can be commonly found in most RPGs.
What makes the game truly unique, however, is its spellcasting system that will require you not only to do a certain quest before being even able to start throwing fireballs left and right, but also to learn how to combine spells to achieve additional effects. Prison in Outbreak is related to Vendavel Fortress and you can get in there by accident – once inside you’ll need to figure out how to escape, simple.
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7. Prisoner of War
Release: | 2002 |
Genre: | Stealth |
Developer: | Wide Games |
This one is quite dated, but worth trying nevertheless, especially when we’re talking about prison break games, as Prisoner of War is focused entirely on this one concept. It will put you in the shoes of a downed American pilot that was captured and imprisoned by the Nazi.
Your situation is tough, but it’s not completely hopeless – you will have to explore the prison, find items, gather valuable information and make friends in order to escape the prison. Don’t celebrate too soon, however, as even if you succeed, your triumph probably won’t last long.
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6. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
Release: | 2011-05-17 |
Genre: | Adventure |
Developer: | CD PROJEKT RED |
In the second entry of The Witcher series you will also have to deal with prison break.
In fact, it’s the very first quest in the game, The Dungeons of the La Valettes. The game starts with your protagonist, Geralt of Rivia, imprisoned, as he is suspected of assassinating the king of Temeria.
This means that you will have to find your way out before the real adventure begins. Don’t worry though – it serves more of an introductory element, so the sequence is rather easy and you shouldn’t have much trouble completing it.
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5. Portal 2
Release: | 2011-04-18 |
Genre: | Adventure |
Developer: | Valve |
You have to admit, you didn’t expect Portal 2 to appear on such list, do you? But when you think about it, it’s completely understandable – we talk about games that contain prison break, and Portal 2 is just that.
Sure, there are no typical guards you need to avoid, and the place is not exactly a prison, but you need to escape it nevertheless. In Portal 2 you are tasked with solving 3D puzzles and escape the room with use of a portal gun – a gun that can spit portals. Just place two portals, enter one of them, and you will exit from the other one. Simple, yet addicting, especially when played in multiplayer with friends.
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4. A Way Out
Release: | 2018-03-23 |
Genre: | Adventure |
Developer: | Hazelight Studios |
It’s yet another game focused entirely on the prison break. However, it’s significantly different from the other games touching this subject, as it’s meant to be played with a friend on a splitscreen or online – there is no single player. You will need to cooperate and work together if you want to find your way out.
For example, during certain missions one of you will need to distract someone, allowing the other to complete his task. It’s quite unique to be able to watch the action simultaneously from two different perspectives in such game, so if you have someone with whom you could play, this one is definitely a must.
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3. The Escapists
Release: | 2014-08-20 |
Genre: | Adventure |
Developer: | Mouldy Toof Studios |
In the simplest words, The Escapists is an 8-bit escape mode known from Prison Architect, but because it focuses on just this one aspect, it could be considered more polished in this area.
As a prisoner you will need to do your daily routines and stay low while collecting items that can help you escape. You can get these by either buying them, stealing, or crafting. You will also be able to train your character and improve your basic attributes, such as strength, speed, and intelligence, which will increase your chances of escaping. Once you manage to break out, a new prison is unlocked to test your skills further.
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2. Dishonored
Release: | 2012-10-11 |
Genre: | Action |
Developer: | Arkane Studios |
In Dishonored you play as Corvo, a personal bodyguard of the Empress.
In the beginning of the game you are tasked with protecting her and getting rid of assassins who start to pop out of nowhere. Although you bravely fight them off, they still manage to eliminate their target and kidnap Empress’ daughter, and it’s your job to find and free her.
Unfortunately, as assassins escape, you are the only one who’s left on the scene, marking you the suspect. As a result you’re thrown into the prison, from where you must find your way out. What makes the game unique is the fact that you can choose how you want to approach each mission – you can complete the whole game without killing a single enemy.
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1. Fable: Lost Chapters
Release: | 2011-12-19 |
Genre: | Adventure |
Developer: | Lionhead Studios |
Finally, we have Fable: Lost Chapters, a standalone expansion of the good old Fable from 2004 that contains all the original content and adds some more, including new monsters, items, spells, and towns.
What makes the game stand out from the crowd is its moral system that changes the world around you and your own appearance, according to your actions.
If you commit good deeds, you get the halo at one point, and if you do crimes and other immoral stuff, you start growing evil horns. But where’s the prison? In Prison Escape quest, duh. What’s fun, however, is how you actually escape, and it involves racing with other prisoners and listening to the warden’s poetry, and that’s only the beginning. Sounds intriguing, right? Then you might give the game a go, if you didn’t already, and see how it goes from there.
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Feel like Michael Scofield
Prison can completely change a man – if an innocent goes inside, chances are he will come out as a bad guy. Prison can also give a person a new perspective about what freedom really means. But no matter why someone ended up jailed, he might want to escape, for whatever reason. Thanks to the games we don’t have to be a real criminal to be able to try to outsmart the guards as we try to make a perfect escape – instead, we can jump straight into the shoes of a prisoner and do so without risking our real-world life or facing real consequences.
In games, to break out of jail is usually trivial, at least when compared to what it is in reality, but there are some games that make the task considerably harder. If the game is not entirely focused on the prison break concept, then it can get easier, just to not annoy the players that are playing the game for different reasons, not to spend hours while figuring out how to leave their cell. But if the game is all about sneaking and survival, things can get pretty rough and unforgiving, giving you a better idea of what it could look like in a real life environment.
There are some games that are focused on a prison break, but there are also other games that let you escape prison, despite being something entirely different overall. It could be a single escape mission or the sequence that needs to be played after committing a crime and getting caught in an open-world game. If you want to try your luck and plan the perfect escape, check out the pc video games listed above. Good luck!