Quick answer: The Escapists 2 costs $19.99 on Steam and has no official free version. The legitimate no-cost route is Snakzy, a free rewards app that pays coins for completing offers, which convert into a Steam gift card that covers the purchase.
If you’ve been eyeing a prison break sandbox but don’t want to spend money before you know if the escape-planning loop clicks for you, that’s a fair way to shop. This guide covers what the game actually is, what it costs, where you can play it, and the step-by-step method for getting it without paying upfront.
| Game Info | Details |
|---|---|
| Price | $19.99 on Steam (Steam store page) |
| Release date | August 21, 2017 |
| Developer | Mouldy Toof Studios, with Team17 |
| Publisher | Team17 |
| Metacritic (PC) | 75 (Metacritic) |
| Steam user reviews | Very Positive, 91% of 11,243 English reviews (Steam) |
| Main story length | ~17 hours (HowLongToBeat, via IsThereAnyDeal) |
| Full completion | ~60 hours |
Is The Escapists 2 Free?
No, The Escapists 2 is a paid game priced at $19.99 on Steam, with no free-to-play version and no current inclusion in a major subscription service. The only legitimate no-cost route is earning enough through a rewards app like Snakzy to redeem a Steam gift card that covers the price.
What Is The Escapists 2?
The Escapists 2 is a prison-escape sandbox developed by Mouldy Toof Studios and Team17, published by Team17, released August 21, 2017, on PC, PS4 and Xbox One, followed by Nintendo Switch in January 2018 and mobile in 2019 (Steam store page; The Escapists Wiki). You live the daily routine of an inmate, roll call, meals, an assigned job, while secretly gathering materials for a breakout.
The base game ships with 11 prisons, up to four-player online and split-screen co-op or versus multiplayer, and a Prison Map Editor with Steam Workshop support for building and sharing custom prisons (Steam store page). It holds a Metacritic score of 75 on PC, based on critic reviews, and carries a Very Positive rating from 91% of over 11,000 English-language Steam reviews.
How Much Does The Escapists 2 Cost?
The Escapists 2 costs $19.99 on Steam at its standard listing price (Steam store page). It is a frequent deep-discount title during Steam sales, and the four prison DLC packs (Big Top Breakout, Dungeons and Duct Tape, Wicked Ward, and The Glorious Regime) are sold separately from the base game, so building the full collection outside a bundle adds to the total. If you’d rather not wait on a sale, the Snakzy method below can cover the base game price without a direct purchase.
Where Can You Play The Escapists 2?
| Platform | Metacritic score |
|---|---|
| Xbox One | 77 |
| PC | 75 |
| PS4 | 75 |
| Nintendo Switch | 73 |
(Scores per The Escapists Wiki, sourced from Metacritic.)
The Escapists 2 launched on PC via Steam, PS4 and Xbox One in August 2017, added Nintendo Switch in January 2018, and later came to iOS and Android as a separate mobile release. There is no native PS5 or Xbox Series X|S version, though both run the game through backward compatibility. Cross-platform co-op is limited, so a group is best organized on the same platform. Since Snakzy rewards redeem for a Steam gift card, this guide’s free method targets the Steam PC version.
The Escapists 2 System Requirements
| Spec | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 7/8.1/10 (32-bit) | Windows 7/8.1/10 (64-bit) |
| Processor | Intel Core Duo E6600 @ 2.4GHz | Intel i5-2500K @ 3.3GHz or AMD FX 6300 @ 3.5GHz |
| Memory | 2 GB RAM | 4 GB RAM |
| Graphics | Intel 4400, GeForce GT 8800, or Radeon HD 4650 | GeForce GTX 750 or Radeon R7 370 |
| DirectX | Version 11 | Version 11 |
| Storage | 4 GB available space | 4 GB available space |
(Per Steam’s official system requirements listing. Note Steam’s client has only supported Windows 10 and later since January 2024, ahead of what the listed minimum OS states.)
This is a lightweight pixel-art title. A laptop with integrated graphics from a decade ago can comfortably clear the recommended tier, and there’s no demanding GPU or DirectX 12 requirement standing in the way.
How Does The Escapists 2 Play?
The core loop is about keeping up appearances while working toward a breakout. You follow the prison’s daily schedule, roll call, meals, an assigned job, exercise, all while quietly raising stats, trading favors with fellow inmates, and stockpiling contraband out of sight. Skip too many routine checks and the security level rises, bringing tighter guard patrols and more frequent searches that can undo a half-finished plan.
Each of the 11 prisons is a self-contained puzzle with multiple documented escape routes, whether that’s a tunnel under a bunk, a disguise that gets you past a checkpoint, or a route timed around guard patrols. Higher-security prisons add guard dogs, security cameras, and stricter schedules. Two transit prisons, set aboard a moving train and a plane, compress the same puzzle into a tighter, timed format. Multiplayer adds cooperative escapes alongside a competitive versus mode where reaching freedom first becomes the objective.
Crafting ties the whole system together: scavenged junk becomes duct-tape weapons, tools, and guard disguises through documented recipes, and figuring out which combination unlocks which item is a core part of the challenge.
The Escapists 2 Key Features
- 11 base-game prisons with multiple solutions — Each hides several viable escape routes, from tunnels and disguises to timed transit-prison breakouts.
- Four-player co-op and versus multiplayer — Online or split-screen, with drop-in/drop-out support.
- Prison Map Editor and Steam Workshop — Build and share custom prisons, playable solo or in multiplayer.
- Over 300 customization options — For building out a unique character.
- Deep crafting system — Documented recipes turn scavenged items into weapons, tools, and disguises.
How To Get The Escapists 2 Free With Snakzy
Snakzy is a free rewards app, developed by Helis Play UAB (part of the Eneba network), where you earn coins by completing offers and playing partner mobile games. No credit card or spending is required to earn. You trade time completing offers for coins that convert into Steam gift card value, which then covers The Escapists 2 at checkout. Since the game supports four-player co-op, building a coin balance alongside a friend means you can both redeem toward a joint breakout.
Steps:
- Download Snakzy on Android from the Google Play Store; iOS users can access it through the web version, as there is currently no native iOS app.
- Browse available offers inside the app. Offers and payout amounts vary by region.
- Complete offers to earn coins, tracking your balance toward the $19.99 needed for the game.
- Reach the redemption threshold. Snakzy requires 35,000 coins, roughly $35, to unlock the rewards shop on your first redemption (myluckfortune.com review).
- Redeem coins for a Steam gift card, then apply it to your Steam purchase of The Escapists 2.
Independent tracked data shows the average first payout on Snakzy is about $27.70, arriving within roughly 6.5 days of signing up (Making Sense of Cents; Side Hustle Nation). That’s enough to clear The Escapists 2’s $19.99 price once it clears the $35 unlock threshold, with some balance left over. Payout speed and offer availability vary by country, so check current rates inside the app before planning around a specific timeline.
Get The Escapists 2 Cheaper On Eneba
If building up a Snakzy balance isn’t for you, Eneba is a marketplace that sells Steam keys and gift cards, often below the official Steam price. A Steam key bought there activates the same permanent license on your Steam account as buying directly from Valve. This isn’t a substitute for the free Snakzy route, it’s an option for anyone who wants to start playing today rather than wait on a coin balance. Prices on marketplaces like this fluctuate, so check the live listing before checkout rather than assuming a fixed discount.
Is It Legal To Get The Escapists 2 Free With Snakzy?
Yes. Snakzy pays users in coins for completing offers, those coins convert into a real Steam gift card, and the gift card is used for an official Steam purchase. Team17 and Mouldy Toof Studios get paid the same as if you had bought the game directly, and the result is a legitimate license tied to your Steam account.
What to avoid: cracked download sites and torrents advertising a free copy. These typically carry malware risk and can result in a permanent Steam account ban, and a cracked copy has no multiplayer and no updates, which matters for a game built around four-player co-op. Piracy takes revenue directly from the developers who continue to support the game with free content updates.
Verdict
The Escapists 2 holds a 75 Metacritic score on PC and a 91% Very Positive rating from over 11,000 English-language Steam reviews, years after its 2017 release. It’s a lightweight, low-spec sandbox with genuine replay value across 11 prisons, each solvable multiple ways, and a co-op format that still has few direct rivals in its niche.
Getting it for free comes down to time rather than money: download Snakzy, work offers toward the $35 redemption threshold, and redeem for a Steam gift card that covers the $19.99 price with room to spare.
FAQs
Is The Escapists 2 free to play?
No, it’s a paid game priced at $19.99 on Steam with no free-to-play version. The method in this guide uses Snakzy to earn a Steam gift card that covers the cost without a direct purchase.
What platforms is The Escapists 2 on?
PC via Steam, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, plus a separate mobile release for iOS and Android. PS5 and Xbox Series X|S run it through backward compatibility rather than a native version. The Snakzy method in this guide applies to the Steam PC version.
How long does it take to beat The Escapists 2?
Around 17 hours for the main story, about 33 hours with extra content, and roughly 60 hours for full completion, based on tracked player data. Multiple escape routes per prison and four-player multiplayer extend that further.
What is the Metacritic score for The Escapists 2?
It sits at 75 on both PC and PS4, 77 on Xbox One, and 73 on Nintendo Switch. Steam’s own user reviews rate it Very Positive at 91% based on over 11,000 English-language reviews.
Is it safe to get The Escapists 2 through Snakzy?
Yes. Snakzy-earned Steam gift cards are redeemed through Steam’s official checkout, making the resulting purchase fully legitimate. Avoid unofficial free download sites instead, since those carry real malware and account-ban risk with no legal license attached.
