Hard Time

Contains adsIn-app purchases
370K reviews
Content rating
Teen
10M+
Downloads
Content rating
Teen
Violence, Blood, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Language, Crude Humor
Digital Purchases
Learn more
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About this game

The toughest prison sim in the yard - now celebrating over 10 MILLION downloads!!!

Create your own inmate and attempt to survive in a prison where every sentence is a "death" sentence. Rub shoulders with up to 100 fellow inmates in a sprawling jail of 12 unique areas, each filled with fully interactive furniture and props. Plus a life beyond the jail populated by real civilians, with wardens enforcing dozens of different laws to stop you from making a break for it.

Each day, you will find your health and mental state slipping away. Both can be restored by sleeping - which is also a good way to pass time. You won't always be permitted to sleep, though, so consuming food and drink bridges the gap. These, along with many other activities such as reading or watching TV, can also help to improve your mental state. If you "lose your mind" you will break down and will temporarily lose control of your character (almost certainly getting into trouble!).

Your character also has a set of attributes that you are challenged to improve:
- STRENGTH indicates how much damage you can inflict or absorb. You can improve it by fighting or lifting weights.
- AGILITY determines how fast you move. You can improve it by jogging in the yard or scoring baskets.
- INTELLECT reflects your knowledge - including fighting skills such as counters. You can improve it by reading books.
- REPUTATION is how much other prisoners respect you. It can be improved by accomplishing tasks or intimidating others.

There are also opportunities to earn money - whether you work for it with a broom, trade items at a profit, or run with a gang. Having money increases your opportunities to grease the wheels and make your life inside easier.

You may find that you need to go to the toilet from time to time, in which case you must race to the bathroom! Alternatively, you could find a toilet to sit on or grab some toilet paper to spare your blushes. Failing to do so will damage your reputation and mental state.

I regret that there is more to this game than I could ever explain here, so I hope you enjoy figuring some things out for yourself.

Upgrade to "VIP" to enjoy the full experience without ads - plus access to the editor that allows you to customize your character and every other.

BASIC CONTROLS:
(*Look out for tutorials within the actual game)
The game uses buttons where letters like GTA represent what they do:
G = Grapple / Throw weapon
T = Taunt (interact with handheld props)
A = Attack (on its own to kick, with a direction to punch)
R = Run
P = Pick-Up / Drop

OTHER CONTROLS
- Press ATTACK and RUN together to launch a powerful attack.
- Press any button with any direction (or none) in a grapple to trigger different moves.
- Press RUN and PICK-UP together to set fire to a small object (which can then be used to set fire to a large object).
- Touch the clock to pause the game and bring up options to exit.
- Touch any speech bubble to speed through conversations.

PERFORMANCE
- If you find your device struggles to display lots of characters, considering keeping the "Population" option low.
- "Speed Up Frame Rate" sleeping will require good performance at the default frame rate.
- Head to the "Display" options to tone down other features.
Attempt to survive in a prison where every sentence is a death sentence!
Updated on
Apr 1, 2026
Available on
Android, Windows

Data safety

Safety starts with understanding how developers collect and share your data. Data privacy and security practices may vary based on your use, region, and age. The developer provided this information and may update it over time.
  • This app may share these data types with third parties
    Location and Device or other IDs
  • This app may collect these data types
    Location and Device or other IDs
  • Data isn’t encrypted
  • Data can’t be deleted

Ratings and reviews

310K reviews
Destin Pacheco
August 13, 2026
I loved playing this when I was a little kid it was and still can be one of the best mobile games to date. Money concern is that they took away customization and put a 2.99 price tag on it which is ashame not to mention that when you do buy it all you can do is customize a character you cant even save, 2.99 for temporary dress up and you cant even bring them into an actual game.
2 people found this review helpful
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DeloTK
March 1, 2022
Absolutely epic! The game is fun to play and you can kill some hours because it is totally offline. It never gets boring because something new always happens, you won't be able to avoid fights in the days you spend in prison. You can buy the editor for under 3$ and you canedit your role, charcter and stats like reputation, strenght, agility and intellect. Great game, only a few mb and fun, you should definitely install it.
203 people found this review helpful
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Quinn Huston
July 27, 2023
I've loved this game since I was probably 12 or so and I am now 20. They've updated it a few times throughout the years and although them taking away character customization from free players was pretty annoying I can still enjoy the game. However one thing they still haven't added that would be super cool is a game volume slider or toggle in the options menu not just a music volume option. I'd love to be able to listen to a podcast while playing or perhaps music but the game is just too loud.
1,732 people found this review helpful
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What’s new

- Exclusive link to try the new 3D superhero sim, "Infinite Lives"!
- Improved advertising to keep the game free.
- Enhanced controller detection for paying customers.
- Futureproof compatibility with the latest Android devices (which may exclude older devices below Android 7).