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Hard Time III
The toughest prison sim in the yard is back to serve its 3rd consecutive sentence - combining classic moments from the OG with the best aspects of 2D, while putting out a few hits of its own! Tackle crime from either side of the prison fence, while a larger world beyond it makes life worth living.
In short, Steam reviewers most often praise “chaotic justice-system sandbox” (13 of 70 reviews); the most common complaint is “awkward, clunky controls” (6). What reviewers agree on ↓
View on Steam ↗ $14.99 (US · as of 2026-10-25)What players say
Steam review score and the most-helpful voices, which may include critical ones. Score via Steam as of 2026-09-30 · quoted reviews as of 2026-05-19.
What reviewers agree on
13 of the 70 reviews raise this.
“Hard Time III is a documentary of how tough life behind bars can be. And a love letter to silent hill 1 and 2 given the controls and the fight system (I felt at home beating the inmates with a table leg with my previous…”
4 of the 70 reviews raise this.
“Perfect remaster of the old version with the workshop being amazing”
“One of my favorite indie games ever was brought back to life to my utter ignorance. I was unaware of this for the past year! How? I have no clue! But this was a blast from the past. I've loved Mdickie games since before…”
“its really fun to play with mods”
6 of the 70 reviews raise this · 2 of them still recommend the game.
“the controls are from hell.”
“Worse controls and camera. No need to bully anything else if they fix this maybe the game could be awesome, but for now its unplayable.”
“Stupid fun for a bit, but the controls, continuous dialogue, and unbearable camera make it incredibly annoying. The game is also just boring. There's not much to do outside of prison, and even in prison the activities…”
5 of the 70 reviews raise this · 2 of them still recommend the game.
“As someone who was a big fan of the original 3D Hard Time, this sequel is honestly disappointing. The first game was very close to perfection in its core idea. The premise was simple but incredibly engaging: start from…”
“Stupid fun for a bit, but the controls, continuous dialogue, and unbearable camera make it incredibly annoying. The game is also just boring. There's not much to do outside of prison, and even in prison the activities…”
“I was left off with a warning after committing serial murder on several officers around the prison. A few minutes after that, I was given the death sentence for failing to change into my prison clothing. I am not…”
3 of the 70 reviews raise this · 2 of them still recommend the game.
“Stupid fun for a bit, but the controls, continuous dialogue, and unbearable camera make it incredibly annoying. The game is also just boring. There's not much to do outside of prison, and even in prison the activities…”
Counted across 70 English reviews, sampled to match this game's 85.1% positive rating · as of 2026-05-19
“Made a 5'6 man named Greg who was on his best behavior. 11 days later I massacred a whole cell block and my reputation skyrocketed. I was arrested for serial murder, won the court case and managed to do the rest of my time. 10/10 justice system”
— a player, Steam review · 51 hrs played“Rest in Peace MrCrime, MeStrong, and Goodest Boy...”
— a player, Steam review · 2 hrs played“i gave birth and my own child came out the womb with a desire to dropkick me to death”
— a player, Steam review · 9 hrs playedPlayer activity
Monthly average concurrent players. Live data self-collected from the Steam API · history through 2026-06 via SteamCharts.
Price tracking
US-region pricing (USD), sampled twice daily by our own tracker since 2026-07-25. Steam prices vary by region — always confirm your local price on Steam.
Regional prices at last sample, in local currency — Steam sets each region's price independently.
Cheapest → most expensive, converted to USD at ECB reference rates (2026-10-23). Relative comparison only.
Latest official news
Developer announcements via the Steam news API — links go to the original posts. More across all games on the news hub.
All The Right Moves
The bigger news is over at Wrestling Empire's 80th update, but the prison version gets to inherit a few new moves too: - Mods are once again compatible with the latest Steam client. - New family of "R
Super Cuts
- New hairstyles at #17-20 and new textures on most body parts. - Most lockers can now be used like wardrobes to trigger in-game costume changes. - New "Random" camera regularly gives a unique view. -
Losing Control
- Nervous breakdowns once again cause you to "lose control" of your character. - Fixed an issue that prevented backpacks being worn from scene to scene. - The map transitions between scenes are now op
v1.1.3
- You can increase the "Population" to 200% for twice as much content in Fight Scenes! Characters are added/removed as quickly as you can tap the button - whereas holding it now takes you to a screen
Partners In Crime
- New "Partner" relationship status follows you from scene to scene wherever possible. You can approach anybody about partnering with you if they don't ask you. - Cold outdoor weather damages your hea
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Screenshots
Official Steam store screenshots — click any shot to enlarge.
Facts & details
From the Steam store record, snapshot 2026-05-19.
| Genres | Action, Adventure, Indie, RPG, Simulation |
| Player tags | Crime · Survival · Open World · Dark Humor · 3D · Character Customization · Combat · Wrestling · Life Sim · Choices Matter · Action-Adventure · Third Person (SteamSpy community voting) |
| Features | Single-player · Multi-player · PvP · Shared/Split Screen PvP · Co-op · Shared/Split Screen Co-op · Shared/Split Screen · Full controller support |
| Languages | English |
| Controller | Full support |
| Official site | http://www.MDickie.com |
Minimum system requirements (PC)
Minimum: OS: Windows 10 Processor: Intel(R) Celeron(TM) 1.1gHz Memory: 4 GB RAM Graphics: DirectX 11 compatible video card DirectX: Version 11 Storage: 400 MB available space