House Flipper 2 is Frozen District's long-anticipated sequel to their 2018 first-person house renovation simulator of the same name. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.
House Flipper 2 Review Overview
House Flipper 2 Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 World Feels Alive Insane Level of Customization Options Accessible to Low-end Setups |
Music is Repetitive and Grating Story is Barebones |
House Flipper 2 Overall Score - 74/100
House Flipper 2 took everything that the original House Flipper had and...well...flipped it. Game mechanics were smoothened out, graphics were overhauled and made easier for even low-end setups to render, and the world was finally populated with real people in real environments. It is a definite improvement, although its story and music could still use some work. Leave it to House Flipper to make its predecessor look like a fixer-upper in comparison.
House Flipper 2 Story - 6/10
It's good to see Frozen District actually give House Flipper a story this time instead of throwing you into empty buildings with just enough context to get by. That being said, the story for House Flipper 2 isn't the most complex or endearing. It's lacking in flavor and substance, but at least it exists and makes some effort to make the world seem populated.
House Flipper 2 Gameplay - 8/10
House Flipper 2's gameplay is an extension and improvement of the original's, offering smoother controls, additional features, and overall more substance. As they say, "don't fix what isn't broken", which is utter blasphemy in the context of House Flipper. I'd say it's appropriate this time around.
House Flipper 2 Visuals - 8/10
House Flipper 2's visuals made its predecessor's look like an amateur's attempt at 3D modeling - which it is, let's be real. While it does look significantly better, it isn't the most appealing or inspired, at least by default. That's likely by design to make it easier to distinguish entity models amidst the clutter, but that's beside the point. I'm just glad it doesn't look cheap anymore.
House Flipper 2 Audio - 6/10
This game's audio is well-produced and very appropriate for the subject matter - cleaning and renovating houses. The smooth sounds are very relaxing and make it easy to forget that you're essentially simulating manual labor. That being said, there's hardly any variety with the music and you'd find yourself listening to the same six or so tracks before long.
House Flipper 2 Value for Money - 9/10
This game offers a lot of creative options and satisfying house cleanups for something that will only set you back $20. While you're somewhat restricted in progression for the main story mode, Sandbox Mode is where you can let your imagination run amok and rake up all the gameplay value that House Flipper 2 has to offer.
House Flipper 2 Review: Cleaned Itself Up Nicely
Talk about renovations! House Flipper 2 is a sequel to a famous and well-loved game from half a decade ago. As such, expectations are high and fans of the first game would be the first to draw comparisons between the two. Let's settle it then with this conclusion: "House Flipper 2 isn't a revolutionary game, but it is a great sequel." Now what does that mean exactly? Let's dive right into the rest of this review so I can show you how successful Frozen District was at making a worthy sequel.
A sequel plays a specific role in the development of a franchise. It serves as the direct follow-up to the breakout hit, meaning that not only must it carry the torch, but it must also improve the basic formula. House Flipper 2 did so incredibly well, filling in the gaps of the original House Flipper experience. The most notable of these changes lies in the game's atmosphere.
House Flipper was a fun, relaxing simulator about fixing and designing houses, but it was missing one crucial detail: people. For all its homeliness and customizability, it was a foreboding virtualscape devoid of people. House Flipper 2 solved this problem rather uniquely. Just adding people to the game is a no-go because it would take from the experience. You're here to flip houses, not talk to people. What's more, is that cleaning and renovating would be a thousand times harder if there was a random NPC in the way.
No, House Flipper 2 solves that problem by incorporating voice lines, a background narrative, and subtle environmental hints. These all make it apparent that the houses you're rummaging through are, in fact, owned and lived in. The voice lines are few and far between, but they serve to add some charm to the living spaces. The background narrative also helps you through progression, but we'll get to that later. It's the small background details that do most of the legwork. Chairs left askew; dirty dishes in the sink; hand and footprints ending at the doormat; notes from loved ones; sets of slippers with one missing; all of these make it feel like you're in someone else's home, as you should.
Another improvement that House Flipper 2 had over the first game is its gameplay. Simply put, it streamlined EVERYTHING. The perk progression system now has easier-to-understand descriptions and demo videos so you know which one to pick. You can now also reallocate perk points, which is a plus. Tools can be upgraded through perks and keeping track of your progress for each perk tree is denoted by a handy EXP bar. This game plays like a breeze and I'm yet to experience a clean-up as satisfying as this.
With the improvements out of the way, let's talk about the parts of the game that could use improvement. First off, that story I mentioned earlier, it's real, but it's short and barely noticeable. It plays like the idea of a story rather than an actual one. You could play the entire game without ever paying it heed and you'd be alright. It's not necessary for a game like this, but it boggles my mind to think that they bothered to make one at all if it was going to be this invisible. Secondly, the music. It's good and catchy, but there are only a handful of tracks that play before they repeat. More variety would do this game some good.
Lastly - and I can't believe they actually did this - they removed the end of the clean-up recap. You can no longer marvel at the before and after of your renovations because each session immediately ends with a loading screen. It's a nitpick, but half the game’s charm stems from the satisfaction of looking back on a good clean-up.
All in all, I think this game cleaned up the series nicely. It tidied up areas that needed tidying, but not all of them. Here's hoping the third one does the same if there is one.
Pros of House Flipper 2
| Things House Flipper 2 Got Right |
|---|
| World Feels Alive Insane Level of Customization Options Accessible to Low-end Setups |
World Feels Alive
I've mentioned before that this game feels alive and I mean it. Compared to the first game, which, while satisfying, was akin to renovating Sleepy Hollow, House Flipper 2 is absolutely teeming with suburban bliss. The houses look like they've been lived in, justifying the mess with more context than a mere preamble. Sometimes the owner talks to you and even lets you interact with them through the call. Each room feels like a personalized haven rather than a showroom piece that got stormed over by an overzealous house hunter.
It's the little things that count, and I think Frozen District really hit the nail on the head with this one.
Insane Level of Customization Options
When this game says you flip houses it really does mean you can flip houses – furniture, fittings, and fixtures included. Everything, and I mean everything, is customizable. And it's never just a mere palette swap either, as every piece of furniture can have everything from its material to its pattern changed. You also have tools that let you copy patterns from one thing to apply them to another, opening combinations that were previously impossible.
This degree of freedom isn't unique but it certainly is welcome. Watch out, Sims 4, looks like there's a new interior designer in town.
Accessible to Low-end Setups
Not everyone has a beefcake of a setup, so the budget gamers out there should be relieved to hear that this game isn't the most taxing to most rigs. Granted, those on the low end would still be playing at minimum settings, but that's actually quite okay considering that you'd never be doing anything more complex than clicking and dragging for this game's entirety. Its blocky animated aesthetic also helps because things won't really look that different at lower resolutions.
Cons of House Flipper 2
| Things That House Flipper 2 Can Improve |
|---|
| Music is Repetitive and Grating Story is Barebones |
Music is Repetitive and Grating
Do you recall how words stop sounding like words if you say them enough times back to back? Well, that's how it feels to hear this game's music. It's great, well-produced, and legitimately a banger. The only problem is that there are only a few tracks. It doesn't sound too bad until you reach your tenth hour designing your dream house and it's that same song again.
At times the repetitive music gets grating and takes away from the satisfaction you're supposed to get from the game. I will say, the game's sound design does warrant credit apart from its soundtrack.
Story is Barebones
This game technically has a narrative. It's dry, flavorless, and about as complex as a one-way street, but it does exist, which is already an improvement from the first House Flipper. You'd be forgiven for not caring about this game's story as it isn't really the focus, but there's wasted potential here. Similar simulation games like Model Builder and Power Wash Simulator also have this problem, so I guess this isn't too humiliating a remark to give. I do find it hilarious that some of the houses you're working on hold more narrative potential than the actual person you're playing.
Is House Flipper 2 Worth It?
Absolutely, I Won't Even Bother With the First Game Anymore
Yeah, I said it. Even at the loss of the end of the clean-up recap, I'd still rather play House Flipper 2 over its predecessor. Side by side, every comparison favors the successor, so you might as well just play it. It holds much value for its meager price, and you'd be hard-pressed to find anything half as satisfying for $20.
I recommend this game to anyone who enjoys cleaning up in real life, aspiring interior designers, builders, or anyone who just wants a calm, relaxing game about making houses look prettier.
| Platform | Price |
|---|---|
 Steam |
$19.99 |
 PlayStation Store |
N/A |
House Flipper 2 Overview & Premise
In House Flipper 2, you are a foreman who’s returned to the Pinnacove region to become the house renovator for the residents. You’ll be working under your old pal Tom Marino who knows all sorts of people who’ll need your talents. Sometimes, you’ll also be contacted by Gladys Thorne, who seems much stricter than your friend Tom.
As you progress, newer tools become available, and your skills as a foreman develop, allowing you to renovate and redesign to your heart's content.
House Flipper 2 FAQ
What are The Changes in House Flipper 2?
Apart from those mentioned in the review above, the game's developers wanted to highlight the new size-changing tools that become available as you progress through the game. These include paint rollers, panel attachments, and many more!
Is House Flipper a PC game or a mobile game?
House Flipper 2 is a game for the PC, Xbox Series X\S, and PlayStation 5. There are currently no official announcements or plans from the game's developer to release this game for mobile.
Game8 Reviews
House Flipper 2 Product Information
 | |
| Title | HOUSE FLIPPER 2 |
|---|---|
| Release Date | December 14, 2023 |
| Developer | Frozen District, Empyrean |
| Publisher | Frozen District, PlayWay S.A. |
| Supported Platforms | PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S |
| Genre | Simulator |
| Number of Players | Single-Player (1) |
| ESRB Rating | PEGI 3 |
| Official Website | House Flipper 2 Official Website |
