The Housewife
Released Aug 2016
Take on the role of the housewife and make sure the house is maintained, she lives to keep her husband happy. Learn how the world changes for an abused person. She believes that he only beats her when she disappoints him. Get deep inside the functioning psyche of a victim of abuse.
43% positive · 291 reviews
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Where to buy
Steam $1.99
Can't confirm — worth a look
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Evaluation
The Housewife launched on August 25, 2016 as a self-contained narrative experience — a short story-driven simulation about domestic abuse with no post-launch content cycle. The store description presents the game as a complete parable with a defined scope: one day in the life of a housewife, housework mechanics, and dream sequences. There are no DLC listings, no season pass, and no developer announcements of additional content for this game. The only two news posts on record (both from April 11, 2017) are promotions for an entirely separate game — Sol Ni Koro — that the publisher was crowdfunding at the time. There have been no developer communications about The Housewife itself since its release nearly a decade ago. The game launched as a finished product and has received no post-launch updates or additions.
Evidence
Store description presents a complete, self-contained narrative game with defined scope: housework gameplay, dream sequences, and an original soundtrack. No mention of future updates, DLC, or ongoing content.
The only developer news posts are promotions for an unrelated game (Sol Ni Koro Kickstarter), with no communication about The Housewife itself. Last and only publisher activity related to this game's Steam page dates to April 11, 2017.
Media
Details
Developer
Publisher
Back To Basics Gaming
Achievements
—
Platform
Windows
Controller
—
Steam Deck
Playable
Players
Single-player
About this game
INTO THE PSYCHE OF THE VICTIM
The Housewife is a parable on spouse abuse. The story follows a day in the life of an unnamed housewife and her every desire to please her husband. She lives an illusioned life and has forgotten the world outside her husband, kids and home.
Take on the role of the housewife and make sure the house is maintained, she lives to keep her husband happy. Learn how the world changes for an abused person. She believes that he only beats her when she disappoints him. Get deep inside the functioning psyche of a victim of abuse.
FACTS ABOUT ABUSE:
( according to NCADV, WHO, huffingtonpost )- Every 9 seconds in the US, a woman is assaulted or beaten.
- On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. During one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men.
- Women between the ages of 18-24 are most commonly abused by an intimate partner.
- Recent global prevalence figures indicate that about 1 in 3 (35%) of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.
- Children who grow up in families where there is violence may suffer a range of behavioural and emotional disturbances. These can also be associated with perpetrating or experiencing violence later in life.
- Domestic victimization is correlated with a higher rate of depression and suicidal behavior.
- Number of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan and Iraq: 6,614:
Number of women, in the same period, killed as the result of domestic violence in the US: 11,766
Although this issue affects both men and women, statistics show that women are more affected by abuse. However this fact does not lessen the impact on abuse to any other person, men, women and children could be a victim.
The Housewife tries to take a deep look into the psyche of an abused individual, many artistic and metaphorical choices are made in the game design to represent psychological impact.
GAMEPLAY
- Experience a chilling story of domestic abuse.
- Step into the shoes of a middleclass housewife and clean, hang washing, sweep dirt, etc.
- Step into the surreal world of the Housewife's dreams. She dreams of doing housework in fantasy worlds, these manifest themselves as challenges within the game.
- Original soundtrack
Are these done yet?
Last evaluated Jun 27, 2026
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