Power Wash Simulator (Xbox Series X) Review

From the studio the behind Surge, Power Wash Simulator is the latest creation of FuturLab Games. With the previously released (on Xbox) House Flipper taking away the stresses of day-to-day life, Power Wash Simulator couldn’t have come at a better time to join the cleaning-sim bandwagon.

Power Wash Simulator – Gameplay

We can see the satisfying appeal that so many seem to get from this game. There’s something about cleaning layers of dirt from grimy surfaces that offers a certain gratification, not usually seen in games outside of the niche.

As expected – in a game called ‘Power Wash Simulator‘ -, the sole objective is to clean dirty things using a power washer. With 31 levels, there’s a vast selection of things to clean to a shine: from vans and gardens to a playground and even the Rover on the surface of Mars, the selection and variety is ample.

However, despite the abundance of dirty objects and outdoor areas, Power Wash Simulator quickly becomes tedious, boring and monotonous. For the first level, you’re tasked with cleaning a van. This opening mission offers an insight into what’s to come and serves as a sort of tutorial to get you to grips with the complicated (rolls eyes) world of pressure washing.

Power Wash Simulator fast becomes Boring

After power(washer)ing our way through the tutorial, we had high hopes early on. The experience was therapeutic, short and yes, extremely satisfying. Here we learned how different nozzles work best for different situations. A wide nozzle will offer a wider cleaning area but won’t have the cleaning power of the more narrow of nozzles. This offers at least a little depth as you choose how best to wash whatever is in front of you.

With high expectations we went into the second level and very nearly lost the will to live. Here we were given the job of cleaning someone’s garden. How this person’s garden got so dirty is beyond us. We had to clean every inch of the garden, including a kennel, a toy house, fences, a porch swing and, quite bizarrely, rocks. The scale of the job at hand was enough to bring on a yawning epidemic throughout our office. After twenty long minutes of cleaning the grime from this impossibly dirty garden, we were aching for a short break so we could do something with a little more excitement – like staring at our thumbs.

Power Wash Simulator does have potential, but sadly the game isn’t broken up enough. We would have been much happier with twice the amount of levels with half the dirt to clean.

Power Wash Simulator – Graphics

If Power Wash Simulator has one saving grace, it’s definitely the graphics. The jet of water cuts through the grime and reveals a clean and shining surface that’s always pleasing to uncover. Furthermore, you can see the water drying as you wash, adding to the whole experience and realism of the game.

Power Wash Simulator – Summary

If it’s the satisfaction of Power Wash Simulator that appeals to you, then you would be far better off with the likes of House Flipper, where there’s more than one job to do on each level. Power Wash Simulator quickly showed us that to play all 31 levels would be our second choice of two, if the other option was to skin ourselves alive and jump in a vat of vinegar.

However, as it’s currently free on Xbox and PC Game Pass, it’s probably worth at least a look. We know a few people that have enjoyed it, but we question their sanity. We would rather clean our own gardens.