Power Wash Simulator: Is it Better than the Real Thing?

Power Wash Simulator: Is it Better than the Real Thing?

We all love pressure washing, there’s just something so satisfying about blasting your patio with a high PSI pressure washer and watching that dirt and grime flow away.

It’s honestly quite fun and something that we’d love to do more often, but there’s only so much cleaning to be done. 

Did you know that there is an alternative, Power Wash Simulator? That might sound insane, but really – it’s a thing.

This video game provides a virtual way to enjoy pressure washing any time of the day, but is it better than the real thing? You’ll have to read on to find out!

About the game

Power Wash Simulator is a simulation game developed by FuturLab that allows you to blast away dirt and grime whenever you want to, in a gamified virtual environment!

You’ll get higher scores for excellent pressure washing skills, unlock new pressure washers, and discover new filthy locations to clean. 

It’s currently only available via Steam on PC, so console players are out of luck. However, the game is in ‘early access’ meaning that it is a work in progress.

Who knows, perhaps it will be released on next-gen consoles in the near future!

Regardless of its early access status, Power Wash Simulator is packed full of features to explore.

We can only imagine what the future will bring for this game, but for now, let’s take unravel exactly what this game is like to play. 

What can you do?

As you may expect, this game is all about pressure washing! You will be playing the game as somebody with the most ultimate arsenal of pressure washing tools, exploring filthy environments that you must eventually clean!

Exploring the different levels is really fun in itself, some of the ideas are crazy (especially the first level!) However, the fun really comes down to the power washing itself, so how exactly does this game mechanic work?

At any given moment, you will be able to modify your pressure washing setup to ensure that you clean everything thoroughly.

You can change the pressure washer you are using, the nozzle, and other settings to optimize your cleaning process. Some messes will even require spraying with a specific setup, so you will have to explore what works in different scenarios. 

Best of all, the ‘levelling up’ system works in the form of a pressure washing career.

Each successful job adds towards the career and earns the player money to spend on upgrades.

With this game, you can truly put your pressure washing skills to the test and work towards running a pressure washing monopoly!  

How to play?

Pressure washing is a relaxing and satisfying process, and you’ll be happy to know that Power Wash Simulator has been designed to be exactly that.

It’s a laid-back and slow-paced game, but you will still have to learn what to do in order to succeed. 

The first thing you should do when loading this game is to select the “Career Mode”. This will take you through the basic game tutorials, which we found really useful.

The first level is actually amazing, you have the insane task of cleaning a Rover on Mars! It really is a bizarre introduction to the game, but it provides you with a great opportunity to get used to the controls. 

Different pressure washers and nozzles will be needed to successfully clean different areas, and your overall clean will be rated, with 100% representing absolute cleanliness.

You will be paid for each job according to your success percentage, and assuming you did a good job, you’ll unlock the next level. 

However, you don’t always have to play in career mode – there are two other modes, Free Play and Specials.

Free Play is great as it allows you to revisit your favourite cleaning locations and get some use out of those specialized attachments. There’s no pressure on the job, simply sit back and enjoy the clean. 

Even better than this though is the Special mode. This is when the Power Wash Simulator crew release exciting DLC Downloadable Content), allowing you to unlock new and exclusive levels.

Past specials have been very unique, but I’m still waiting for my opportunity to clean Buckingham Palace or something huge like that!

The Controls

If you’re a PC gamer, you’ll probably love the controls of Power Wash Simulator. It actually has a lot of controls mapped across the keyboard due to the varying customizable features, and this can provide a really exciting gaming experience. 

However, it must be said that this can be a downfall for more casual gamers. The introductory Mars job walks you through the basics, but remembering the keys can get a bit confusing as the game gets more complicated. 

However, the developers thankfully put a reminder of every key on the screen every time a level is loading. This way, it’s always easy to find out how to change your pressure washer nozzle or how to load up your detergent. 

Will Power Wash Simulator be getting a PS5/Xbox release?

Despite its unusual concept, Power Wash Simulator has actually shown a lot of promise recently, with everyone from pressure washer enthusiasts, YouTubers and hardcore gamers getting some fun out of the game.

Due to this unexpected popularity, it raises the question – will Power Wash Simulator be getting released on next-gen consoles such as the PS5 or Xbox Series S?

We’ve got good news and bad news. The bad news is that currently, Power Wash Simulator is only available to play on PC.

The game has to be bought via Steam, and the developers have made no official announcements that this will change anytime soon. 

However, the good news is that FuturLab has shown enthusiasm regarding developing the game for consoles.

It’s still considered to be an Early Access game, meaning that it is ultimately an unfinished product that still has room for improvement. 

Ultimately, Power Wash Simulator is going to see tons of feature updates in the near future, and who knows – one of these days, we might get an official announcement for a console release. 

Price: is it worth the tag?

The current price to buy Power Wash Simulator is £15.99, a price that seems pretty reasonable when it comes to a video game. After all, buying the latest chart-topping games will usually set you back £60!

The low price tag ultimately comes down to the game being in Early Access still. New levels are still being added along with new features and other updates, and the game is ultimately still under maintenance.

This could mean that there will be glitches and bugs, but across our play-through, we haven’t found any in Power Wash Simulator. 

Considering the Early Access status, the game is actually quite pricey at £15, I remember a few years ago when Early Access games would cost a maximum of £5.

However, almost all of these games end up costing £30 or more after being fully released, so £15 is probably still a steal!

Ultimately, the price tag will always be worth it if you’re a pressure washing enthusiast.

The game is a must-play in that regard, with a unique take on simulation games. There’s just so many different models, attachments, nozzles and levels to try out. 

However, we would honestly say that the game will most likely be worth it even to people who have never used a pressure washer. Cleaning that dirt is just so satisfying, even if it’s digital.

Best Features

There’s a lot of good stuff going on in Power Wash Simulator, from the epic gameplay to the game modes and sound effects. However, the strongest element of this game simply has to be the level of detail it goes into. 

The game would still stand up if you only had a single power washer to work with, but there are so many different models, attachments and tools to make use of! It really is like a sandbox mode for pressure washing, and you’ll have access to tools that you wouldn’t have in the real world. 

The levels also deserve a mention here – there are so many unique environments to explore in this game, sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in exploring instead of actually cleaning! You’ll have to unlock these throughout Career Mode, but each can be revisited through Free Play Mode

Finally, the work-in-progress nature actually provides a lot of benefits to this game. It allows players to purchase the game at a relatively cheap price, with full knowledge that the game is only going to get better.

There is already tons of gameplay on offer within Power Wash Simulator, but the constant updates mean there is always something new to look forward to.

Downsides that Hold the Game Back

There isn’t too much bad stuff to say about Power Wash Simulator, but it’s always important to review a game with a balanced attitude.

There are a few things that hold this game back, so you should consider them before you think about buying this game. 

Firstly, let’s revisit the idea that the game is in Early Access. This is a good thing for the most part, but it does mean that the game can sometimes be unstable.

There might be months without any updates, despite the fact that your pressure washer is glitching out! The developers stay on top of it mostly and the game should only get better over time, but it can sometimes be a bit bumpy in places.

Next, it’s worth mentioning the controls. We play a lot of video games on the PC so we actually enjoyed the controls in this game, they’re very detailed and nicely placed. However, there are a lot of them, and this can be a bit intimidating if you’re a casual gamer.

It’s undeniable that the controls won’t feel as intuitive as real pressure washing when you first begin but get past the learning curve and you’ll be golden. 

Finally, Power Wash Simulator just simply isn’t the same as the real deal. Sure, it’s very satisfying to clear virtual grime with a virtual arsenal of pressure washing attachments, but that’s all it is – virtual.

Nothing will ever compare to the feeling of using real power washing tools to clean your property, and you’ll know that the property has real value as opposed to simply being a level in a video game.

Conclusion 

Overall, if you’re a pressure washing enthusiast and have decent experience playing PC games, Power Wash Simulator could be the game for you!

We never thought we’d see a pressure washing simulator, but FuturLab really has gone above and beyond to provide a detailed virtual emulation of the experience. 

From cutting-edge virtual pressure washer models to specialised attachments, there are tons of fun pressure washing features in this game. However, we cannot say that it is better than the real thing. 

Nothing will ever compare to the feeling of starting up a real pressure washer, blasting dirt from your decking or destroying bird poo on your car. Sure, you can do all these things in Power Wash Simulator, but it’s just not real. 

Regardless of this, we’d highly recommend that you check it out. It’s a great way to spend time in these cold and dark months, and it’ll give you that pressure washing fix that you simply can’t get when the weather is murky. 

Check the game out on Steam whilst it’s still in Early Access, and who knows – the game could develop into something truly huge. We’d love to see multiplayer pressure washing competitions, and the ability to make your own maps!

Just remember to check the computer requirements on Steam to ensure that your PC will be able to run the game, as it needs a decent graphics card.