House of the Lost: Revived brings cult roguelike to iOS and Android

House of the Lost: Revived is bringing one of mobile gaming’s earliest roguelikes back to iOS and Android on July 16, and this time it arrives as a full rebuild rather than a compatibility patch. F5 Games says the original House of the Lost launched on the App Store in 2013, then disappeared in 2019 because of technical difficulties.

That matters because the new version is trying to solve the very problems that pushed the first release off phones in the first place. The game is still a top-down action roguelike built around a young boy’s rescue mission through a haunted mansion, but the structure now leans into modern mobile habits without turning into a live-service trap. Each run is randomized, so the mansion changes as you go, and F5 Games says the revival includes four distinct environments, weapon crafting, secrets, and boss fights.

The monetization is as plain as it gets. Players can try the first two levels and the first boss for free, then unlock the rest with a single one-time purchase. There are no ads, no gacha, and no energy timers, which puts the game squarely in the compact premium lane at a time when many mobile releases are built around rotating rewards and session limits. F5 Games also says the game works offline and includes leaderboards and achievements, two extras that should give it more staying power than a simple nostalgia reissue.

For players who remember the original, the appeal is partly historical. Pocket Gamer called it a full rerelease of the old game, not a lightly polished port, and an earlier TouchArcade assessment dubbed it “the closest thing to iOS Spelunky.” That comparison still makes sense from the details on offer: randomized layouts, makeshift weapons, and a boss-driven crawl through a cursed house that is designed for repeat runs rather than one-and-done clears.

What changed in 2026 is not the premise, but the packaging. House of the Lost: Revived is being positioned as an older mobile idea finally rebuilt for current devices, with a free opening stretch, offline play, and a clean premium unlock that cuts out the friction that once buried the original.