Choose Prison Simulator
Choose Prison Simulator if it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. Prison Simulator launched in 2021.
Prison Simulator vs BadLads
Prison Simulator and BadLads both land in Action, Indie, Adventure 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 Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam. BadLads (2020) is 1 year older than Prison Simulator (2021). Prison Simulator scores higher on Steam reviews (81.6% positive) than BadLads (69.7% positive). 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 BadLads
Choose BadLads if you want a Strategy, Massively Multiplayer, and Early Access game with Multi-player, MMO, and Online PvP. On Steam, it has co-op, so you can bring a friend. BadLads launched in 2020.
Both Prison Simulator and BadLads sit in Action, Indie, and Adventure 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 Simulator |  BadLads | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2021 | 2020 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, RPG, Casual | Action, Strategy, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, Massively Multiplayer, RPG, Casual, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 19.99 USD | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 81.6% positive (705 reviews) | 69.7% positive (99 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Baked Games | CHEMICAL HEADS STUDIOS |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- BadLads (2020) is 1 year older than Prison Simulator (2021).
- Prison Simulator scores higher on Steam reviews (81.6% positive) than BadLads (69.7% positive).
- BadLads has co-op; Prison Simulator does not.
- Prison Simulator is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; BadLads has no Deck rating yet.
Prison Simulator vs BadLads — FAQ
- Should I play Prison Simulator or BadLads first?
- If you want chronology, BadLads (2020) came out before Prison Simulator (2021). 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 Simulator and BadLads similar?
- They overlap on Action, Indie, Adventure 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.
- Does Prison Simulator have multiplayer like BadLads?
- No. BadLads supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op), while Prison Simulator is listed as single-player only.
- Does Prison Simulator run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Prison Simulator is rated Deck Verified by Valve. BadLads doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.