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
108 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
108 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
108 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
108 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
108 months ago
Better to buy on steam. AppStore doesnt have mods
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TechZeke Avatar
108 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

Apple Logo Top Half

Early iOS 26 Software Leak Uncovers Dozens of Upcoming Apple Features

Monday December 15, 2025 3:05 pm PST by
Software from an iPhone prototype running an early build of iOS 26 leaked last week, giving us a glimpse at future Apple devices and iOS features. We recapped device codenames in our prior article, and now we have a list of some of the most notable feature flags that were found in the software code. In some cases, it's obvious what the feature flags are referring to, while some are more...
apple beta 26 lineup

Apple Leak Confirms Work on Foldable iPhone, AirTag 2, and Dozens More Devices

Monday December 15, 2025 2:05 pm PST by
Last week, details about unreleased Apple devices and future iOS features were shared by Macworld. This week, we learned where the information came from, plus we have more findings from the leak. As it turns out, an Apple prototype device running an early build of iOS 26 was sold, and the person who bought it shared the software. The OS has a version number of 23A5234w, and the first...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Features Leaked in New Report, Including Under-Screen Face ID

Tuesday December 16, 2025 8:44 am PST by
Next year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will be equipped with under-screen Face ID, and the front camera will be moved to the top-left corner of the screen, according to a new report from The Information's Wayne Ma and Qianer Liu. As a result of these changes, the report said the iPhone 18 Pro models will not have a pill-shaped Dynamic Island cutout at the top of the screen....
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 Beta 1 Features: What's New So Far

Monday December 15, 2025 4:23 pm PST by
Apple is testing iOS 26.3, the next version of iOS 26 that will launch around January. Since iOS 26.3's testing is happening over the holidays, it is a smaller update with fewer features than we've seen in prior betas. We've rounded up what's new so far, and we'll add to our list with subsequent betas if we come across any other features. Transfer to Android Apple is making it simpler...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Leak Reveals Foldable iPhone Details

Monday December 15, 2025 9:09 am PST by
The first foldable iPhone will feature a series of design and hardware firsts for Apple, according to details shared by the Weibo leaker known as Digital Chat Station. According to a new post, via machine translation, Apple is developing what the leaker describes as a "wide foldable" device, a term used to refer to a horizontally oriented, book-style foldable with a large internal display....
iOS 26

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
apple iphone air battery pack

Apple Aims to Boost Popularity of iPhone Air 2 in Two Ways

Tuesday December 16, 2025 11:06 am PST by
We have been covering iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 17e, and iPhone Fold details from The Information's report about future iPhone models, and next up is the iPhone Air 2. The report says that Apple aims to make the iPhone Air 2 more attractive in two ways. First, Apple is apparently considering adding a second rear camera to the device, which would resolve a key limitation. The current iPhone...
apple music chatgpt

ChatGPT's Apple Music Integration Is Now Live

Wednesday December 17, 2025 3:50 pm PST by
There's now a dedicated Apple Music app for ChatGPT, which allows ChatGPT to make music recommendations and build playlists. Apple Music can be added to ChatGPT through the Settings section in the Mac app, website, or iOS app. Apple Music is listed under the apps option, and connecting to it requires signing in with your Apple Account for authorization purposes. ChatGPT can be used to...
maxresdefault

Apple Developing iMac Pro With M5 Max Chip

Tuesday December 16, 2025 7:30 am PST by
Apple is developing a high-end iMac featuring the M5 Max chip, according to information from leaked internal software. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The finding comes from leaked kernel debug kit files used by Apple engineers. These kernel debug kit files enumerate unreleased Apple hardware by internal identifiers, such as codenames and platform names, and they...