A Way Out Review (2026): A Prison Break Made for Your Best Duo

A Way Out is a two-player prison escape adventure from Swedish studio Hazelight, published by Electronic Arts as an EA Originals title. It came out on March 23, 2018 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC, and it’s directed by Josef Fares, who went on to make It Takes Two and Split Fiction. Before those two became Hazelight’s biggest hits, this is where the studio’s “you need a partner to play” idea started. We played about 15 hours across PC and Xbox, so this review looks at how it holds up for anyone picking it up today.

What A Way Out is

EA’s store page calls it “an exclusively co-op adventure where you play the role of one of two prisoners making their daring escape from prison.” One player is Leo, a hardened inmate who will do whatever it takes to get out. The other is Vincent, fresh off the prison bus and quieter about it. They don’t trust each other at first, but they need each other to break out, and the story follows what happens after the walls are behind them.

There’s no single-player mode at all. You play in split screen the whole time, either on the same couch or online, and the screen shifts between the two of you depending on who is doing what. Steam’s page sums up the range: you’ll “sneak, fight, run, drive, even go for a little fishing along the way.”

Gameplay: 10/10

Top marks. Everything is built around two people working as a duo, and the prison break itself is a really fun thing to pull off together. Around the main story there are fun mini-games to play around with together. It’s a game that only works with two players, and that’s exactly the point.

Story and Writing: 10/10

Top marks again. A Way Out has a really good storyline to enjoy with one of your closest friends or as a couple. Leo and Vincent’s partnership is the heart of the game, and we’ll stay out of spoilers here, since it’s best going in fresh with your duo.

Visuals: 10/10, Sound and Music: 10/10

Both earned top marks. The visuals are great, and the split screen shifts with the action, so both players can always see what the other is doing. Sound and music matched them with a 10 of their own.

Performance and Polish: 9/10

Close to perfect on the two platforms we played, PC and Xbox. On Xbox, the store lists it as Xbox One X Enhanced, and it’s playable on Xbox Series X|S too.

Replayability and Content: 8.2/10

A Way Out is a story game, so you get one main campaign rather than an endless loop. GameSpot clocked the campaign at about 7 to 8 hours. The pull to come back is swapping characters and trying the other approach at the moments where Leo and Vincent disagree on how to handle things, and the side activities and mini-games give you plenty to mess around with along the way.

Value for Money: 8.5/10

The full price is $29.99 on Steam and the EA app, and as of October 26, 2026 it’s down to $8.99 on the Xbox Store, which is 70% off. The bigger value is the Friend’s Pass: if you own the game, you can invite a friend on the same platform to play the whole thing with you for free using a trial version. On consoles, both players need PlayStation Plus or an Xbox online subscription for online play. On PC, the Friend’s Pass runs through the EA app, and Steam also supports Remote Play Together. EA notes that the free trial isn’t available in Germany.

What critics said in 2018

Our score is higher than most critics gave it. A Way Out has a Top Critic Average of 79 on OpenCritic, where 70% of critics recommend it, and the PC version sits at 78 on Metacritic (both checked October 26, 2026). Critics agreed on the co-op design and split on the story:

• IGN (8.3/10): Ryan McCaffrey said players who think the mandatory co-op is a gimmick will likely “come out of it realizing that it couldn’t have been done any other way.”
• GamesRadar+ (4.5/5): Sam Loveridge wrote that it “elevates co-op gaming in a way nothing has before.”
• Polygon (7.5/10): Colin Campbell said it “has many faults, but a lack of heart isn’t one of them,” and called Leo one of his favorite game characters of the year.
• PC Gamer (64/100): Chris Schilling called it “messy, varied and inadvertently hilarious.”
• GameSpot (6/10): Oscar Dayus liked its varied environments and inventive set pieces but criticized its tonal shifts, quick-time events and finale.

Platforms and price

• Release date: March 23, 2018.
• PC: Steam ($29.99, added June 18, 2020), the EA app ($29.99) and the Epic Games Store.
• Xbox: Xbox One, playable on Xbox Series X|S. $8.99 on sale as of October 26, 2026 (normally $29.99).
• PlayStation: PlayStation 4, playable on PlayStation 5 through backward compatibility.
• Players: exactly 2, in local split screen or online. There is no solo mode.

Who it’s for

A Way Out is for a pair of people. It’s a really good storyline to enjoy with one of your closest friends or with your partner, and a really fun prison break to pull off with your duo. The visuals are great, there are fun mini-games to play around with, and there’s so much more along the way. If you loved It Takes Two or Split Fiction, this is where Hazelight’s co-op story started. If you want to play alone, skip it, because it can’t be played solo.

Verdict

A Way Out is one of the best games you can play as a pair. After about 15 hours on PC and Xbox, it earned top marks for gameplay, story, visuals and sound, with near-perfect performance and solid value, especially at $8.99 on Xbox with the Friend’s Pass covering your partner. Critics in 2018 were more mixed on the story than we are, but if you have a best friend or partner to break out with, this is a really fun prison break to share.

More Hazelight on Game Beacon

• It Takes Two hits Switch 2 with a free upgrade
• It Takes Two Switch 2 free upgrade and cross-play
• How to use the Friend’s Pass (EA Help)

Sources: the A Way Out EA store page, the Steam page, the Xbox Store page, EA Help, OpenCritic and the outlet reviews linked above. Prices checked October 26, 2026. See all our reviews on the Reviews hub.