Co-op Prison-Break simulator series The Escapists just announced its next entry, The Escapists 3, but this time, instead of changing the types of escapes, they have shifted from cute pixel art to full 3D.
For those not familiar with the series, the series sees you play as an inmate in various prison settings, trying to escape. You spend days slowly sharpening a toothbrush, forging a guard’s keycard, and memorizing roll-call times, only for the whole plan to collapse because you forgot to put a dummy in your bed. It’s brilliant, and it’s been a long time coming back. Today, during the Triple-I Showcase, Team17 announced that it’s finally happening: The Escapists 3 is coming to PC and consoles in 2027.
The biggest change is one you’ll spot immediately. Where the first two games were built on charming top-down pixel art, this sequel steps into fully 3D correctional facilities. It’s a bold move for a series with such a recognizable look, but it’s also a logical one. Prisons are places of routine, structure and tight corridors, and seeing them rendered in three dimensions could make every guard patrol and watchtower sweep feel far more threatening.
Harley Homewood, General Manager at Team17, called it “a fresh perspective on a fan favourite”, and said today’s reveal is only “a sneak peek of what’s to come”. Cryptic, sure, but it suggests there’s plenty still under wraps.
What we do know is promising. Players will tackle five distinct prisons, each with its own routines, characters and secrets, rather than a single template reskinned. Over 120 new weapons to steal and craft should keep the improvised-armoury side of the series feeling fresh. And Team17 is keen to stress that there’s no single solution to any escape. Just good plans, bad plans, and, in the publisher’s words, the occasional plan involving molten chocolate. I desperately want to know more about that one.
The most intriguing and potentially game-changing addition is the skill system. Inmates will now earn XP as they play, unlocking skills and gameplay options that let you specialize in particular styles of escape, with those choices carrying over from prison to prison, and if you play with the same group of people, you can really tailor your skills to complement each other and cover each other’s weaknesses. Whether you’re a silver-tongued trader, a brawler, or a patient infiltrator, your inmate will grow with you as you move from prison to prison. It’s a notable shift for a series that has traditionally reset your efforts with each new cell block, and it could add real long-term appeal.
Team17 also confirmed that co-op, both local and online, will return, and that a mix of two local players connecting with another team of two online can join forces. Anyone who has played, or watched someone play, the series knows the game works best in multiplayer.
The Escapists has always worked because it rewards patience, experimentation and creative thinking, then cheerfully punishes you for overreaching. If The Escapists 3 can preserve that balance while embracing a new dimension and new friends, Team17 could have another hit on its hands when The Escapists 3 launches in 2027 for PC and Consoles.
