Choose Prison Architect
Choose Prison Architect if it's currently about 61% cheaper on the Steam Store. 33,775 Steam reviews back the pick.
Prison Architect vs Pico Islands
Prison Architect and Pico Islands both land in Strategy, Indie, Simulation on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Strategy, Indie, Simulation on Steam. Prison Architect (2015) is 10 years older than Pico Islands (2025). Prison Architect is currently ~61% cheaper on Steam than Pico Islands (7.49 USD vs. 18.99 USD). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Pico Islands
Choose Pico Islands if it's the newer release (2025) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Pico Islands launched in 2025.
Both Prison Architect and Pico Islands sit in Strategy, Indie, and Simulation on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Prison Architect |  Pico Islands | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2025 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Simulation | Strategy, Indie, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Verified |
| Price | 7.49 USD | 18.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 88.8% positive (33,775 reviews) | 1 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Introversion Software, Double Eleven | BitSpree GmbH |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie, Simulation on Steam.
- Prison Architect (2015) is 10 years older than Pico Islands (2025).
- Prison Architect is currently ~61% cheaper on Steam than Pico Islands (7.49 USD vs. 18.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Prison Architect is Deck Playable, Pico Islands is Deck Verified.
Prison Architect vs Pico Islands — FAQ
- Should I play Prison Architect or Pico Islands first?
- If you want chronology, Prison Architect (2015) came out before Pico Islands (2025). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Prison Architect and Pico Islands similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Indie, Simulation on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.