House Builder

About

House Builder is a single player casual simulation game. It was developed by FreeMind S.A. and was released on January 15, 2024. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"House Builder" is a simulation game that allows players to design and construct their own houses. With various tools and materials, players can create unique homes and manage resources to complete projects. The game also features a free-build mode, landscaping options, and a sharing platform to showcase your creations or download others' designs.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

77%

Audience ScoreBased on 998 reviews

gameplay41 positive mentions

stability85 negative mentions

Engaging gameplay loop that combines construction, resource management, and stylistic freedom.
Intuitive building mechanics with meaningful resource and scoring systems.
Variety of locations and architectural styles that keep the experience fresh and educational.

Numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay and lead to frustration.
Limited content with only a few houses available, leading to a short overall experience.
Repetitive tasks and lack of creative freedom in building, as players are often restricted to following blueprints.

gameplay
161 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
68%
7%
The gameplay in "House Builder" is characterized by its engaging construction mechanics, intuitive resource management, and a satisfying progression loop that rewards players for their choices. While many players appreciate the depth and accessibility of the building systems, some express frustration with janky physics and repetitive tasks that can detract from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the game offers a relaxing and methodical gameplay style that appeals to fans of simulation games, with ongoing content updates that help maintain its freshness.
- “House builder nails its core systems by turning construction, resource management, and stylistic freedom into an engaging gameplay loop that feels satisfying on both short and long time scales.”
- “The building mechanics are intuitive yet surprisingly deep.”
- “Overall, House builder’s systems — construction, budgeting, and rating loops — combine into a satisfying and accessible building experience that feels both expressive and mechanically rewarding.”
- “Gameplay is frustrating and annoying.”
- “The structure of the gameplay is all over the place and I can't just peacefully play and have confidence in my requisition of material prior to starting construction.”
- “The gameplay starts off okay, but it quickly becomes repetitive, and the bugs don’t help.”
stability
86 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
99%
The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous users reporting a wide range of bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay, including movement issues, freezing, and inconsistent level performance. While some players find the glitches amusing or manageable, many describe the game as "buggy" and "unfinished," leading to frustration and a lack of recommendation in its current state. Overall, the game shows potential but requires substantial improvements to its stability before it can be fully enjoyed.
- “This game is a buggy, unplayable train wreck stuck in development hell while the developer continues to try to scam people into buying it.”
- “Unfortunately, it is still quite buggy and my game keeps crashing a lot.”
- “As-is, the tedious, buggy, bad physics and mechanics come off as a lazy unfinished mess.”
graphics
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
55%
6%
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising their charm and detail, while others criticize them for being rough or causing performance issues on lower-end PCs. Many users note that while the visuals can be appealing, they may also suffer from glitches and inconsistencies, leading to a less than optimal experience for those with specific vision problems or older hardware. Overall, the graphics are considered serviceable but not groundbreaking, with potential for improvement in future updates.
- “The graphics and visuals are charming, with vibrant colors and detailed textures that add to the overall appeal.”
- “Awesome graphics, great sound, just a really well thought out game.”
- “The graphics are very good, especially for a game like this.”
- “Evidently, something is really weird with the graphics, which seemed to be exacerbated by my astigmatism. If you have certain vision problems or a history of vertigo, I would suggest caution before buying this game.”
- “Even with the graphics set to low, my computer seems to be choking on this game, and it just jumps all over the place.”
- “However, the amount of graphical stress it put my PC under for what it was showing me was rather ridiculous; it almost made me worry it was mining Bitcoin in the background with how hard it was pushing my poor baby.”
story
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
76%
14%
The game's story aspect is largely minimal or non-existent, with many players noting that it primarily focuses on mission-based house building without a cohesive narrative. While some missions provide contextual information or interesting facts, the overall experience feels more like a series of tutorials rather than a structured story. Players appreciate the visual satisfaction and gameplay mechanics but express a desire for a more engaging narrative to enhance the experience.
- “It's a pretty in-depth, but guided house builder that explores many timelines and regions with a nice storyline or regional knowledge fact at the start to give you an idea of what you're about to do.”
- “Offering almost 'story-like' situations where you have to fuel the campfire or watch out for bears means it's more than just a standard builder.”
- “While completing these missions, you get to know how they are built, which is interesting.”
- “Despite having fun playing this game and finding it overall entertaining, I can't shake the feeling that it is a bit unfinished or at least needed further consideration on how each mission concludes.”
- “The game has no story; all you're doing is building housing throughout the world.”
- “Bugs can be patched, but competing ideas and lack of direction (or story, for that matter) are more difficult to reconcile.”
grinding
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
12%
86%
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious, repetitive, and at times, boring. However, some users noted that as they progressed and unlocked perks or skills, the gameplay became more engaging and less monotonous. Overall, while initial impressions may highlight a grindy experience, the potential for skill upgrades can alleviate some of the tedium, making it a more enjoyable experience in the long run.
- “This is enjoyable; you can build houses out of different materials. The fun part is that you actually build like in real life to a certain degree, and it's not that grinding because you unlock some skills that reduce your grinding considerably.”
- “Boring, tedious, repetitive, monotonous, with absolutely no creative elements whatsoever.”
- “Maybe I missed something, but first impressions were not great and every second felt tedious with no real sense of accomplishment.”
- “As-is, the tedious/buggy/bad physics and mechanics come off as a lazy unfinished mess, and not a funny 'challenge'.”
music
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
73%
12%
The music in the game is widely criticized for being extremely limited and repetitive, often featuring only a couple of tracks that can become monotonous over time. While some players find the soundtrack relaxing and suitable for background listening, many prefer to turn it off in favor of other audio, citing its generic and sometimes awkward compositions. Overall, the sound design is considered ordinary, with a need for more variety and quality in the musical elements.
- “The soundtrack is relaxing, matching the style of the game, but I confess that sometimes I took the music out of the game to listen to something else, as the soundtrack repeats itself a lot.”
- “It's a really nice game to just play when you're in a chill mood, put on some music, and just build some pretty houses.”
- “This game is a blast to play and super chill, I love how each house has been adding more and more to building a house, and even the music changes to the location.”
- “The music is extremely limited, so expect to be listening to the same 2 songs on repeat, unless you're in a level with a country-specific track.”
- “One of the songs on the Africa level has the choral backing track from Kanye West's 'Power', synced to a generic 'African' song, which is deeply embarrassing on several levels.”
- “The music loops are also incredibly repetitive - as you're drowning in a pile of infinitely vibrating boards that are stuck in the wall, you'll be treated to a Home Depot + Apple collaboration commercial.”
optimization
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
60%
25%
Overall, the game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting severe performance issues, including stuttering, freezing, and bugs that hinder gameplay. While some users have not experienced these problems, the consensus indicates that the game requires extensive tweaks and improvements to its optimization and performance, particularly on lower-end systems and the Steam Deck. Despite its potential, many players feel that the current state of optimization detracts from the overall experience, leading to refunds and disappointment.
- “Placing items isn’t just about looks — arrangement affects happiness metrics, completion ratings, and run performance, adding a strategic layer to what could have been pure decoration.”
- “Besides quality of life improvements (on-screen prompts needed for switching inventory) and some janky physics, the game plays well, has great graphics, and runs smoothly.”
- “In short, I liked this game and am looking forward to a completed version, but I do seriously hope that very thorough testing for performance, graphics, and a friendly, easy-to-navigate UI will take place, because right now I have seriously mixed feelings about this developer's ability to deliver a top-notch game.”
- “There is no optimization whatsoever and it all comes down to 'be safe and just turn everything to low.'”
- “The game seems really good for the first few levels, but then it gets really bad and almost unplayable at times because of all the bugs. I thought that the 1.0 release would make it optimized and much better bug-wise, but damn it's crazy how it just feels like no developer ever played the game to see if it was working properly. The save system is also bugged and sometimes makes you redo levels... it's not worth your money.”
- “Some missions are so poorly optimized you have to effectively glitch your way into buildings because the player model clips in the doorway once it's fully built (a problem I can see from other reviews isn't just me).”
humor
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is largely derived from its quirky bugs and glitches, which can be both amusing and frustrating for players. Many find the janky physics and unexpected item launches to be charming and enhance the overall experience, while others feel that the frequent issues detract from gameplay. Overall, the humor is a mixed bag, providing laughs but also leading to moments of irritation when glitches disrupt the intended experience.
- “Very relaxing game, and also very funny!”
- “This game is janky as hell, which was hilarious at first and I found it kind of charming.”
- “I like houses, game fun, gets updates sometimes buggy but it's funny.”
monetization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game has been widely criticized, with many users labeling it a "cash grab" due to perceived minimal effort in development and aggressive advertising for other games. Players express disappointment, suggesting that the game feels rushed and incomplete, urging potential buyers to wait for improvements before purchasing.
- “It's a schlocky, insensitive cash grab.”
- “This early of a release really seems like a cash grab.”
- “Edit: I've since reviewed the game post-launch and from my experience, the game still feels like a cash grab.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game shows promise in terms of replayability, with players finding it fun and expressing hope for future updates to enhance this aspect. However, some users feel that the lack of customization options limits its replay value. Overall, while there is potential for enjoyable replay experiences, improvements are needed to fully realize it.
- “Very replayable too, very fun!”
- “Loved what I did play of it and hope for more updates in the future to bring replayability.”
- “I did enjoy it though and there's a bit of replayability to it.”
- “This game has a lot of potential, but it needs significant improvements to enhance its replayability.”
- “I loved what I played, and I hope for more updates in the future to increase replayability.”
- “Unfortunately, the lack of customization options significantly diminishes the replay value.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's atmosphere is praised for its unique mechanics and relaxing vibe, contributing to an engaging experience. While the graphics and audio effectively create an immersive environment, there is a call for more original sound design to enhance the overall ambiance. With continued development and updates, the game has the potential to become a standout in the chill atmospheric building simulator genre.
- “Its unique mechanics, relaxing atmosphere, and rewarding gameplay make it a standout in the genre.”
- “This could easily turn into a forgettable flop if the devs neglect it, but as long as they keep working and provide somewhat regular updates, this could easily be a masterpiece of a chill atmospheric building simulator.”
- “Graphics and audio: building atmospheres.”
- “A more original sound design that will reinforce the atmosphere of the game may be preferred.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game emotionally engaging, with experiences that evoke feelings of learning and attachment, such as personalizing in-game elements like a "support lamp." The emotional investment in gameplay is highlighted, contributing to a deeper connection with the game's environment.
- “I am absolutely getting sucked into playing it, and building one of the houses almost made me feel like I was learning something.”
- “Gave the ladder an emotional support lamp to help move it around.”
- “10/10 emotional support lamp.”