Sequels are difficult, even for the most seasoned team of developers. How do you elevate a product without alienating the audience you’ve already built? What elements do you keep? What do you discard? And, most importantly, how do you make the product feel worth the “2” at the end of the title?
Developer FuturLab struck gold with the 2022 release of PowerWash Simulator. The game struck a balance between busywork and meditation, with a daunting checklist of nooks and crannies to clean but no rush in which to do them. There were no pushy customers or approval ratings to worry about; you could take as long on a job as you wanted and be as inefficient as you needed.
PowerWash Simulator focused on how peaceful it can be to have a task at hand, with minimal fluff around it. Add on a massive amount of free and paid expansions, each offering new jobs and worksites, and you had the recipe for an endless, repeatable package… or so we thought. Instead, in early 2025, FuturLab announced a full-blown sequel in PowerWash Simulator 2.
For better or worse, PowerWash Simulator 2 is more PowerWash Simulator. While some smart changes and additions help set it apart from its predecessor, it is hard to see the sequel as anything more than a very large expansion pack. There are no fundamental differences, no changes in philosophy. It is just… more. But is that really a bad thing?
Squeaky Clean
The gameplay of PowerWash Simulator 2 follows the familiar patterns set up in the original. You accept a job from one of the many residents of Muckingham or its neighboring town Detergento (yes, really) and get to work.
You’re presented with a checklist of different parts of the jobsite that need to be cleaned. Everything from paving stones to roof eaves to carnival prizes are waiting to be blasted with your powerwasher. Besides a handful of nozzles and extenders, ladders and step stools, it’s just you versus the dirt with all the time in the world. Completing each line on the list is rewarded with a satisfying “ding” sound effect and a little bit of money, which can be used to invest in stronger powerwashers or new cosmetics for your character. Do these things matter, mechanically? Not really. But you can do it nonetheless.
PowerWash Simulator 2 does add some new layers to the process of power washing. A brand-new washer that is more focused on flat surfaces makes driveways and tabletops a breeze. Instead of just your ladder, step stool, and occasionally a large scaffold structure, you also have access to a scissor lift for shorter heights. A single-seat gondola is available for jobs that involve large heights and big, flat surfaces. Again, these are small additions but welcome all the same.
The Money’s in the Suds
Arguably the most impactful change is a complete rework of the soap system from the original game. In PowerWash Simulator, soap was a finite resource that had to be purchased for each use. On top of that, there were different bottles of soap for different surface types. Stone soap wasn’t useful on glass, glass soap did nothing to plastics, and if you wanted to use plastic soap, you had better hope there was a children’s playset nearby. These restrictions led me to never using soap in the original; it just wasn’t worth throwing money at when time and patience would lead to the same result. For a game built around a smooth experience, it was easily the least player-friendly choice in the design process.
FuturLab took those criticisms to heart and completely rebuilt the system for PowerWash Simulator 2. Now, soap is a free resource on a cooldown timer. Have a stubborn bit of oil that won’t come off a gas pump? Switch to the soap nozzle, blast it a little, then switch back to your base water setting. No more traveling to the shop menu to purchase metal soap or swapping between different soaps to make sure it’s for the right surface. Just spray, rinse, and move on. While you can only spray soap for so long before you have to wait for the cooldown to come back, it is a much more player-friendly mechanic, and helpful in a pinch.
Making the Old Look New
On top of the traditional jobs presented to your power washing company, PowerWash Simulator 2 also gives players the opportunity to clean old furniture to place in your new office space. These items range from rugs and lamps to sofas, and really let you make a home out of your new space. It’s these little touches that help elevate PowerWash Simulator 2 from just a fun sidebar to a welcome sequel. You also get the trappings of a story, built around the continued threat of a volcanic eruption and a potential alien invasion, plus some magic gnomes and cats that know too much. Is it important? Not at all. Is it fun and silly? Absolutely.
The true masterstroke of PowerWash Simulator 2, however, is in its sheer size. The base game hides a massive 38 different washables, ranging from a simple moped to an entire mall. In general, the levels of PowerWash Simulator 2 feel much more involved than the original’s spaces. Cars have more crannies, buildings have more floors, and outdoor spaces have more items in general to wash. An early highlight is the Teapot Tea Room: a teashop shaped like a teapot, with a lot of little corners to clean. The lack of a timer means levels can be bigger without any added pressure, pun intended. Who cares if a space takes two or three sessions to clean up? The customer will always wait.
The Final Scrub
PowerWash Simulator 2 probably doesn’t need to exist. FuturLab could have released DLC packs for the original PowerWash Simulator and players would have been fairly happy. But the small additions, system changes, and overall size of the game do justify the sequel existing. While the changes probably aren’t enough to allure someone who wasn’t already interested in power washing, players who do Want More Water will be thrilled with what is inside. In particular, I was charmed by the sheer variety of the new jobs available.
Early on in PowerWash Simulator 2, you are tasked with cleaning an unassuming bench in the town square of Detergento. After scrubbing away, you receive a single text message: “Surprise!” And from out of the ground rises an entire bathroom, needing to be cleaned inside and out. It was cute, silly, and simple—the exact thing I want from my power washing.
Score: 8.5/10
PowerWash Simulator 2, developed and published by FuturLab, was released on October 23, 2025, for PC, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. MSRP: $24.99. Version reviewed: PS5.
Disclaimer: A review code was provided by the developer.
Gary is a jack-of-all-trades video game enthusiast based in Boston, MA. A semi-professional fighting game player, even less professional Apex Legends player, and even less professional adult, he spends most of his time poking at strange indie gems and reading about the need for more diverse voices in gaming criticism. He invites anyone to recommend anything he's missed in the gaming world via Twitter or BlueSky, where he can found under the username @grtnpwrfl. When he isn't spending his time playing games, Gary is an avid New England Patriots fan and frequent hiker.
