Life Sentence v0.1.0

Cold Creek State Penitentiary · Inmate #24-0917

Life Sentence

Learn the routine. Make your tools. Get out.

A first-person prison escape for Windows and Mac. You're serving life for a robbery-homicide you didn't commit. Count by count, night by night, you're going to find your way over, under or straight out the front gate.

Download for Windows Download for Mac

101 MB for Windows · 137 MB for Mac · version v0.1.0 · Free

17+ Mature: violence, strong language

Case file · The long way out

You didn't do it. Nobody cares.

Cole Mercer fixed cars for a living until a robbery went wrong and someone put him behind the wheel of it. Now he's inmate #24-0917, serving life at Cold Creek: a 1950s granite cellhouse in a rainy Pacific Northwest river valley, ringed by a stone wall, a double fence of razor wire and four gun towers.

Share a cell with Deacon, a lifer who has been here longer than the paint. Pay rent to the Iron Saints or fight them. Trade with Rook, forge papers with Whistler, keep Nurse Alvarez on your side and stay out of Captain Hale's way. Your sister Lena is on the outside, working the phones. And the man who actually did it is somewhere in here with you.

Confidential

Memo: Security office

RE: Inmate Mercer, C. (#24-0917)

Subject has been observed timing the tier walks and asking about the 1958 storm sewer. Recommend a cell search at the next count.

Also note: missing from Workshop tool crib, one (1) pair of wire cutters. Laundry reports a bedsheet shortage.

Signed, Capt. Hale

Sentencing

Pick your sentence

Three story difficulties and one sandbox. Each save slot (three of them) keeps its own sentence.

Story · Easy

3rd Degree

For your first stretch

  • Guards see less and calm down faster
  • Objective markers and hints
  • More loose items lying around
  • A missed count is a warning
  • Failed missions retry from a checkpoint
Story · Medium

2nd Degree

The prison as it runs

  • Standard guards
  • A marker for the current objective only (or none)
  • Normal loot
  • A missed count raises heat and starts a search
Story · Hard

1st Degree

They're watching you

  • Sharp guards, flashlights, more cell checks
  • No markers: just your journal
  • Scarce loot, frequent shakedowns, metal detectors
  • Caught means solitary and losing what you carry
  • Save only at your bunk after lights-out
Sandbox · Hardest
No story

Life Sentence

Just you and a prison

  • No missions, markers or hints
  • Every run is shuffled: loot, rusted grates, welded vents, guard rosters, your cell
  • Get caught and the prison adapts: your hole gets bricked, that vent gets welded
  • Counts days served; best escape per route

Life Sentence is open from the start. The game suggests finishing a story first, but it won't make you.

Daily schedule · posted on every tier

The routine is the cage

Bells, PA calls and counts run the day. Show up and your heat cools and you earn commissary credit. Miss a count and the whole prison starts looking for you.

6:00Wake-up count
6:30Breakfast
7:30Work duty
11:30Count
12:00Lunch
13:00Yard, gym, library
15:30Work duty
17:30Dinner
18:30Free time
21:00Lock-up count
22:00Lights out

Life on the inside

Everything is a tool

A dime is a screwdriver. A toothbrush is a shiv. A pillow, a towel and some hair is you, asleep in your bunk while you're three tunnels away.

Routine + jobs

Do your time

Six jobs, each with its own hands-on shift and its own access: laundry and the truck dock, the kitchen and its counted knives, the workshop's tool crib, the janitor's keys to the admin corridor, the library's paper and stamps, the infirmary's meds. Work well, or skim something and hope nobody counts.

Crafting + stashes

Make it yourself

17 recipes from 64 items: bedsheet rope, grappling hook, lockpick, key mold, makeshift shovel, wire cutters, a forged transfer order, a guard uniform. Tools wear out. Hide the rest in your mattress, behind a loose brick, in the toilet tank or behind the poster.

Stealth

Don't be seen

Crouch, lean around corners, crawl through vents and hide under bunks, in laundry carts, lockers and dumpsters. Rain masks your digging, fog hides you from the towers, and a bunk dummy covers for you at the flashlight check.

Guards + heat

They notice things

Guards walk patrols with vision cones and ears, go from "?" to "!", frisk you, chase you, cuff you and call a lockdown. Towers sweep the yard with searchlights, cameras watch admin, dogs walk the perimeter. Your heat decides how hard they look.

Inmates

Choose your friends

Everyone follows the same routine. Trade cigarettes and favors, settle things in the yard with fists, or stay clear of the Iron Saints and the Ridgeline Crew. Some will help you. Some will sell you out for a pack of smokes.

Story + choices

Ten chapters, three endings

Pay or fight. Snitch or stay quiet. Confide in the nurse or steal from her. Take Hale's deal or refuse it. Your choices decide your allies, which way out is open on the last night, and whether you walk away free, take Deacon with you, or clear your name.

Evidence locker · Item 6 of 6

Six ways out

Every route really exists in the prison, from the first night. How they work is for you to find out.

  1. RedactedThe Tunnel
  2. RedactedOver the Wall
  3. RedactedThe Laundry Truck
  4. RedactedWalk Out
  5. RedactedThrough the Fence
  6. RedactedMedical Transfer

Surveillance stills

Screenshots

Captured in the game. Click any picture to see it full size.

The cellhouse at night: three tiers under sodium lightThe cellhouse at night: three tiers under sodium light Deacon, your cellmate: 31 years in, and he knows thingsDeacon, your cellmate: 31 years in, and he knows things Cell A-214. Top bunk's yoursCell A-214. Top bunk's yours Yard time. Everyone is watching everyoneYard time. Everyone is watching everyone Lunch in the chow hall. The kitchen counts its knivesLunch in the chow hall. The kitchen counts its knives Tier three after lights-outTier three after lights-out Wrong place, wrong time: “Freeze, inmate.”Wrong place, wrong time: “Freeze, inmate.” Rain on the razor wire, past midnightRain on the razor wire, past midnight The catwalks at middayThe catwalks at midday Somewhere under the prisonSomewhere under the prison The woods outside the wallThe woods outside the wall Cold Creek State Penitentiary. Inmate #24-0917Cold Creek State Penitentiary. Inmate #24-0917

Controls · all rebindable

Pad or keyboard

Every screen, menu, job and conversation works with an Xbox controller alone (A to select, B to go back) or with keyboard and mouse. Prompts switch the moment you touch either.

ActionKeyboard + mouseXbox controller
Move / lookWASD + mouseLS RS
SprintShiftLS click
Crouch / crawlC / hold CtrlB
Jump / vault / climbSpaceA
Interact (hold for long jobs)EX
Use item / attackLeft clickRT
Block / aim throwRight clickLT
Lean left / rightQ / ZLB + LS
Inventory + craftingTabView
Journal / mapJ / MD-pad up
Quick items1-4D-pad
PauseEscMenu

Requirements

System

WindowsWindows 10 or 11, 64-bit
MacmacOS 11 Big Sur or later, Apple Silicon or Intel
GraphicsA Vulkan-capable GPU on Windows (integrated graphics work on Low or Medium); Metal on Mac. Four quality presets plus render scale.
ControlsKeyboard and mouse, or an Xbox (XInput) controller
OnlinePlays offline. The internet is only used to check for updates and, if you like, sign in to your VGS account.
SavesThree slots in %APPDATA%\LifeSentence (Windows) or ~/Library/Application Support/LifeSentence (Mac)
17+Mature

Content notice

Mature 17+: violence and strong language. Fistfights, shivs and takedowns, without gore close-ups. Nothing sexual, no slurs. Cold Creek, its staff, its inmates and everything that happens there are invented; no real people, prisons or brands appear.

Release papers

Download and install

Free for Windows and Mac, always the same version on both. When an update is out, press Update now on the title screen: the game installs it and reopens by itself, and your saves stay put.

Windows 101 MB Mac 137 MB
Versionv0.1.0 for Windows and Mac
Windows SHA-256see version.json

Windows

  1. Run LifeSentence-Setup. If Windows SmartScreen says it doesn't recognize the app, choose More info, then Run anyway.
  2. It installs for your user only (no admin needed) and can add a desktop shortcut.
  3. Uninstall from Settings > Apps. It asks before deleting your saves.

Mac

  1. Open the zip and drag Life Sentence into Applications.
  2. Double-click it. The first time, macOS says it can't check the app (it isn't notarized yet). Click Done.
  3. Open System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway next to Life Sentence. You only do this once.

Parole board minutes

Changelog

New routes, jobs and ways to get caught arrive in updates. The game tells you when one is out.

v0.1.0November 2026Latest
  • First release: Life Sentence on Windows and Mac
  • Cold Creek State Penitentiary: a three-tier cellhouse with 72 cells, chow hall and kitchen, laundry, workshop, library, chapel, infirmary, solitary, admin, the yard, the wall and four towers, and the woods and river outside
  • The story, "The Long Way Out": ten chapters with choices and three endings, on 3rd, 2nd or 1st Degree
  • Life Sentence: a randomized sandbox prison that adapts every time you're caught
  • The full daily routine with counts, six jobs, 17 crafting recipes, stashes, heat, guards, towers and dogs
  • Six escape routes, three save slots and full Xbox controller support
  • In-game updates: press Update now on the title screen when a new version is out

Questions for the counselor

FAQ

Is Life Sentence free?

Yes, on both Windows and Mac.

Who is it for?

Adults. It's rated Mature 17+ for violence and strong language. No gore close-ups, nothing sexual, no slurs.

Which difficulty should I start on?

2nd Degree if you've played stealth games before, 3rd Degree if you'd rather learn the prison with markers and hints. 1st Degree is the story with sharp guards and no markers. Life Sentence is the sandbox: no story, no help and a different prison every run.

How long is the story?

Ten chapters, from intake to the breakout. How long you serve depends on how carefully you plan; the routes, choices and three endings make it worth a second sentence.

Can I play with a controller?

Yes. Everything, including menus, crafting, jobs and conversations, works with an Xbox controller alone. Keyboard and mouse work too, and every control can be rebound.

Do I need to be online?

No. It plays offline; the internet is only used to check for updates and for the optional VGS account sign-in.

How do I update?

When a new version is out, the title screen shows Update now. The game downloads it, checks it, installs it over your copy and reopens. You can also download the latest version here at any time.

Where are my saves?

In %APPDATA%\LifeSentence on Windows and ~/Library/Application Support/LifeSentence on a Mac. Updates never touch them.

Is Cold Creek a real prison?

No. Cold Creek State Penitentiary, its staff, inmates and town are all invented.

How do I get help?

Email team@visoravgs.com.

Credits and licences

Made by Visora VGS

Game, code, the prison, props, procedural textures, sound effects and music are original work by Visora VGS. Third-party assets are all CC0 (public domain) or open-licensed:

  • 3D characters and animations: Quaternius (Universal Base Characters, Universal Animation Library 1 and 2), CC0 1.0
  • Textures: Poly Haven, CC0 1.0, repainted for the game's look
  • Font: Oswald by The Oswald Project Authors, SIL Open Font License 1.1
  • Engine: Godot Engine, MIT License

The full list ships with the game (Credits on the title screen). All people, places and organisations are invented.