The Escapists 2 — Steam Key

The Escapists 2: plan the breakout and activate your Steam key

The Escapists 2, made by Mouldy Toof and published by Team17, launched on 22 August 2017 and still stands as one of the most inventive prison-break sandboxes around. On the surface it's a cute pixel world running on a bell schedule; underneath it's dozens of ways over the wall — tunnel under your cell, fake a guard uniform, short out the wiring, or shiv your way to freedom with a sharpened spoon handle. You don't beat a level here, you beat the system, and every prison breaks differently.

What the game is and why it's so moreish

Each prison day runs on a timetable: roll calls, jobs, meals, lights out. Your job is to steal, craft and stash everything you need for the escape in the gaps between those checkpoints — without spiking your heat meter or getting caught in a surprise cell search. Your inventory is limited, shakedowns come out of nowhere, and half the useful items are crafted from everyday junk. That's the signature thrill of the series: you spend half an hour digging a tunnel with a spoon, get nabbed one step from freedom, and gleefully start over a little smarter.

The big leap from the first game is co-op. The Escapists 2 plays with up to four people online or in split-screen, turning a breakout into a tiny heist: one distracts the guards, one digs, one carries the disguise. Add multi-storey prisons, transport maps (a train, a plane) and a reworked combat system, and the planning runs far deeper than "dig and run".

Base game vs Game of the Year Edition — which to pick

If you just want to try the series, grab the base The Escapists 2: it has the core set of prisons and the full bag of mechanics. If you'd rather have everything in one go with no upgrade headaches, look at the Game of the Year Edition. GOTY bundles the game itself plus every prison DLC (Wicked Ward and Glorious Regime included) in a single key, and it needs no separate base copy — it's the most complete option in one purchase.

Prison DLC: Glorious Regime, Dungeons and Duct Tape, Wicked Ward

The Escapists 2 add-ons are themed new prisons, each with its own rules, items and escape routes:

• Glorious Regime Prison — a totalitarian-regime prison that shipped alongside the game on 21 August 2017. It used to be a pre-order bonus and is now sold as standalone DLC.
• Dungeons and Duct Tape — a medieval dungeon (released 12 October 2017): take a job at the blacksmith or entertain inmates on the lute, with a fresh set of decidedly un-modern items to craft.
• Wicked Ward — an abandoned hospital with a mad scientist and undead "guards": the darkest, most atmospheric prison of the bunch.

Heads-up: all three are add-ons, not standalone copies of the game. They only run on top of an installed The Escapists 2. With no base game on the account, a DLC key alone won't get you playing.

Season Pass — three prisons in one key

The Season Pass collects three prisons at once: Dungeons and Duct Tape, Wicked Ward and Big Top Breakout (the circus prison). It's tidier and usually better value than buying the maps one by one — just remember the pass also needs the base game. If you already own one of those prisons separately, check the contents so you don't pay twice.

Escape your way: pick a style

The joy of The Escapists 2 is that there's never just one way out. Play it quiet: spend in-game weeks building contacts, copying keys from putty moulds, digging a tunnel under a rug and tidying up before every shakedown. Play it bold: craft a makeshift weapon from scrap, slip into a guard uniform and stroll out the front gate. Or just smash through a wall at the right spot if you've got the tools and the health for it. Every prison nudges you toward its own plan — one map favours tunnelling, another rewards a disguise or landing the right job for access to locked-off areas. That's exactly why the same prison stays fun to replay with a different method.

How to activate the key in Steam

Activation takes a minute: open Steam, hit "Add a Game" at the bottom-left → "Activate a Product on Steam", paste the code, and the game or edition appears in your library. On Steam The Escapists 2 ships Windows, macOS and Linux builds, so it runs on Steam Deck too. The key is global — it activates in any region, no VPN required.

If you love planning escapes

If sneaking, crafting and outsmarting the system is your thing, peek at the neighbouring sandboxes too: the original The Escapists that started it all, the co-op chaos of Overcooked 2 from the same publisher Team17, and the explosive tactics of Worms W.M.D. Your The Escapists 2 key arrives as a code right after payment — with no regional limits.

🔗 Another way to buy

On the same topic we also have: The Escapists 2 as a Steam gift.