Oh, the Property Brothers, how I love those twins. I’ve always been a fan of a home makeover shows and, after watching the ins and outs of every renovation show I could, I began to think to myself, “Is this all there is for me? When is it my turn to decorate and renovate a home?”
But then, when I encountered the Property Brothers’ first ever mobile game, everything changed.
How it All Started
At the height of the pandemic, my roommate and I had a friend who was in our “bubble” over to our house. In my room, there was a staircase that led to an attic, where you could pop out the window and crawl onto the roof. We’d go out there at night and watch the sunset turn into stars and that fateful evening we decided to bring our friend out there (alongside a bottle of wine or two).
We were a few glasses in and, as some picturesque music played in the background, our friend confessed that she had been spending all of her time in the pandemic playing games on her phone. My curiosity was piqued, so she broke out her phone and lo and behold…she showed us the Property Brothers Home Design game. It was everything I didn’t know I needed in a home decorating game.
Related: The Property Brothers Present ‘Builder Brothers Dream Factory’
What to Expect
Essentially, you would play mini games to earn in-game “cash,” which you would spend on furniture, wallpaper and upgrades to your home. And it didn’t stop there. As you progressed, you could learn DIYs to paint or customize furniture for certain rooms. There’s also a Designer vs Designer feature where you go up against another player and design a room in 24 hours.
Needless to say, I fell in love with the app. As someone who grew up loving renovation games like Roller Coaster Tycoon and The Sims, Property Brothers Home Design quickly became my new obsession. Instead of talking to my roommate about my day or my work, we’d find ourselves comparing rooms we built, looking at the ways we designed them differently. We’d say things like, “Do you think this chair goes best with this wallpaper or this one?” or “Wow, your light fixture choice is impeccable here.”
It was almost too immersive. I’d find my mind filled with décor decisions. In the middle of work, daydreaming about whether I’d pick the orange chaise longue or the midcentury modern Eames-style chair. I’d create narratives about the characters, uttering things like, “oh, Lisa will love this for her son’s bedroom.”
Related: Where to Buy the Property Brothers’ Scott Living Products in Canada
Levelling Up
I got everyone close to me playing the game: My coworkers, my friends, my sister-in-law. We’d all be comparing rooms and furniture choices. Eventually, it got to the point where I would spend real-life money to be able to keep playing after I ran out of lives – and this went on for months.
I (not-so-quickly) realized I had to take a break because I would find myself walking into a café and think “this lighting fixture looks just like the level 2 kitchen” or “this sofa would be perfect for living room level 3,” but now, I’m back for the purpose of writing this article – and who knew that all of my progress would be saved…only for me to realize that I was on level 3,080.
Needless to say the Property Brothers Home Design game has an irresistible charm. Do I recommend giving it a whirl? Most definitely, but be prepared to take a hit to your social life (and, if you’re anything like me, your bank account).
Catch the Scott brothers in new episodes of Property Brother: Forever Home, Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV Canada, also available on the Global TV App and on STACKTV with Amazon Prime Video Channels, fuboTV, Rogers Ignite TV and Ignite SmartStream.
Read more: The Property Brothers Take the Stage at SNL
