Cairn
Cairn
Game
Game2024
The Crush House
Developer Nerial
The Crush House is an adventure simulation video game developed by Nerial and published by Devolver Digital on August 9, 2024 for Microsoft Windows. The game is set in the year 1999 and revolves around the production of a reality television show. Players take on the role of Jae, the new producer tasked with managing and filming the show within an iconic Malibu mansion. The game incorporates elements of strategic… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
244 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Nov 2, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
72
Fresh
138 positive · 55 negative
95% range 65–77%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 138 | 55 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 15 | 0 | 29 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 7 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
284 of 384 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
72% recommend · 140 yes, 55 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 195 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Positive (412 of 553 positive).
Players find the concept unique and fun, but many feel the game is underdeveloped. [1][2][3][4] Repetitive dialogue and lack of replay value are common complaints. [1][5][6] Bugs and an unsatisfying ending frustrate some players. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [20]
you ever just want to invest 3-8 hours in a story only to get 2 lacklustre endings baiting a second game, gives 0 answers to the questions that it brings up (other thank where the drink comes from which yes it IS what you've probably already guessed it is), play the most repetitive formula i have seen (the side quests are either decently fun, boring or just money grinds) and ultimately just fumble one of the most …
- [1]
This is a tough one because the game is just okay. Sometimes I hate the binary of yes/no on recommending a game. I honestly feel like I saw most of the content and I'm less than 2 hours in. I could keep replaying the same loop over and over again but there's no bonuses to my previous experience in prior seasons and every new season it's like Groundhog Day and the person giving me my tutorial (AGAIN) is like "oh nice …
- [2]
Is The Crush House a great game? No, it is not. Is it good? Perhaps. Is it interesting? Yes. As games go, Crush House feels like something of an artistic experiment. Or more exactly like something turned in by a student with a lot of potential who really wants to try something new and push the envelope. It's not as polished as it could be- the dialogues get repetitive, the characters are one-dimensional and pretty …
- [3]
This is a thumbs up because it's worth what I paid for it, but proceed with caution because what I paid for it was less than £1. It's a novel concept, I always like it when game creators try new things. I can't really name another game quite like it. That said a lot of my time with it was spent thinking "This could've been done better" The core gameplay loop is that each day you are told certain types of people are …
- [5]
I've had to think fairly hard about whether I would recommend this game or not, and I've decided I will, but with some explanation. I've completed one play through in 8 hours, which is a fairly decent time, and on the whole it wasn't too repetitive, however it will be on another play through. I get the feeling there is very little extra to see, just a few loose ends to try and tidy up in order to get the …
Summarised from 34 of the 248 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
72% of the 195 Steam reviewers we collected recommend The Crush House. The complaint that keeps coming up: repetitive dialogue and interactions. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Critics, per Wikipedia
The Crush House received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received strong approval, being recommended by 67% of critics.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 244 · most liked firsti'm super excited to announce the game that i'm directing!!! it's called The Crush House, and it's a reality tv thirst-person shooter! check out our trailer and wishlist on steam :) www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHdO...
positive · AI labelView post →you ever just want to invest 3-8 hours in a story only to get 2 lacklustre endings baiting a second game, gives 0 answers to the questions that it brings up (other thank where the drink comes from which yes it IS what you've probably already guessed it is), play the most repetitive formula i have seen (the side quests are either decently fun, boring or just money grinds) and ultimately just fumble one of the most interesting ideas ever? well does crush house have you covered! join our…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So, I'm torn about this one. I really really like the game, I love the concept and it's fun to play. Especially if you like a little gossip/reality tv now and again. But there's a game breaking bug for me, that has been reported several times and hasn't been fixed it seems. It's been months of non communication, and since there's multiple endings it sort of locks out an ending for me. Due to this, I can't recommend a game I can't finish or fully play as was intended.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This isn't a really bad game, but feels like it was wrapped up mid development. The main mechanic of having different audiences that want to see different things is solid. The concept of the game itself is very strong. The graphics work just fine for the budget. But there's just many things that are underdeveloped - With only 4 characters in the house at once, there cannot be enough predictable interaction, so ultimately most audience types just want to see the house, not the people. Those…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i'm so proud that The Crush House won the Jury Prix Award at IndieCade, and very touched to hear them talk about our game and and why it won 🥹🥹 www.youtube.com/watch?si=090...
positive · AI labelView post →Really buggy. I really really enjoyed it and I wish I could recommend but I could only get to Tuesday. I had completed Tuesday the first time and the day just wouldn't end even though everyone had gone to bed and the show was over, so I tried restarting the day and the contestants just didn't appear??? Again, when it works its so fun but it just stopped working for me. Maybe after an update or two? This game is super promising and is SO fun when it works. Edit: In looking for a solution for…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a tough one because the game is just okay. Sometimes I hate the binary of yes/no on recommending a game. I honestly feel like I saw most of the content and I'm less than 2 hours in. I could keep replaying the same loop over and over again but there's no bonuses to my previous experience in prior seasons and every new season it's like Groundhog Day and the person giving me my tutorial (AGAIN) is like "oh nice to meet you. Just between you and me, things didn't work out too well with our…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really enjoyed basic gameplay and found the “get the number to go up” style fun and addictive. But it had too many issues for me to recommend. The characters are complete nothing burgers, and the way it handles the end is just annoying, like how is there no new game plus or option to continue or free play?
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I enjoyed a lot of the fun challenges that this game had, such as finding the right mix of cast members and topics to please the audiences. What wound up turning me off of the game in the end is that there wasn't really an end at all. It felt as though the game's multiple "endings" are just teasers for another chapter that just doesn't come. Nothing is truly wrapped up, nothing is solved, and nothing changes in the end, so there's not much point in the decisions you made all along. It's a great…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My biggest issue with this game is the interactions. They are so repetitive, for a game about a reality show where character interactions should be a priority the dialogues start repeating in the first few days. Lines that I thought were character specific to fit their personality were later repeated by completely different characters. The cast getting mad at each other or falling in love TOO fast, these relationships that they form mean absolutely nothing and have zero consequences. I expected…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →fyi... The Crush House is ~$4 on steam sale. It's a fun and quirky game that puts you behind the camera producing a reality tv show 😏 store.steampowered.com/app/2337820/...
neutral · AI labelView post →Pros and cons are down below) Check out my experience here (it's the 2d game there, it's highly edited, short and sweet (but beware of spoilers): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBS0VsgTISs Pros: 1. It's a fun game with an interesting premise. You are playing as a camera woman who has to film a dating reality show. Different audiences want different things so you have to keep that in mind (some audiences want drama, some want cute friendly interactions, some want feet.... you got the idea XD).…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was generously gifted this game tonight by a very sweet friend :) and I wanted to play it immediately! The hysterical trailer hooked me, with your character meant to be lurking around like a creep behind bushes, countertops, and lounge chairs. :D My expectations were high going in, as I’m a fan of the humor in much of Devolver Digital’s game catalogue. Crush House does not disappoint! As I write this, I have just under three hours in the game, and 10/30 achievements completed. I am having a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I got this on sale for $5 and had fun, but at the time of writing, this game does not justify its full price. It felt like a fun proof of concept, just not a full game. On the surface, it's a raunchy humored reality TV sim, and you're the producer/camerawoman. You select a cast of four each season, then run around, filming all the juicy drama to get your ratings and ad revenue up. You get a different set of audiences tuning in each day that demand different conditions you need to film and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I’m live on Twitch (a little early) starting The Crush House!! Thanks to our @nosmallgames.bsky.social Patreon supporters for picking this game for summer season 🙏💜 twitch.tv/aspecificegg
neutral · AI labelView post →I'm going to recommend The Crush House because it is interesting and unique, and I appreciate the variety of representation. Plus, there's a lot of weirdo no-life l0sers snowflakes having meltdowns in the Discussion posts because they aren't mentally or emotionally competent enough to handle existing in the same time-frame as LGBTQIA+ individuals (EDIT: I see they got upset at this review, too lol). Anyway, I do appreciate it for its uniqueness. Unfortunately, it lacks replay value because…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The biggest reason I don't recommend The Crush House is because it's not the game it appears to be. The premise is fun and the characters look interesting, but they're shallow and the whole experience feels empty. The challenges are fine, and the sort-of mysterious main story gives you something to keep playing for, but it almost feels like that mystery exists because the core gameplay isn't interesting enough on its own. Oh, and the "Romance" tag definitely shouldn't be on this. Superficial,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Our summer season is heating up with Episode 47, covering The Crush House! This is our first Patreon Choice game and we had a blast with this one 🔥 Listen wherever you get your podcasts 🎧 Spotify- open.spotify.com/episode/7KDK... Apple- podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...
neutral · AI labelView post →Im very mixed on this game, I love the concept behind it, however the gameplay itself gets very repetetive quickly, same with interactions between contestants. The bigger story wasn't even needed and after knowing it I got even less invested while going for 100% and getting bored.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Is The Crush House a great game? No, it is not. Is it good? Perhaps. Is it interesting? Yes. As games go, Crush House feels like something of an artistic experiment. Or more exactly like something turned in by a student with a lot of potential who really wants to try something new and push the envelope. It's not as polished as it could be- the dialogues get repetitive, the characters are one-dimensional and pretty interchangeable, and the balance is all out of whack if you aren't…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Last weekend The Crush House received IndieCade’s jury award. I was already so proud of the team and impressed by all the hard work we put into creating this weird and wonderful game. And on a personal level, getting a nod from such a prestigious festival my warms my heart so much 🥰
positive · AI labelView post →Watching the boyf play The Crush House this morning, and one of the fake ads you can play is a reference to a classic Dwarf Fortress succession LP?!? I did not see that coming - their fake ads game is truly unhinged and on point, haha!
neutral · AI labelView post →I'm a bit mixed on this game. I enjoy the premise and its charm, but it wears fast with how repetitive and needlessly grindy it is. I wanted to be a completionist and get all the Steam achievements since it seems easy enough, but I absolutely do not want to start a whole new profile to get what little I have left for it. If there was a new game+ that would let me keep all of my props and everything, I might not be so irritated and would just enjoy it for what it is, but the lack of that feature…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I think the concept of the game has promise and maybe even with a few tweaks it could be good, but there's something trollish about reality TV level drama happening all around you but instead of wanting to see that the audience clamoring for you to keep your camera trained on a bush or barbecue sauce. It makes it so the most boring thing you can do is succeed, and that's not my jam.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've had to think fairly hard about whether I would recommend this game or not, and I've decided I will, but with some explanation. I've completed one play through in 8 hours, which is a fairly decent time, and on the whole it wasn't too repetitive, however it will be on another play through. I get the feeling there is very little extra to see, just a few loose ends to try and tidy up in order to get the achievements. I like the atmosphere and design of the game, and the characters are fun but…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Having not watched the trailer, I wasn't expecting this game to be as scary as it was. I wasn't horrified or anything of that nature, but I should have done some more research before I purchased this game. This wasn't the lighthearted and cute game I was looking forward to. It was fun enough, but it wasn't for me, so I ended up returning it. I watched a Let's Play and with many people saying the ending(s) let them down, I am of the opinion that the horror/mystery aspect should've been left out…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I decided to make my own Chorby based on the props from the game, The Crush House🐝🖤 #pixelart #art #VGenOpen
neutral · AI labelView post →not really alot to do. the demands of the crowd and character dialog both happen at the same time so you miss one or the other. it'd be more interesting with voice acting. the viewers demand you stare at the pool or plants and other objects. wouldnt buy again even at that 75% off price point i paid for it
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really wanted to like this game. The concept seemed really interesting. but the gameplay is nonexistant, you just follow 1 dimensional caricatures around filming them while they go through randomized encounters. I think the audience for this game is primarily folks who are obsessed with reality shows, and there isn't enough that subverts the tired tropes of that medium to make this game truly interesting.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Recording our episode on The Crush House today, the freakiest little game which refuses to leave my subconscious bcuz I keep dreaming about it 😵💫 😭
neutral · AI labelView post →This game has some horrible achievement design. California Love requires you to complete all actors request in 1 season and this requires outright manipulating the game in a way it would never be achievable the natural way, like what the hell were the developers thinking?? Certain audience thirst were impossible to do such as making everybody drinking juice, I tried to reset at day 1 until I would get the juice junkies but this game was so buggy it would never give that audience. And the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If's fun and interesting but it pretty quickly wears off. starts to become repetitive and annoying as a cast member asks you to film them doing something and then proceed to spend 2 weeks not doing anything. the endings are confusing and i do hope there is another game that's more intresting by including games for the cast to do and more stuff for you to buy but this one isnt worth it. Also. how do i get the "learn to fly" achievement i've made it to the heart like a hundred times but my…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Crush House has a premise that sounds good on paper. Select your cast, satisfy your audience, and keep your reality show alive. Unfortunately, the gameplay ruins everything. The graphics are colorful, and the way that characters interact with each other is very funny. The soundtrack is lively and will stick in your head even after you close the game. The cast of characters is diverse. They all have different stories and different attitudes. As you talk to them and complete their requests,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Okay. So, weird question, but... Anyone here ever see Battlestar Galactica: The Plan? Or Razor? They're miniseries within the larger Battlestar Galactica TV show. You absolutely CAN follow the events of them if you havent' actually watched Galactica... But you will constantly be VERY aware that what you're looking at is a sidestory, and there's a ton more stuff going on that you're not seeing. THat's what playing Crush House feels like. I can't in good conscience give it a DOWNVOTE. Because…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →really nice review of The Crush House Demo - it feels great that people are enjoying it and also understanding our very weird core game loop and also that the people are demanding sex
positive · AI labelView post →I was really disappointed with this one =/ I wanted to love it and I enjoyed the gameplay loop and feeling of progress with purchasing props and discovering thirsts. What really upset me was the convoluted, sparse, confusing plot that they try to string together. I feel like the “secret” characters Alex and Bea thought they were presenting me with some grand plot or revelation but most of the time they weren’t giving me enough context to know what the hell they were talking about. And at the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →wtf? A pc game where I can't rebind the controls? No thanks. Might be a cool game but it's not a game meant for PC players.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is fairly simple and honestly not worth the full price. If you want this game make sure to buy it when it is on a discount. I did that and I am still disappointed but I am glad I did not pay full price. The game just repeats itself over and over. After completing season 1, the game makes you go through the tutorial again for season 2 and so on. The art and concept of the game is very good but I do wish it had more substance.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →sis, you know I need that tea 💅🫖 We're trying out a new game today - today I'm diving into The Crush House, a game where you're capturing the footage of a reality tv show... and watching all the drama unfold. Let's get things juicy up in here!
neutral · AI labelView post →Wouldn't it be coo if, like on too hot to handle or perfect match, by the end of the game they all sat down together by couples or individual, and they could all discuss if who hates who, who did what, if they like someone or not, if they cheated... I think it would make the game a 100 out of 10. I don't know if it's possible but it would be INCREDIBLE.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →New show! We've got THINGS to SAY about the #Borderlands movie this week, along with the Top 5 videogame-based films that bombed the hardest in theaters. Plus The Crush House, SteamWorld Heist II, and much more! vidjagameapocalypse.libsyn.com/game-movies-...
neutral · AI labelView post →I wish I could spend more time filming the drama, but I feel like a lot of days I'm missing it because the audiences literally don't want to see the action. I want to watch my baby boy Milo go enemies to lovers with his hot french boyfriend, but I'm running around filming the plants and the sink. I think the mechanic of satisfying different audiences as a whole is very fun but some combinations make it so filming the actual contestants doesn't get you anything. That being said, I'm only…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was so happy with this game the first 11 hours. I ran through a couple of seasons, casting each member & completing all of their requests. It got a little repetitive, both in gameplay and character interaction, but the story HAD me. And I'm not going to include any spoilers, but I will recommend you completely stomp out your expectations. It feels like they had a really great idea that they couldn't fully execute and the ending left me feeling deflated. A game has never made me feel this way.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →cool concept but the gameplay is pretty boring and the dialogue gets repetitive fast
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It'd be easy to expect this to be what it looks like - a sandbox game about producing / directing / filming an inclusive 80s/90s 'closed house' reality show, and someone should make such a game where the story is driven by the talent of the player and audience is retained via clever filming techniques and edits. But although you do some of those things, this is not that game. The audience is all-important, sure, but their needs and likes are pre-determined rather than based on how well you…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The VOD for my recent playthrough of The Crush House is now on YouTube! It's a fascinating game for a reality TV addict like me, and I'll probably revisit it in the future. It's also a great opportunity to hear the story about the time back in 1999 when I interviewed to be on The Real World. 🤣
positive · AI labelView post →Sometimes we come up with podcast ideas on the spot, and they don't create SUBSTANTIALLY conversation, but they're freaking fun!!! Wanna hear me turn The Crush House by @nerial.bsky.social into a slasher horror game? You'll wanna check out this episode! #indiegames #gaming #playlogpodcast
neutral · AI labelView post →Overall a pretty fun game. It doesn't take long to start seeing past the matrix though. I think the game would benefit from some additional mechanic where you have to record enough "real" content to broadcast. Or maybe some kind of thing where you have to edit your footage (in a lightweight way) so you have a functional episode of television. There's a ton of demographics, but most of them are interested in scenery, not the action of the characters. I figured out there's a few places…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Crush House, the last game I worked on as an animator, got an award at indiecade o/ www.indiecade.com/festival-202...
positive · AI labelView post →Buy if on sale, it can be fun. but it is slightly overpriced
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a thumbs up because it's worth what I paid for it, but proceed with caution because what I paid for it was less than £1. It's a novel concept, I always like it when game creators try new things. I can't really name another game quite like it. That said a lot of my time with it was spent thinking "This could've been done better" The core gameplay loop is that each day you are told certain types of people are watching the show. The cast are released into the house and you're free…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So after a little more than 5 hours, I've finished it with both endings. Got it for <$5 so I figure I got my money's worth. it's a fun concept but gets a bit grindy and RNG dependent after a while. There's a lot of interesting backstory that's not well explained and the endings themselves are vague. (Make sure you do ending 'A' first, otherwise you'll have to start a new game to try ending Bea.) There's not other game quite like it, so if you're curious, try it out. Just don't expect a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I straight up do not understand the hate for this game. I loved it!! I bought it after it was mentioned on a Yahtzee video, and had a great time. I don't find the gameplay repetitive; if you are playing through the main storyline, you should be chasing different goals each time. If people are finding it repetitive, I'd recommend trying different cast members and making sure that you are talking to everyone at night. There is also a fast way to end days, dying. You can do this at pretty much…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love the concept of this game but it does get dull quickly, which is not what you should think for a game that only lasts about 10 hours. Only a few hours in and I started seeing the same conversations happening and I would just revisit the lighthouse on repeat whenever those freaks asked me to because they've decided reality TV is the best means of gazing at lighthouses and that's the only way to not get laid off. I do think this game is very funny and looks great. There aren't many games…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →We are about to go live with @NyxIgnati who will be playing @MarvelRivals from 12-4am EST twitch.tv/nyxignati After Nyx we head to @Blaireshadowpaw playing The Crush House from 4-8am EST twitch. tv/blaireshadowpaw
neutral · AI labelView post →Soon we go live with @NyxIgnati who will be playing @MarvelRivals from 12-4am EST twitch.tv/nyxignati After Nyx we head to @blaireshadowpaw.bsky.social playing The Crush House from 4-8am EST twitch. tv/blaireshadowpaw
neutral · AI labelView post →If this game didn't put so much emphasis on a story that's ending ultimately answers none of the questions, solves no mystery and leaves more to be wanted than originally needed , I would recommend it. I loved the story until it completely fell flat. If this was just a simulator that didn't try to be more, I would've recommended it. But after doing everything to get most of the achievements and see both endings, I feel like I wasted 12 hours? I have three achievements left and I know how to get…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I didn't think it'd be fun, but it is extremely entertaining to just sit there and record virtual characters go through drama
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wanted to like this game. The concept is original and unique, and pretty fun for the first hour. However, the problems with it become very apparent, very quickly. My main gripe is the random audiences. RNG determines the kind of audience you get each day. Which means that, in some cases, the best use of your time will be to avoid looking at the cast. The audience will want to see paintings, water features, the food and drinks, the fish in the aquariums... I would complain that the focus is…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I didn’t buy a game. I became a 1999 reality TV psychopath. I thought I’d just film cute drama. Turns out I’m juggling 12 weirdos, odd audiences, ad revenue, romance, chaos, and Crush Juice conspiracies in a Malibu mansion. Cast four people → chase drama → capture shots → please the Butt Guys AND the Foodies at once → run ads → don’t get canceled. This feels like Pokémon Snap but with way more thirst and way fewer rules. Sometimes it’s romance. Sometimes it’s chaos. Sometimes the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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