The Escapists on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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The Escapists provides players the opportunity of experiencing a light-hearted insight into everyday prison life with the main objective being that of escaping!
The Escapists is a pixel graphics, strategy and crafting game
developed by Mouldy Toof Studios
and published by Team17.
Released on February 13th 2015 is available on Windows, MacOS and Linux
in 7 languages: English, French, German, Spanish - Spain, Polish, Russian and Italian.
It has received 16,050 reviews of which 14,481 were positive and 1,569 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.8 out of 10. 😎
The game is currently priced at 2.99€ on Steam with a 80% discount, but you can find it for 0.94€ on Gamivo.
The Steam community has classified The Escapists into these genres:
Media & Screenshots
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System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- OS *: Windows XP
- Processor: Dual Core CPU 2.4 gHz
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000, Nvidia GeForce 8000, ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series
- Storage: 2 GB available space
- Sound Card: Windows Compatible Card
- Additional Notes: We recommend updating your PC's hardware drivers before playing. If your PC is no longer supported by your manufacturer and your hardware drivers are very old, you may experience difficulty running the game. Please check with your PC manufacturer for more details.
MacOS
- OS: OSX 10.8 Mountain Lion
- Processor: 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M or equivalent
- Storage: 2 GB available space
- Additional Notes:
Linux
- OS: Ubuntu 12.04 64-bit or later
- Processor: Dual Core CPU 2.4 gHz
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000, Nvidia GeForce GT 8000, ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series
- Storage: 2 GB available space
- Sound Card: Linux Compatible Card
- Additional Notes:
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
The concept of prisons as a whole, that dangerous and dysfunctional society of criminals and crooks being managed with a heavy-handed approach by officers of the law in a facility designed to hold them securely with airtight security, invites a level of curiosity rarely seen in other premises as no doubt such TV series as 'Prison Break' and 'Orange is the New Black' highlight to great effect. Naturally I first came across playing the role of the warden via a similar game, Prison Architect, and finding that a good deal interesting although it wasn't until later on that I came across one of Team 17's most unique titles in the form of The Escapists, a game that puts you in the shoes of a common criminal (whether guilty or innocent!) where the goal is the exact opposite of Prison Architect, tasking the player to escape from six increasingly secure prisons that you have been sentenced to live the rest of your days in. To preface this review, I originally played the console edition on the PlayStation 4 back in 2017 and found that it was more than I could chew on as I didn't particularly take a keen interest on some of the game's more extensive mechanics as going for the simple path of beating and tying up guards is a proven method for the first two prisons that are primarily aimed at beginner players. However, having not the patience for anything more involved at the time, I will admit to the shame of having quit prematurely and not picked it up again for quite some years now. Though with having fancied that prison escape experience once more, I aim to fully explore all that The Escapists entails here and what better way of doing that than discussing the multiple systems at play here throughout this simulation experience of living in a prison, the first and most obvious of which is the various strict routines one must abide by whilst slowly working on their stats, the items (both legal and contraband!) and managing relationships with fellow prisoners and guards alike to get by, all whilst surveying the layout of the prison in a cunning attempt to execute that perfect escape that lands you out of the joint as it were! No doubt one of the biggest aspects of The Escapists that I quite enjoyed is, ironically enough, the freedom it gives to players as far as how they wish to approach the main objective at hand. Since one can just go the brutal force way as I spoke of earlier, however other methods can involve concealing walls dug through with posters and holes in hidden areas to dig one's way outside over time. Perhaps using forged keys from putty merged with a real key from a knocked out guard and molten plastic alongside using cutters to get through locked doors and pesky fences alike or an even more involved process where unique obstacles like electric fences, active mines and jeeps on patrols are concerned! A big part of how you go about this largely revolves around gathering various items and combining them into mostly illegal but useful tools that can aid a player in their escape plan. How you get these can be gained from either snooping around other prisoners' desks when they aren't looking or looting an unconscious prisoner although usually it comes down to training on your Intellect so you can make many of the desirable items (some of which are otherwise unobtainable) or working out on your Strength and Speed stats so that you can fare better in combat as part of a prison breakout or when doing a fellow prisoner a 'favour'. These favours tie into not just increasing one's reputation with that specific NPC but gaining money, which is also quite handy for buying items without risking the anger of prisoners and guards alike! Since a big aspect of being in each prison is that you have several jobs that you need to do in order to gain money, however one important detail of this is that certain jobs have perks to them that others do not. For example, a gardener or janitor can freely roam the prison whilst doing their job which makes doing other activities on the side easier. Meanwhile a metalshop or woodshop worker has access to an infinite amount of contraband that, with the right tools, they can smuggle through detectors for further usage in their own escape plans. Considering how involved the whole process of forming that perfect plan is, certainly I find it to be quite the exhilarating experience when attempting a daring escape! However one noticeable negative in all of this is that trying to gather specific supplies can prove to be quite the frustrating exercise. Duct tape is one special type of item that you'll likely be on the hunt for as this is key to many useful tools for escaping, though having plenty of money and frequently checking on prisoners who are selling alongside looking through each desk every single day helps to mitigate this issue somewhat. Another point of contention is how trying to work out a more 'clandestine' approach can be quite tricky without spending entire days or even weeks wasting both resources and time working out the layout of the prison that is outside of the areas where prisoners are allowed to be in. This can prove to be annoying when you plan an escape and think it will go to plan, only for a wide array of new threats to come up and catch you off-guard which sends you to a trip down solitary lane and losing pretty much all progress! (It's why I recommend closing the game and restarting the day to minimize frustration) Other small issues that I had outside of the extensive waiting periods for the right items to show up would be the arguably-dated pixel graphics that will turn some modern gamers off (something the sequel solved quite nicely, albeit that has its own problem with the game's challenge veering towards being too easy) alongside the price point being a bit too high when you look at what the indies of today has to offer, though thankfully this game frequently goes on sale at a good discount. Having said that though, The Escapists has a lot to offer where these types of unique experiences go as there is a fair amount of strategy that goes into how to plan your own route of escape here and it's one that I am quite glad to have fully experienced the way that the developers behind Team 17 originally intended! Certainly go out of your to buy this, especially if it's on sale as it currently is at the time of writing this review with a hefty 80% discount, and see if you are up for the task of breaking out of jail with all of the fun and exciting thrills that it entails! TLDR Version: • Unique simulation game where it puts you in the shoes of a prisoner looking to escape prison, with plenty of options available at the player's disposal for those patient and cunning enough to pull it off (+) • Offers a multitude of systems to keep track off that influences the player's ability to engage with other prisoners and guards alongside crafting various items, all whilst sticking to a strict schedule to avoid heat and detection (+) • Provides six increasingly challenging prisons that all have various routes of escape for the player to work out and build towards in secret (+) • The Escapists has a simple yet endearing pixel artstyle that is visually pleasing to the eye as far as retro fans will enjoy (+) • Resource gathering can prove problematic when in need of a specific item to progress, with duct tape being a particularly egregious example with it being key to many crucial craftable items, as this slows down gameplay (-) • The game's graphics is likely to put off some as will be the 'hard as nails' challenge, something the sequel makes an effort in improving (-) • Working out how to escape is often a 'trial by error' as solutions won't be apparent until you make enough progress to find out, losing lots of hard work and progress without shutting down and restarting the game (-) • The Escapists' price point of £12.99 will be a hard bargain for those who don't buy this title when it's on a steep discount (-)
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This game is the reason why i downloaded steam at first. Never thought that the escapist series would be great. The first was masterpiece but could need some improvements. And the sequel is even better with the coop mode. Thanks Team 17 you made two of the best game i've ever played :)
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One of the most overlooked indie games and that is so unfortunate. It's impressive how much of this game can be described as a "stress simulator" yet it still manages to be loads of fun.
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I LOVED this game! And I've only played the main prisons, and apparently the DLC ones are even better. But overall it's a clever puzzle game that feels rewarding to solve. My ONLY objection is that *some* of the crafting is a little bit confusing, and you won't get every craft recipe in your journal. For example, how was I supposed to know that a plastic fork wouldn't work for molten plastic but a toothbrush would? I'd also say the final prison (HMP Irongate) is a little bit annoying with its stun rod gimmick, but other than that the levels are all fun. My personal favorites are Jungle Compound and San Pancho. Would recomment this game!
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Frequently Asked Questions
The Escapists is currently priced at 2.99€ on Steam.
The Escapists is currently available at a 80% discount. You can purchase it for 2.99€ on Steam.
The Escapists received 14,481 positive votes out of a total of 16,050 achieving a rating of 8.80.
😎
The Escapists was developed by Mouldy Toof Studios and published by Team17.
The Escapists is playable and fully supported on Windows.
The Escapists is playable and fully supported on MacOS.
The Escapists is playable and fully supported on Linux.
The Escapists is a single-player game.
There are 5 DLCs available for The Escapists. Explore additional content available for The Escapists on Steam.
The Escapists is fully integrated with Steam Workshop. Visit Steam Workshop.
The Escapists does not support Steam Remote Play.
The Escapists is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.
You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for The Escapists.
Data sources
The information presented on this page is sourced from reliable APIs to ensure accuracy and relevance. We utilize the Steam API to gather data on game details, including titles, descriptions, prices, and user reviews. This allows us to provide you with the most up-to-date information directly from the Steam platform.
Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.
Last Updates| Steam data | 10 March 2026 03:03 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 09 March 2026 13:21 |
| Steam price | 15 March 2026 04:43 |
| Steam reviews | 14 March 2026 19:45 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about The Escapists, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.
- SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about The Escapists
- SteamCharts - Analysis of The Escapists concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck The Escapists compatibility
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14.99€
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Game modes
Features
Online players
48
Developer
Mouldy Toof Studios
Publisher
Team17
Release
13 Feb 2015
Platforms
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