PowerWash Simulator 2 (2025)

I don’t know why I expected Death stranding. I had geared up for a role-playing experience, where I had to trigger animations for nozzle replacements or watch my footsteps so I don’t track dirt, or use different types of solvents for different surfaces. I was looking forward to the friction of effective manual labor and that is the opposite of what this is.

Every single edge of this game has been sanded down, every surface oiled to gleaming to the point that playing this game feels automated… reflexive, but in a good way. I’m not quite sure how I feel about that though, because I do think it flattens the value proposition. I mean you are either into this game or not, there is no progression system, they’re upgrades sure, but the default ‘water-jet-gun’ thing will get the job done on any level, and the first level will pretty much ask the same of you as the last just on a bigger scale. What you see is what you get and as a dude who’s struggled with anxiety most of his life and will take any excuse to put his brain on auto-pilot, this is crack cocaine, but I would understand anyone who expected just a little bit more, especially from a sequel.

I am pretty sure I’m never going to uninstall this though so bravo to the team. Arguably the best ever audio-book/podcast game.

PowerWash Simulator 2 is exactly what I was hoping to see in a sequel. It doesn't try to change things up much or reinvent any wheels, but just adds more to what made the first game so addicting. Playing this on launch day via Xbox Game Pass made it even better.

There's not a whole lot to say here if you know much about the game or played the first one. It takes the addicting and zen nature of the first game and just adds more. More levels/locations to wash, some different types of jobs to clean, additional types of cleaners and nozzles, new methods of movement to help in cleaning those pesky dirt spots. I unfortunately finished this game way too quickly as it was a perfect way to just zone out and clean stuff while watching a tv show or listening to a podcast. Playing this right at launch so it's hard to tell if it will feature the same post launch support the first game did in terms of both free and paid DLC, so here's to hoping.

My only complaints are minor, and could (and hopefully will be) addressed via future updates. The first is there were still some bugs at launch where the game refused to let you move some of the equipment. In the first theater job, the power lift would absolutely not move no matter what you tried. Thankfully the devs are aware of this, and you can still manage to complete cleaning the carpet underneath and the area around with some crouching and other maneuvering. My other minor complaint is the lack of challenges. The first game had a good number of challenges in terms of cleaning something in a set amount of time, using only a certain amount of water, among others. I can't remember if these were in the game at launch or added later, so chalking this up to just a minor complaint.

If you're looking for something fun to get addicted to while just zoning out, you can't go wrong with PowerWash Simulator 2!