PowerWash Simulator 2 takes the idiom “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” and dials it up to 11. This is a bigger, prettier, easier to play sequel that’s coming Day One to Xbox Game Pass. I’ve played it across PC and Xbox’s Ally handheld, sorry no early Xbox console code was available, and I loved every moment. It’s a content-rich rich clean-a-thon that’s better with friends, and easier than ever to play with them.
Home Office
One of PowerWash Simulator 2’s bigger new features is the home office. You’ll begin the game at your new digs, ready to fill it full of furniture as you earn cash on jobs. Alongside customizing your warehouse with couches, rugs, and more, you’ll be able to customize your character’s look.
PWS2 is an up to four-player cooperative title, though during review, I mostly played solo. As you complete jobs, pressure washing dirt away (yes, the devs know you’re not power washing, but the name sounded better!), you’ll earn cash. You can buy new washers, each with its own set of nozzles, or full-on outfits for you and new looks for your van. The van just sits outside of job sites, sadly, no driving allowed.
Under Pressure
PowerWash Simulator 2 is exactly what you’d hope for after playing the first game. It is prettier, controls better, and has streamlined its dirt system to be more forgiving. No wheels are being reinvented. The biggest change is that the various objects you will clean are now more forgiving in that final percentage of dirt needed to get a satisfying DING.
In PWS2, each object is broken up into zones that have a meter. As you clean each zone, the meter empties until you reach roughly 2 or 3 percent, at which point a satisfying ding sound effect plays and a quick flash lets you know it’s done. In the previous game, every material type needed its own soap, which you could only purchase a certain amount of each job.
Now soap is universal and works on a cooldown system. Applying soap to an area makes it far easier to clean. Depending on distance and water pressure, the toughest grime will refuse to wash away. If you’ve applied soap, almost any level of water pressure will work to fully clean the affected area.
It’s a smartly streamlined approach that lets you focus on working angles instead of constantly shopping for the right soap. Combined with the relaxing of standards on getting that final ding and the game is as relaxing an experience as one could hope. On the multiplayer front, you can now have up to four folks join in for the entire campaign, double the last game. Everyone gets progression, and it sounds great.
Lots to do
There are thirty-eight levels in the game. It’s a massive number that, when combined with the promised post-launch support through 2026, means you will be able to spend 30+ hours in the title. There’s a nice variety of job sizes as well, whether it’s a quick five-minute car wash or hours spent on a farm cleaning the silo and barn.
The original title had a lot of post-launch DLC support, utilizing various licenses. I hope to see that with PWS2, as the game’s new graphics and tech should allow for all manner of video game vehicles and buildings to clean up.
On the audio side, it is a game primarily focused on the sound of your pressure washer. Cleaning away dirt, jumping 50 feet off a building, or soaping up a bathroom all sound pleasant enough. This is a podcast-game assed podcast-game. Put on Joe Ro… The Dollop, or some of your favorite tunes, and a few games give a similar chill experience.
Xbox Ally X Performance
I played the game for a full level, two-hour-long level on my Xbox Ally X. It defaulted to max settings, and even at 17 watts, I got a consistent 30 to 50 FPS. Normally, that level of variance would look terrible, but thanks to the screen’s VRR, it felt fine. Lowering the resolution to 900p and using AMD’s reconstruction tech back up to 1080 got me to a nearly locked 50 fps, at high settings. Lowering things down didn’t change how the game looked much and had me rocking around or above 60fps consistently.
Wrapping Things Up
There isn’t a ton new about PowerWash Simulator 2, and that is exactly what I wanted. What is improved, from the graphics to the streamlined cleaning processes, makes what was already a serene experience into one of the most chill vibes you can find in gaming.
PowerWash Simulator 2
Played on
Xbox Ally X & PC via Steam
PROS
- Streamlined Cleaning
- Improved Graphics
- Lots of Content
CONS
- Little to no music of its own
