Powerwash Simulator continues the never-ending trend of video game simulation for a single task. This time you’re cleaning dirt and grime with a power washer. From vehicles to houses and nearly everything in between, you’ll be fighting off nasty messes with the intense power of water as far as your nozzle can reach.

Powerwash Simulator is a 2022 simulator game developed by FuturLab and published by Square Enix. It is available on PC, Playstation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.

Editor’s Note: Some references to Powerwash Simulator’s story may be present in this review. Square Enix provided a Playstation review copy for Powerwash Simulator to support this review.

Wash your way to the top in Powerwash Simulator.

Simulation games are on the rise, and very few games like Powerwash Simulator have felt the effect of their popularity. In Powerwash Simulator, you play as a small cleaning business owner who’s been getting good word of mouth throughout the city. As your reputation gains traction, the better the job you do you’ll gain better-paying opportunities. You can upgrade your power washer with more premium nozzles and cleaning material as you earn currency with each job completion.

Gain better equipment and gear as your reputation rises.

THE GOOD: Powerwash Simulator stars a player who’s recently opened a small cleaning business in Muckingham. The game is played in a first-person perspective, and a co-op mode was released a while back. The goal is to build the reputation of your small business. In doing so, you’ll earn job offers at different scales in size and much higher pay, such as personal homes, parks, and school playgrounds. As you make money from completing jobs, you can use the funds to upgrade your power washer and its accessories. These range from higher quality soaps to more proper nozzles for an increase in getting rid of hidden dirt, muck, and grim. The different soaps can help edge out tougher smudges and dirt stains, while the nozzles include bigger, smaller, wider, and thinner sizes.

You can also upgrade to more powerful power washers with the currency you earn up to about three or four different models with varying expenses. You can customize your power washer’s look through skins purchased with the in-game currency. A beneficial tool for gauging where you need to clean, including leftover spots you may have missed, can be used by pressing right on the D-Pad. Much of the player controls are more straightforward beyond the nozzle, like crouching and jumping, as well as switching between nozzles, washers, and soaps. Some free and premium DLC content, such as the co-op mode, allows you and up to five players to do group jobs. You and your friends can drop into each others’ game almost at any time. As for premium DLC, there are themed locations for clean-ups. Presently, themed areas based on the former Square franchise Tomb Raider and the flagship title Final Fantasy have been released. According to a current road map, more themed DLC will be released, at least throughout the rest of this year.

You can upgrade your equipment and cleaning supplies to make more complex jobs a breeze.

There’s a lot of simplicity to the gameplay of Powerwash Simulator, just like many other sim games. However, Powerwash has a strange sense of zen when playing. It lets you completely turn your brain down for a chill, relaxed vibe that many games miss out on. Some locations can be difficult and annoying to clean due to the sheer size of the landscape for many of them. However, it never borders on being too much trouble for what it’s worth. I was surprised by how they chose to handle the premium DLC. There’s a lot of potential for using set pieces from multiple IPs. If I were Square, I’d try to acquire licensing from properties outside their house to gain as many eyes on the game as humanly possible. Imagine playing Powerwash Simulator, and you’re cleaning The Simpsons family home or the Millenium Falcon.

Scenarios like this could bring out the true potential of Powerwash Simulator’s long-term appeal. I’m not suggesting they toy with the idea of turning it into an ongoing service game, but you have a solid foundation to keep the fun going for as long as possible without the unnecessary need for a sequel. They should also be careful to be moderate with continuing support for the title. Otherwise, they could risk turning people off from it.

Powerwash with your friends in co-op.

THE BAD: For some reason, the developers decided to use a mock-up of PC UI on the console version. This isn’t necessarily too awful, but navigating through the main menu as you choose which mode to interact with is annoying. Sometimes character movement can be very spotty. There are moments where if you get too close to stains, the power washer locks up a bit until you move. This was an odd development choice, but long-distance nozzles work surprisingly well for more minor, harder-to-reach stains. It would have been neat to have a more significant story presence. It’s there but mainly limited to job offers and little world-building story beats.

Experience the thrill of cleaning set pieces for some Square fan favorites.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Powerwash Simulator isn’t the most impressive of games for the excitement it’s gotten, but there’s a definite level of charm to its simplistic approach in its presentation. There’s no background music, no rush to finish the job, and no story pull at your heartstrings. It’s just an excellent, entertaining simulator game that’s just as advertised, and that’s more than fine for a game when done correctly, which I believe Powerwash Simulator succeeds at.