In State of Desire, you take command of a prison populated by gang bosses and hitmen

The Launch

State of Desire, a prison-building strategy game, has just been added to the iOS and Android app stores. If the name rings a bell, that's no coincidence: FunPlus, the company behind State of Survival, is involved. The title carries over that studio's playbook — running a facility is only step one, with alliances, wars, and a fight for influence waiting beyond the walls.

What You Actually Do

The gameplay splits into two layers. First, you start with a small correctional facility and expand it into a maximum-security prison, adding cell blocks and guard towers along the way. Your inmates are the city's worst — gang leaders, smugglers, assassins — each with their own history and grudges.

That cast guarantees friction. Rivalries build up, contraband gets passed around behind your back, riots can kick off at any point, and escape attempts will test whatever security you've put in place. To keep a lid on things, you recruit guards, commanders, and officers, each bringing their own skills.

Then the scope widens: you move into alliances, wars, and a scrap for influence in the criminal underworld — the competitive strategy layer that FunPlus is known for.

Two Things Worth Knowing Before Downloading

Content rating: The App Store rates the game 18+ for frequent sexual content and mature themes alongside realistic violence. The "Desire" in the title isn't decorative.

Presentation caveat: The store screenshots have a smoothed-over, slightly glossy look that usually points to AI-generated art somewhere. Whether that's the case can't be said for certain, but it was the first thing noticed on viewing — and it isn't a great first impression.

Where This Leaves You

The game is live now on both platforms, so the early question is whether FunPlus's proven strategy formula translates to a prison setting — and whether the presentation holds up once you're past the store page. If you'd rather keep your strategy prisons drama-free, our list of the best strategy games on Android has plenty where nobody's tunnelling out behind a poster.