Prison Architect Gets New Content With Psych Ward Expansion

Written by Brandon Hofer on November 21, 2019

News: Some new content is now available that will change the behavior of your inmates along with adding in extra objects and features.

A new expansion for Prison Architect is now available from Paradox Interactive and Double Eleven. It is the Prison Architect Psych Ward: Warden’s Edition and is available on PC, Mac, and Linux for $5.99 / £4.79 / €5.99. This expansion introduces a new type of original and unpredictable inmate, new prisoner behaviors, and enhanced management features to the hit prison simulator. Launching alongside Psych Ward: Warden’s Edition is a free content update that adds extra objects, walls, floors, bridges, and more features to improve the prison-building experience on PC and console. As a bonus for Prison Architect fans, both Psych Ward: Warden’s Edition and the free content update includes additional guard dogs players can use to “paw-trol” their compounds.

In Psych Ward: Warden’s Edition, the Criminally Insane have arrived with their own unique traits. To house these unpredictable inmates, players can build a dedicated wing with padded cells, hire Psychiatrists with trained Orderlies, develop treatment sessions, and outfit their prisons with the right tools to ensure their needs are met. Inmates must be treated with care or they can turn violent, vandalize, or even attempt to escape. Regularly subjecting your regular inmates to harsh conditions can cause them to turn criminally insane.

“Prison Architect has always looked at prison management through the lens of popular prison fiction seen in films and TV. Psych Ward: Warden’s Edition continues that tradition with the introduction of Psych Ward to PC.” Steacy McIlwham, Product Manager for Prison Architect at Paradox Interactive, said. “This expansion features new inmate behavior systems that will make players rethink the way they approach prison management. How players capitalize on these systems is entirely up to them, but their actions can have dire consequences on the inmates’ behaviors.”

Players looking to try Prison Architect for the first time can download the game for free during a Free Weekend on Steam or as part of Microsoft’s Free Play Days starting today through Monday, November 25 or Sunday, November 24 respectively. Prison Architect will be included in Steam’s annual Autumn sale where it will be available for purchase at a 75 percent discount from Thursday, November 21, through Tuesday, December 3.

Psych Ward: Warden’s Edition is the first PC expansion to be released since Paradox acquired the Prison Architect IP and partnered with Double Eleven earlier this year. Another expansion was teased at PDXCON in October and will launch in 2020.

Some of the features of this new content include:

Plead Insanity: Criminally insane inmates are unpredictable, require special care, and have their own Reputation traits for you to consider when building your prison. Let them co-exist with the general population or lock them away in a padded cell, how you manage their needs is up to you.

Shrinks: Any prison holding the criminally insane needs a team of Psychiatrists and trained Orderlies to keep everything under control. These valuable prison staff can sedate rowdy prisoners or pull out the straitjackets when things get too rough.

Doctor’s Note: Provide counseling to the criminally insane with the new Psychiatrist’s Office and new consultation Programs. Improve their sessions by upgrading the office with leather sofas, medicine cabinets, Rorschach tests, and more.

Good Behavior: Your inmates now have a wide range of new behaviors players will need to manage. They start out harmless, but if left untreated, they can turn violent or attempt to escape.

It’s Gone Viral: Treat your regular inmates with care. Subjecting your inmates to excessive suppression or punishment can cause them to turn criminally insane.

Extra Padding: Psych Ward: Warden’s Edition adds padded cells and padded floors along with a bundle of other new objects, floors, and wall types to customize your prison. Now you can easily build a dedicated wing for the criminally insane.

Tools of the Trade: Additional contraband, including Adrenaline Shots, Fountain Pens (Shanks), and Gold Pocket Watches, can be stolen by your prisoners, or by you in Escape Mode.

Do you plan on playing this new content in Prison Architect? Take a look at the trailer below and tell us what you think.