Prison Architect announces next expansion, 'Going Green', launching alongside free update, 'the Glasshouse'

What you need to know

• Prison Architect is a popular prison management simulator that's currently owned by Paradox Interactive.
• The game has received a ton of support since its launch in 2015, and is currently prepping its latest expansion for release.
• 'Going Green' will introduce farming, renewable energy sources, new kinds of contraband, and more to the game.
• A free update, 'The Glasshouse,' launching alongside 'Going Green' will include UI / UX improvements, new building types, and more.

Management-style simulators aren't for everyone, for sure, but Prison Architect has always possessed an intriguing kind of charm and gameplay loop that led to it becoming a surprise hit with gamers. Prison Architect has released a multitude of expansions and updates since its launch in 2015, and was even acquired by Paradox Interactive in 2019. Now the latest expansion has been announced: Prison Architect is officially "Going Green." Check out the new announcement trailer below!

Going Green introduces a ton of new features to Prison Architect that will change the way players can manage their prisons, while also introducing new obstacles to overcome. Here's a quick overview of what Going Green will include:

• Green energy sources. Prisons can abandon power sources of old in exchange for clean, renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and solar / wind hybrid. And, just like with renewable energy nowadays, excess power produced by your prison can be sold back to the power grid using the Power Export Meter.
• Farming is here. Going Green introduces a new kind of prison labor that allows your inmates to grow wheat, potatos, and much more. You can either sell produce for some extra income, or use said produce to help feed your inmates.
• New rooms for farming. As part of farming, a bunch of new outdoor rooms have been added. Fruit Orchard, Farm Field, and Vegetable Allotment all help you get the most out of your farms. Other rooms like the Pantry and Shed help to store produce and other farming-related items. Players can also recruit Farm Workers to their staff.
• Recreational farming. Inmates can find joy in gardening and seek to do it recreationally by growing flowers and other plants. Having farming can also improve your inmate's moods.
• Not all is well. Of course, farming comes with the risk of new contraband. Inmates can now secretly grow new crops and herbs to create booze. On top of that, your farm fields can actually end up becoming gang turf, so be careful!

There's also a free update launching alongside Going Green, called the Glasshouse, which will add some quality-of-life and community improvements, new objects, recycling, and two new employees with the Shepherd and Bowtie Bandit K9 units.

Going Green is a paid expansion launching simultaneously on PC, Xbox, PS4, and Switch on January 28, 2021.

If you're looking for a different kind of simulator game to play on PC, check out our list of Best Simulation Games for PC for some of our top picks.