House Party: Beginner's Guide (SFW)

A work-safe guide to Eek! Games' House Party: how the sandbox works, who is at the party, how to approach storylines, the DLC, custom stories and the less-spicy achievements. Explicit content is deliberately not described here.

Researched September 2026 — current as of version 1.5.2.14242 (September 4, 2026 localization update). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Mature content warning: House Party is an adult comedy game. The Steam page lists violence, strong sexual content, nudity, strong language, alcohol and drug use, and mature humor. Sex scenes in the base game are censored with black bars; Wikipedia notes an adult-only add-on that removes the censorship. The game has been banned from Twitch streaming regardless of version, and it was briefly pulled from Steam in 2018 before returning with changes. This guide stays SFW and only covers mechanics, structure and tame objectives.

Quick Start

• Save early and often. House Party is a branching sandbox; one wrong line can sour a character for the night. Use multiple save slots before big conversations.
• Talk to everyone first. Meeting every guest in one playthrough is the "Social Butterfly" achievement, and early chats unlock most storylines.
• Inspect items. Hundreds of objects exist and most have a purpose. Inspecting 30 items in one run is "Inspector".
• Show items to people. Characters react to things you show them, and many storylines hinge on the right item reaching the right person.
• Watch relationship changes. Every response nudges how a character feels about you; the social gauges show whether they like, love or dislike you.
• Use the hint system when stuck. Menus include hints for storylines, and they are far less frustrating than brute-forcing dialogue.
• Do not get caught drinking recklessly. The party has a guest who watches the booze closely; plan around him.
• Pick one or two storylines per run. Chasing everything at once makes characters' goals collide.
• Expect regular updates. The game has been patched frequently through 2026 (performance, controller support, a new console command system and many community translations).

How the Game Works

You arrive at Madison's house because your friend Derek invited you. There is no single ending: the night is a sandbox full of storylines ("opportunities"), each tied to one or more guests. You progress by:

System | How it works

Dialogue | Choices change NPC opinion and unlock or lock story branches

Items | Pick up, inspect, carry and give items; some can be used in several ways

Relationships | Each guest has a disposition toward you that can go up or down

Opportunities | Character storylines with multiple steps; completing them often earns an achievement

World interactions | Music player, laptop (invite a surprise guest), drinks, doors, the backyard and hot tub

Hints | In-game hints point you toward the next step of a storyline

Console commands | A guided console command system (added August 2026) lets you build commands from dropdowns; a Legacy option keeps the typed version

Controls: standard WASD movement with mouse look, an interact key and a grab key. Since a mid-2026 update, hovering an item shows its interact keybind (and the grab button if it can be picked up). Gamepads are supported; since August 2026 the game automatically disables unusual non-gamepad input devices and lists them under Input Settings, Controller Status.

The Guests

From the official character list:

Guest | Official description (paraphrased)

Madison | The host; image-conscious social butterfly into art and film

Derek | Your friend who invited you; loyal, and your behaviour reflects on him

Ashley | Madison's rebellious younger sister trying to establish her own identity

Patrick | Madison and Ashley's cousin; the self-styled "brah" with a lot of back-story

Frank | Brash, crass and a capable fighter; keeps an eye on the alcohol

Katherine | Very smart but impatient; hard to win over at first

Amy | The newest face in town, looking to make friends

Brittney | Reserved, but opens up with the right approach

Rachael | Future-focused and competitive; hates losing

Stephanie | Carefree, here to dance and celebrate

Leah | Martial artist who wants to open a self-defense school

Vickie | An ambitious performer focused on her career (her storyline is adult-only and not covered here)

Lety | Based on a real-world content creator; arrives with gifts

Arin and Dan | The Game Grumps, appearing as themselves

Doja Cat | The musician, in her own expansion

Liz Katz | Cosplayer and content creator, in her own expansion

Storyline Tips (Tame Routes)

These are grounded in the game's achievement list, so they are real objectives you can chase:

Goal | Achievement | Tip

Listen politely to all of Patrick's epic back-story | The Brahdyssey | Pick patient options and do not walk away mid-story

Get Brittney the spare shirt she asks for | A Friend in Need... | Explore the house for a shirt and bring it to her

Help Katherine get back at her boyfriend | Katherine | She is hard to win over; build rapport before pushing her story

Help Stephanie discover her true calling | Stephanie | Follow her conversation threads to the end

Help Leah deal with "the serpent" | The Bride | Part of Leah's own storyline

Boost Leah's inspiration and fitness | Notice Me, Sensei | Another Leah thread; use hints to find the steps

Complete Amy's scavenger hunt path | Amy: Scavenger Hunt | Explore the house thoroughly and inspect items

Complete "Memory Lane" and impress Derek | Good Ol' Days | Stick with Derek's reminiscing

Help Derek choose a wholesome path over revenge | Hijinks Averted | Talk him down rather than egging him on

Help Derek secure employment | Job Well Done | A later Derek thread; keep your friendship strong

Choose friendship with Derek | The Muse: Derek | Pick the friend route when offered

Unlock Compubrah and learn about Patrick's businesses | I'll Be Back | Patrick's computer-related thread

Help the Game Grumps escape using VR | I Know Grump-Fu | Part of their storyline

Complete the "Viva La Lety" opportunity | Te Amo Lety | Lety's own storyline

Solve the murder mystery | Elementary, My Dear Player | Detective Liz Katz expansion

Pull off the backyard concert | Doja's Dope-Ass Dinolicious Danceapalooza | Doja Cat expansion

Avoid Frank's and Derek's fists for a minute | Duck n' Weave | Keep moving; do not get cornered

Get on the bad list of every guest of the opposite sex | Ice Bath | A deliberately rude run; save first

General approach to any storyline:

• Talk to the guest until they mention a want or problem.
• Check the hints if you are not sure what they need.
• Find the item or condition (often another guest's cooperation).
• Return, deliver, and save before the key conversation.

DLC and Expansions

Content | Type | Notes

Nocturnal Temptations Expansion Pack | Paid | Adds new storyline content; received Russian (June 2026) and Simplified Chinese (August 2026) translations

Detective Liz Katz in a Gritty Kitty Murder Mystery | Paid | A murder-mystery storyline starring Liz Katz

Doja Cat Expansion Pack | Paid | Doja Cat comes to the party; includes the backyard concert

Supporter Pack | Paid | Supporter extras

Business and Pleasure Style Pack | Paid | Cosmetic style pack

Valentine's Day, Halloween and Winter Holiday Packs | Free | Seasonal decorations and small holiday objectives

A mid-2026 update added a warning when you load a save made with a DLC you no longer have installed, so keep DLC installed if you want to continue those saves.

Custom Stories

House Party has a Custom Story Creator for writing your own stories with full dialogue, interactions and logic. In May 2026 Eek! moved it to a web-based editor: you log in with an Eek account (no more installing Unity), drafts save to the cloud, and you can play-test unpublished drafts from the My Stories tab of the in-game Custom Story Browser. Community stories are browsed and loaded from that same in-game browser. Content varies widely; check descriptions before loading.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• One save slot for the whole night. Branches close permanently; rotate saves.
• Being rude "just to see". Relationships are hard to repair in the same run.
• Hoarding items you never show anyone. The show-item mechanic is how many stories advance.
• Chasing conflicting storylines together. Some guests' goals are incompatible in a single night.
• Drinking in front of the wrong people. You can get caught, with consequences.
• Loading old saves after removing DLC. The game now warns you, but those saves may not behave correctly.
• Streaming it on Twitch. It is banned there regardless of version.

Advanced Tips

• Replay for variety. The game reshapes content around your choices, and guests talk about what you did; a second run with different choices plays out differently.
• Chain opportunities. Items and favours from one guest often solve another guest's problem.
• Use the laptop and music player. They trigger events and surprise arrivals.
• Console commands are handy for testing custom stories or recovering a broken run; the guided system makes them hard to mistype.
• Language options have expanded a lot. 2026 updates overhauled Russian, German, Italian, Spanish (Mexico), Turkish, Polish, Czech and Simplified Chinese, and added Brazilian Portuguese; about 99% of translation work is community-driven.
• Watch for the sequel. Eek! is working on Office Party and said in June 2026 that it aims for a short demo at the October 2026 Steam Next Fest and Early Access by the end of the year.

FAQ

Is House Party appropriate for younger players? No. It is a mature comedy with sexual content, nudity, drug and alcohol use and violence.

Is there an ending? There is no single true ending. Each storyline has its own resolution, and the night is what you make of it.

How do I get past Frank to the drinks? Frank watches the booze. There are several storyline-based ways to deal with him; the hint system and his dialogue point you toward them.

Does House Party get updates? Yes. It left Early Access on July 15, 2022 and has kept receiving patches; the latest as of this writing is 1.5.2.14242 (September 4, 2026).

Can I make my own stories? Yes, with the Custom Story Creator, now web-based and tied to an Eek account.

Is it on platforms other than Steam? The official site lists Steam, GOG, the Epic Games Store and Patreon.

Sources

• House Party official site
• House Party on Wikipedia
• House Party Steam store page
• Steam global achievements for House Party
• House Party Steam news (1.5.2.x updates, 2026)
• House Party 1.5.2.14097 release notes