Project Prison — patch notes and updates
Stored observation / content update:
Dated developer announcements recorded from Steam. Open the source for the complete update.
| Update | Date | Excerpt / source |
|---|---|---|
| What’s New in Project Prison | 2026-10-27 | Hey!!! It’s been a while.I’ve been playtesting the game since early 2024. These last few months I’ve worked hard on getting the game into a much more playable state. Here’s a short rundown of everything new.1. No loading screens No more walking through the sally port or UI loading screen. Once the game loads at the start, you can walk from any prison wing to the yard and back without the sally port or a loading screen. The whole prison now sits in memory, which also opens the door for CO-OP. To be honest, the old way was easier to build, but I realized going back and forth was a bad experience. I’d planned this for Early Access, but I managed |
| Crafting System Update | 2026-08-30 | Hello, it's been a while. The last few months I was constantly trying to figure out how to properly convey my vision throughout the game. I watched testers play and realized there are many places where they find the game complicated, or keep wondering how does this work? What do I do now?It helped me a ton to figure out a way to make everything feel connected properly.I have tons to share but today I'd like to talk about the new crafting system. With crafting there were two major problems:It felt complicated. Many times the player had to read the UI to understand what to do next, so it didn't feel immersive enough.The visual effects, like wha |
| Dogs, Drugs and Dialogues | 2026-05-24 | I'd like to thank everyone who played the playtest and left feedback.The loop to sell contraband was simple: roam the yard, find someone, try to sell. I absolutely hated it. Almost felt dread while playing my own game. I thought long about what I could do to make it better.The biggest problem? There's no real relationship between the player and the prisoners. Why would anyone buy from a nobody when the gangs are already selling? I wouldn't say the old system was terrible it was decent enough but something was always lacking. I figured I was doing it the completely wrong way.We needed two things: a place where customers come to YOU, and a reas |
| What Six Months of Your Feedback Built | 2026-04-04 | Hello everyone,Six months ago I released the demo. Since then I've received a lot of important feedback from players and I'm truly grateful for all of it. Your feedback has improved the game tremendously and I can't wait for all of you to play the prologue and see for yourselves. Now let's get into the changes. 1. In Game Phone This has to be the biggest change. All UI now routes through the phone. Your character has a phone in the prison and you can use it to call your gang members, read messages, and access other important information. No more annoying popups. You'll get messages directly whenever there are opportunities or literally anythi |
| Looking for Testers! | 2026-03-25 | Hello everyone, it's been a long time, almost 6 months after the demo release. I'm gearing up for the next version of the game and I'm really happy with how it turned out. I think the game has shaped up a lot better now, with all the systems coming together. I'm going to release the prologue next month, but I'm looking for some testers who are willing to spend some time playing it. I'm looking for honest feedback. If you could post an unlisted video of your gameplay on YouTube, that'd be even better, but even written notes and your experience would help me a lot. If interested, DM me on Discord or let me know here. Can't wait to show you what |
| Patch 2.0: New Negotiations & Combat Flow | 2026-02-10 | Greetings, everyone! I’ve been hard at work refining the core experience. This update focuses heavily on combat fluidity, AI behavior, and cleaning up the economy and UI. Here is the full breakdown of what’s changed:🥊 Combat & AI ImprovementsMulti-Attack Logic Rework: Enemies now coordinate their strikes more realistically. Instead of overlapping attacks, one enemy will engage the player while others wait for an opening to swoop in, creating a more tactical "flow" to group fights.AI Dynamic States: NPCs are now more reactive to their vitals.Exhaustion: When low on stamina, NPCs will play exhausted animations rather than standard idles.Injury |
| V1.99 Patch Notes | 2026-01-31 | 🏃 Physics & MovementBody Composition: I’ve introduced body composition logic. Now, when you're running and pushing into things, your physical build actually matters for the impact.Better Ragdolls: I’ve overhauled the ragdoll system to be much smoother and more realistic.Standing Up: I fixed that "horrific" animation when standing up from a ragdoll state. You’ll look a lot more like a human and less like a glitching mannequin now.🍳 Cooking & RecipesQuality Estimates: When you're putting a recipe together, I’ll now give you an estimate of the potential rating (between X and Y) so you aren't flying blind.Ingredient Info: I improved the tooltip |
| v1.98 Patch notes | 2026-01-30 | Gang Management & EconomyGang Manager AI Overhaul: Fixed a bug where the Gang Manager was displaying incorrect data. Zone-specific top recipes and gang statistics should now reflect accurately.Market Intelligence: Players can now properly view product information for items produced by rival gangs.Negotiation Logic: Removed the "Negotiate" option when interacting with your own gang members to prevent menu clutter.Trade Stability: Resolved a mismatch in interactable objects that occasionally prevented trading from initiating.NPC Interaction & Social SystemsNew Disposition UI: Added a visual indicator to show exactly how an NPC feels about you.S |
| v1.97 Patch Notes | 2026-01-29 | v1.97 Update NotesCombat and Body TypesI have overhauled the fighting system so your physical build actually matters. Now, your moveset, how you tackle, and how you defend yourself depend entirely on your character's body type.New Skills Different builds have unique moves like throwing players around or heavy tackles.Stats Your body type now controls your health levels and how quickly your stamina runs out.Animations I added specific animation sets for blocking and countering based on your size.Difficulty High level muscular prisoners are now much harder to beat. You can no longer win easily just by managing your bars.Group AI I improved how |
| Version 1.96 Patch Notes | 2026-01-28 | 🛠️ Systems & MechanicsPersistent Crafting (Save/Load): The contraband machine now retains its state. If you stop crafting mid-process, the machine will no longer reset; you can pick up exactly where you left off.Tiered Unlock System: Progression is now synced with Gang Reputation. Specific goals, quests, and crafting ingredients will remain locked until you reach the required reputation level.Dynamic Choice Popups: Integrated a new MCQ (Multiple Choice) popup system. Players will now encounter interactive decisions that influence various parts of the gameplay.🐞 Bug Fixes & BalancingInfirmary Logic Tweak: Fixed a bug where "Critical" status |
| v1.95 Patch notes | 2026-01-27 | Update v1.95 is Now Available!Crafting & RecipesWhen mixing ingredients, the UI now remembers if you’ve made that combo before. It’ll show a Good/Okay/Bad rating based on your past results.You won't get an instant review anymore. You actually have to sell your batches to people first before a report is generated.Fixed logic to ensure old recipe details and related dialogue are properly stored and loaded back in without getting wiped.Fixed the bug where clicking a recipe wouldn't pull up the info panel.NPCsNPCs no longer "resurrect" or lose their pose when loading a save.Fixed the issue where ragdolled NPCs would warp to random locations on th |
| January Recap: The Crafting System & UI Overhaul | 2026-01-25 | Hello everyone! It has been quite a while since our last Steam update. Due to some personal matters, development was paused for a month after the demo launched, but I have been back at it since December.I’ve been sharing smaller updates on Discord, but today I want to recap the major changes I’ve implemented over the last two months. These changes are available in the demo right now. While things might be a bit "unstable" as I fine-tune the balance, you’ll clearly see the new direction the game is taking.1. Total UI OverhaulThe biggest change you’ll notice is the UI. I’ve rebuilt it almost entirely from scratch. It’s now much more functional, |
| Overhauling the UI: Less Clicking, More Playing | 2025-11-08 | Last two weeks I've been working on improving the usability of the game. The biggest pain point was the UI. It was horrendous. It wasn't something permanent; it was a placeholder, and I was planning on improving it but just didn't get the time as I wanted to push the game for Next Fest. I'll explain how the UI is getting changed and how it will improve the gameplay experience.1.Map System: So now we have a 3D representation of the map. It shows all zones and buildings. It also shows all gang holdings, like which gang owns what part of the map. When you click on any building, it will show detailed information about that zone.Trade Panel: Befor |
| Patch 1.83: Facial Animation, Map Update | 2025-10-20 | Made looting easier with visual indicators on dead bodiesImproved waypoint system - now possible to set waypoints from anywhere to anywhere (e.g., directly from prison wing to shower)Added facial reactions when attacking or getting hit, with animations showing pain and other expressionsAdded slight variations to give each NPC a slightly different faceAdded looting icon displayed on dead bodies for easier identificationAdded instructions in "How to Play" section on how to change camera viewSlight change in facial structure for larger body types Fixed arrest bug when getting arrested during sleep scheduleFixed ragdoll bugFixed wall clipping iss |
| Patch 1.81 - Reduced Solitary time, Cores reduction rate | 2025-10-18 | Reduced maximum solitary confinement duration to 1 dayTweak hunger, hygiene reduction rateAdded popup notification to guide players on where to go next while playing minigamesBladder and shower stats now start at 100%Reduced contraband loot from defeated enemies to prevent excessive stockpilingInmates no longer buy excessive amounts of items from player to balance economy and prevent exploitationAdjusted exercise stamina experience gain rate (was increasing too quickly)Adjusted exercise minigame speedFixed issue where player would automatically wear all clothes again after removing them and starting a fightFixed typo when player rejects cloth |
| Patch 1.8 - Improved Camera, In-Game Guide & Story Removed | 2025-10-17 | Removed the story. Game will now directly start simulating. It didn't land like I hoped it would. I will improve it and come back with something better.How To Play Section: Added How to Play section in the game. It will explain how things work and hopefully clarify some confusing mechanics.Camera Angle: No more janky camera angles. Camera view is now much better and will give a better view while performing combos or finishers.Improved fighting mechanics while fighting against multiple enemies.Fixed issue where NPC doesn't walk properly while holding dinner plate in the canteen.Fixed issue with dinner plate when player attacks any NPC while ho |
| Patch 1.79 - Bug Fixes & Improvements | 2025-10-15 | Bug Fixes & Changes:Fixed: NPCs going to the infirmary were causing frequent crashes (including when eating)Fixed: Critical bug causing death from hungerFixed: Gang members will now only buy items if you're selling them for less than what their gang sells them forFixed: NPC names are now hidden in the trade panel until you've met themAdded: Taxation rate now displays in the trade panelFixed: Taxation is now properly deducted when selling itemsFixed: Dead NPCs on the ground could still be attacked after entering the downed stateChanged: Moved "Trade" to the first category and "Social" to the last in the menuFixed: Camera panning issues with he |
| Demo Update & Roadmap | 2025-10-13 | Hello! Demo was released yesterday. I've made the following changes in the recent build (1.77) based on the feedback I received. Before that, let me share the bug a player sent me. I was laughing at the absurdity of it I hope you'll enjoy it too and maybe it will bring a smile to your face like it did for me. Recent Changes:Game will now start from 11 AM. The problem was the game started at 7 AM when other prisoners were asleep, which made the game very slow.Removed at least half the tutorial notifications players get. Continuous tutorial popups make the game annoying to play. I've made changes, and in the future I'll think of and create a be |
| Early Demo Build Released! | 2025-07-27 | Hello! It's been a long time, but an early demo build is now available for all players. I've fixed major game-breaking bugs and progression blockers. Fighting now feels more approachable and smooth, and there is also a tutorial which explains to players what to do and when to do it. Honestly, there is still a long way to go from my end goal, but I'm pretty happy with the way the game is turning out. Here are all the changes:Game Development Checklist🔧 Bugs / GlitchesFix NPC flying/jumping state issueFix weird walk animation for AI NPCs in yardFix action in progress issue when player misses attack (target can't be attacked after)Fix two NPCs |
| New in April: Police Patrols, Shivs, Guns, and Enhanced Quests | 2025-05-11 | Hello everyone, First, I'd like to apologize for the lack of updates in the last month. I lost someone extremely precious to me, so I needed to take a break to get back to normal. Moving on to the update: Police System We finally have cops in the game now!! You will see them randomly patrolling around the prison and arresting anyone caught committing crimes. The system works with several wanted levels: - At level 1: If spotted doing any petty crime, they will give a warning but won't actively chase the player. - At level 2: If they spot the player, they will run and attempt to arrest them. - From level 3 onwards: Cops will actively come after |
| Crafting Dynamic Quests | 2025-02-08 | Hey everyone! I'm thrilled to announce that the long-awaited quest system is almost ready for playtesting! It's scheduled to go live next week, and I can't wait to see how you all interact with it. Because the quests are dynamically generated, it's been a challenge to test them thoroughly within a single in-game day. To address this, I'll be increasing the number of in-game days available for playtesters to give you more time to explore the system. The core idea behind the quest system is to make the prison feel truly alive. Instead of static, pre-scripted missions, quests emerge organically from the actions and interactions of the prisoners |
| Looking for Alpha testers | 2025-01-25 | Hello, I'm looking for Alpha testers to check the general performance of the game. The scale of the game has become much larger than I can handle on my own. Although I've been managing it pretty well, I think it's time to listen more to the community. Many features are disabled, and you will likely encounter many bugs. It might feel like things are broken, but I really hope you will see what I was aiming for with the game. I'm working towards a stable alpha, but before making an open playtest, I really need a few people who can play the game and tell me about the overall performance they're getting on their system. I would really appreciate i |
| The Simulation Dream: End Of the year update | 2024-12-13 | Hello everyone, it's been a while! My goal with this game has always been to create a truly living, breathing world where every action has its own set of consequences. I envisioned a sandbox, open-world experience where each character possesses a unique persona, background, needs, and ambitions. If you've played The Sims, you'll recognize the core idea: characters react based on their needs. I've implemented a similar system here, where all 300 prisoners have their own individual goals and needs, and their behavior reflects those. One of the most crucial aspects of this is the social activities that the AI can perform. In the following video, |
| Gameplay Preview | 2024-07-14 | Hello everyone! I'm happy to showcase the first gameplay preview of Project Prison. I wanted to create a devlog or showcase video to demonstrate how the game actually looks. In this video, you'll see that there are a total of 8 different prison wings, though I only visited 3 in the footage. I've also captured some scenes from the yard. I didn't want to stretch the video beyond 20 minutes, so I'm only showing part of the yard and 3 prison wings. Additionally, in the yard section, I'm showcasing different weather conditions, and at the end, I'll demonstrate the inventory system and the use of contraband. Inventory actions are completely indepen |
| Changelog Version 0.18 | 2024-06-15 | Hello everyone, Based on the feedback from the playtest, here are some important upcoming changes I've received reports of performance issues, especially in the interior levels where there are too many prisoners. I was aware of this issue. With the new update, you should experience at least a 50% performance boost compared to the previous version. I've also updated all interior levels, and now they all have different layouts. If you find any issues with incorrect lighting or shadow pop-ups, please let me know on Discord. Another change is the addition of noticeboards in all prison wings, making it easier to manage work schedules. One more pie |
| Prison Simulator: Immersion with New Features and Optimizations | 2024-05-24 | Let's start with the attribute system. I've already discussed the traits/attributes that I'm including in the game. Today, I will share more information about it and a few GIFs to show the effect it will have on the gameplay. There are two types of attributes: Primary: Stamina and Health Secondary: Bladder, Hygiene, Hunger, Smoking, Alcohol, Drugs We now have multiple effects to show if the player is running low on any of the attributes. For example, for low Stamina (wobble effect). When a character drinks too much alcohol After consumption of pills In the past, I've written about how I'm planning to deal with Smoking, Alcohol & Drugs. They a |
| Combat Improvements & Camera Experiments | 2024-04-07 | Hello, last month was productive. I finally managed to settle on the fight system, which is something I think I can build upon nicely during early access and will also be good enough for release after some minor tweaks. I apologize for not being able to release the playtest last month. I feel I spent far too much time on mundane stuff that particularly no one's going to notice, like the I added with random flickering to searchlights. If you keep looking at it for a few seconds, you will notice it. I talked about nighttime rendering last time, and one big problem I mentioned was with shadows and moon position. While I'm not aiming to do an acc |
| Fight System | 2024-03-25 | I've been working on the fight system for the last 3 months and have remade it from scratch 4 times. Sleeping Dogs, Mad Max, and RDR2 are my biggest inspirations for the melee combat. My idea is to make it feel less arcadey/beat 'em up and more realistic, with importance given to strategy. It makes the fights lengthy, but let's see once I get more feedback in demo/beta, I will make necessary changes. In the fight system, there are a few stages: 1.Approach 2.Attack 3.Block/Dodge 4.Hit 5.Disengage 6.Knockout The fight system is based on the distance and direction to the target. If the target is not in eyesight or is too far, pressing the attack |
| Weather preset's and Sky system | 2024-03-18 | Hi, sorry for the delay. I wasn't able to post last week as I've been working on creating the fighting system again from scratch for the past two weeks. This is the 4th iteration of fighting system. I made all new blocking animations and removed a few features(front grappling and slam animations). The goal is to make it less beat 'em up/arcadey and more challenging. I had to create some animations (especially for the block). I will write more about it later once I feel it is at a better stage to show. I've added weather presets to the game. In the past, I've already written about rain, but now there are 4 different presets, and the game will |
| Navigating Addiction in the Game | 2024-02-25 | I'm not fond of how video games typically handle smoking and drinking they often portray it as cool without showing any consequences. The approach I've adopted involves an 'Addiction' trait. If you start smoking or drinking, your character acquires this trait. Once addicted, you need to continue buying cigarettes and alcohol to maintain your character's mental sanity. Otherwise, the character's boredom will increase rapidly if contraband items are not easily accessible. Moreover, smoking and drinking can be fatal for your character. Exceeding a set limit increases the likelihood of your character developing cancer. The game will alert the pla |