Academia : School Simulator
Released Jan 2021
Design, build, and manage a high school with terrific teachers and fantastic facilities or simply let your students poop in the bushes? Academia : School Simulator is a management/tycoon game where you get to decide!
83% positive · 3,142 reviews
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Where to buy
Steam $19.99
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Evaluation
Academia: School Simulator launched into full release (Version 1.0) on January 28, 2021, after several years in Early Access. The Version 1 release post outlined a few near-term intentions — bug fixing, some cosmetic additions, mod functionality, and a possible console port — but explicitly framed these as secondary priorities, not a roadmap for substantial new content.
Two months later, on March 30, 2021, the developer published a post titled "Academia Final Update (Build 1.0.27)" and stated directly: "This marks the end of active development for Academia: School Simulator. While we will be monitoring our bug reports and attending to major issues, we're going to be taking what I believe is a well deserved break from this point on." This is an unambiguous developer statement that content development is complete.
In March 2022, Paradox Interactive announced it had acquired the game from Squeaky Wheel Studio's founder Ryan Sumo. That acquisition post reflects a transfer of ownership rather than any announcement of renewed development or new content.
The developer news feed since early 2021 shows no Academia updates at all — the more recent major content posts (NEWS-1 through NEWS-4) all relate to a completely separate game called Glyphica: Typing Survival, which Squeaky Wheel is actively developing. Academia itself has received no updates since the explicitly declared final update on March 30, 2021.
The game is a complete, finished product. Someone purchasing today receives the full, finished game as it was declared complete by the developer.
Evidence
Developer explicitly declared Build 1.0.27 as the 'final update' and stated 'This marks the end of active development for Academia: School Simulator.' Bug monitoring would continue but no new content is planned.
Version 1.0 launched after four years of development and three years in Early Access. Post-launch plans were limited to bug fixing, cosmetic additions, mod support, and a possible console port — no major content roadmap announced.
Media
Details
Developer
Publisher
Paradox Interactive
Achievements
140
Platform
Windows, macOS
Controller
—
Steam Deck
Playable
Players
Single-player
About this game
Build a high school with fantastic facilities like science labs, basketball courts, and art rooms, or do the bare minimum and live off government subsidies! Will you offer your delinquent students counseling, or simply send them to detention to let them waste their lives away? Will you hire the best teachers or cheap out and build giant classrooms with a 1:100 teacher to student ratio? Will you build enough toilets, or snicker as your students are forced to relieve themselves in the bushes? The choice is yours!
Academia : School Simulator is a cheerful yet challenging management game from the artist of Prison Architect and the studio that brought you Political Animals.
Student motivation is driven by various needs, including hygiene, hunger, and discipline, and they'll become even more complex as time goes on, eventually competing in school competitions like spelling bees and even falling in love.
Teachers are unique, with different subject specialties and degrees. Eventually they will also have their own motivations that need to be satisfied so they can keep teaching at the highest level.
Build Canteens, Clinics, Computer Labs, Common Areas and much more as you create your dream Educational Complex.
Do you think the janitors aren't doing a good job? Plot out their routes yourself in order to ensure maximum efficiency.
From potted plants to statues and fountains, we have everything to make your school the envy of all! And we'll keep adding decorative objects so that you can have a completely unique school.
Students that look like zombies and eat brains? why not? Want to run a school where the students are literally prisoners? Whatever floats your boat! Image mods are available now, and language and other mods will follow in the future.
Customize your school seal and motto to make a school that is uniquely yours!
Normal mode requires you to balance your budget and provide the best education that you can with your money, while sandbox lets you go utopian with unlimited money!
Are these done yet?
Last evaluated Jun 27, 2026
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