Help! I'm addicted to cleaning houses in House Flipper 2! This is a sequel you won't want to miss

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SHOULD I PLAY HOUSE FLIPPER 2?

If you’re a fan of the original, enjoy cozy games, or like doing chores in video games, House Flipper 2 is a title you won’t want to miss. The gameplay loop of cleaning and redecorating houses feels more rewarding than ever, and quality-of-life improvements make this a huge step up from its predecessor. Not everyone will be into scrubbing floors and vacuuming spilled potato chips, but if this is your kind of thing, House Flipper 2 is at the top of its class.

TIME PLAYED

House Flipper 2 is hard to put down, and I wound up playing it for more than ten hours. This gave me plenty of time to complete jobs, unlock different cleaning tools, upgrade my skills, and test out the brand-new sandbox mode, which let me build homes from scratch. Even though I’ve sunk a decent amount of time into the game, there are still tools I haven’t unlocked and locations I have yet to discover. It’s absolutely packed with content, and I think I’ll be playing it for a very long time.

WHAT’S AWESOME ABOUT HOUSE FLIPPER 2?

• It’s House Flipper, but better. I loved the first House Flipper, but its sequel is superior in nearly every way. The game has gotten a major visual upgrade, with enhanced lighting and detailed textures that make renovation feel much more satisfying. There are more tools to play around with, more items to decorate, and some much-needed quality of life improvements, like the ability to collect trash in a bag. In addition to these enhancements, there are tons of little details that make the game feel more alive, like fully voiced dialogue. It’s everything I wanted in a follow-up and more.

• Ultra relaxing gameplay. Home renovations are usually pretty stressful, but in House Flipper 2, fixing up houses feels absurdly soothing. There’s something almost magical about scrubbing a dirty window until it sparkles, or tossing bag after bag of garbage into a trash can. House Flipper 2 strips away the stressful elements of cleaning while playing up the sense of satisfaction you get when a job is done.

While the story mode provides some structure, it’s not restrictive or punishing in any way. I could decorate homes according to my preferences without worrying about time limits or failed jobs. Playing House Flipper 2 made me feel good, and I could always use more games like that in my life.

• Tons of decor options. As much as I love virtual cleaning, decorating is the bread and butter of House Flipper 2, and it’s absolutely exceptional here. There’s a massive selection of items to choose from, with everything from fictional anime posters to sleek leather couches. Nearly every piece of furniture can be customized, which meant I could put my own spin on a property’s decor even if the owner wanted me to buy specific furniture pieces. Best of all, most of these items are reasonably priced, so I could spruce up a home without worrying too much about the budget.

• New sandbox mode. The original House Flipper always felt like it needed a sandbox mode, so I was thrilled to discover there was one in the sequel. In this mode, there are no clients to worry about and no jobs to take on. Instead, you can build and decorate houses to your heart’s content. If your newly built home looks a little too pristine, you can even generate piles of trash. This mode is a terrific twist on the classic House Flipper formula, and the building tools are a ton of fun to play around with.

WHAT SUCKS ABOUT HOUSE FLIPPER 2?

• Some tools are a pain to use. There’s not a lot of friction in House Flipper 2, but there are a few tools and tasks that feel more frustrating than they should. Painting and applying wallpaper are slow, time-consuming tasks, especially when you’re trying to decorate a large room. There’s no easy way to decorate behind furniture, so I frequently found myself moving items, placing a tiny strip of wallpaper, and then moving everything back into place. Sure, these tasks are a pain in real life too, but the appeal of House Flipper is that it lets you renovate without any tedium.

• Long load times. The load times in House Flipper 2 aren’t terrible, but the wait I experienced when loading into a new lot was definitely noticeable. There were also times when my game seemed to lag, like when I switched out my tools or tried to scroll through the furniture store. While I primarily played on my Steam Deck, these issues were also present when I tested the game on my gaming laptop.

PLATFORM TESTED

PC via Steam Deck.