5 best prison servers in Minecraft (2022)

Prison servers are one of the most unique among the massive number of Minecraft multiplayer experiences, and for perfect reasons.

Often set in dystopian "prison" settings, players are typically spawned in with nothing more than a few items and a pickaxe. Players must toil away by collecting blocks and ores to sell, eventually increasing rank.

As players increase in rank, they are given access to standard functions such as chat, and new areas tend to open up for additional work. As players rise in the ranks, they can shift from "being dominated" to "being the dominator."

It's no wonder these servers are incredibly popular, and there are a few servers worth noting this year that truly stand out.

Minecraft: Top prison servers for early 2022

5) Lemon Cloud

Lemon Cloud offers plenty for players, including a dedicated Prison server (Image via Lemon Cloud)

With a 98% projected uptime, Lemon Cloud is a reliable server that provides multiple avenues for Minecraft gameplay, including Prison. Lemon Cloud's Prison server is about as straightforward as a Minecraft player can expect.

Players begin in a large mine and must work their way up the ranking ladder and towards their freedom. Fortunately, Lemon Cloud provides a few chat commands on the house for players to use.

These commands allow players to check their current rank and sell off the contents of their inventory if they desire. This cuts down on trips to sell blocks and ores at a physical location, which is a beneficial implementation.

4) Minecraft Central

Now enjoying its seventh full season of Prison gameplay, Minecraft Central has long been a reliable server regarding uptime and player count.

The server's Prison server features the ability to claim plots of land in a similar fashion to many SMP servers, and players can even create prison "gangs" to work together and increase their ranks.

A new upgradeable pickaxe and a host of other character upgrades are also available to improve a player's long grind to buy their freedom. There's also plenty of custom content, such as new enchantments to enjoy.

It may not be the most vanilla experience compared to many other Prison servers, but Minecraft Central has lasted this long for a reason.

3) OP Blocks

OP Blocks' Candycorn Prison (Image via OP Blocks)

Sporting a robust Prison server that is constantly evolving through the suggestions and votes of Minecraft players, OP Blocks features a Candyland-style aesthetic for its Prison. However, don't think this will make it easier by any stretch of the imagination.

This is still a Prison server, and players will have to work hard to make it to the top of the rankings. Those considering supporting the server can also head over to the site's store page, where players can purchase ranks if they so desire.

However, these ranks become progressively more expensive, meaning the cost-benefit between using real-world currency and working up to the rank in-game should be considered.

The store also features great additions that don't involve one's Prison rank, such as titles and keys for loot crates. Players can even buy extra plots if they'd like. Microtransactions aside, OP Blocks is still a solid Prison server that is always striving to improve the experience for its dedicated player base.

2) Complex Gaming

Complex's vanilla servers offer a more traditional Prison experience (Image via Complex Gaming)

Complex Gaming is a server hub that wears many hats as it juggles various gameplay modes, including vanilla Prison and even Pixelmon. Complex's Prison servers are kept very similar to the vanilla experience, though there are a few plugins to assist players in a quality of life regard.

In most instances, complex sports have a high player count, with 1,000 concurrent players being the minimum in many contexts. This ensures that players are never alone in their Prison-breaking ambitions.

Sadly, the biggest downside to Complex is that it's a Minecraft: Java Edition server hub exclusively, which may disappoint players of Minecraft: Bedrock Edition. However, Java players should look to Complex for a more streamlined Prison experience.

1) MCHub

MCHub's core landing page for players (Image via MCHub)

Supporting both primary versions of the game and sporting a robust community online via forums and discord, MCHub provides just about any gameplay type a player can ask for within reason. This naturally includes Prison servers and Skyblock and Survival multiplayer gameplay.

MCHub's Prison gameplay is the gold standard of consistency comparable to servers like Purple Prison, but without the massive player count. This results in a more close-knit community, and there are no major surprises content-wise.

The server restarts after each season of Prison, which may be a turnoff for some but comes as a welcome challenge for many.