PowerWash Simulator 2 preview: A worthwhile upgrade of an already excellent game

Foolishly, I was under the impression that we didn’t really need a PowerWash Simulator 2. After all, the first PowerWash Simulator is still going strong with a large player base and a ridiculous amount of DLC. Couldn’t we just have more DLC packs? Surely there’s nothing new that can really change the game up? That’s what I thought, at least, until I actually tried PowerWash Simulator 2. After a two-hour demo last week, I’ve not been able to stop thinking about cleaning vans, toilets and billboards, and I absolutely can’t wait for the full release when it lands later this year.

Technically, I suppose, there is nothing entirely revolutionary about PowerWash Simulator 2. For all intents and purposes, it’s the same game as the first: you clean stuff with a power washer. But with new settings, new tools and, more importantly, vastly improved visuals and physics, it feels like an entirely new experience.

For one, the control scheme in PowerWash Simulator 2 feels more intuitive. Switching between nozzles, changing your orientation or getting a new tool entirely feels more natural; going back to the original PowerWash Simulator, I find myself fumbling over the controls until I find the button I actually want. There are more tools to choose between, too, giving you different options for cleaning. There’s a wide choice of nozzles, most of which you’ll be familiar with, but the real game-changer is a round head designed for easy cleaning of floors and flat surfaces.

A showerhead-type attachment, it’s on a ball-bearing at the end of your power washer, and it’s designed to be held closer to surfaces than you normally would. Gliding over floors, it cleans them quickly and easily — and it’s seriously satisfying. This was my go-to attachment whenever I could find a purpose for it, but of course, it’s not as useful in all situations: you’ll still want a smaller, more directed nozzle to get in those corners and other tight nooks and crannies.

Just having new tools at your disposal, then, makes PowerWash Simulator 2 feel seriously satisfying. But a whole suite of new locations and jobs to work through makes this sequel an enticing prospect, too. I had access to five new levels, and I managed to finish three of them in just under two hours with the game: a van, a public toilet and a billboard. There was also an art deco house and a dog-shaped car, but I’ll have to wait until the full game to try them out now.

The billboard was an interesting one, letting me try out the new abseiling equipment that PowerWash Simulator 2 allows you to use. Reaching great heights is easier than ever, and not having to rely on ladders and scaffolding feels good. With the abseil gear, I simply clipped it to the top of the billboard. Essentially a seat on a rope and pulley system, sitting on it gave me complete control to move up, down, left and right as freely as if I was walking. Cleaning the billboard was a breeze. Getting each rung of the ladder and the giant pole mounting the giant board into the sky, however? That’s a whole other story. But it wouldn’t be PowerWash Simulator without some challenging cleans now, would it?

My favourite mission was the public toilet — a very, very filthy public toilet, and one of those futuristic dooberies that pops out of the ground. It was an example of PowerWash Simulator 2’s new multi-part missions: before I could move on to cleaning the inside of the toilet, I first had to complete a successful clean of its roof and signage. Only once I’d done that did the cubicle retract, revealing the bathroom unit to me. What a state: I’m glad smell-o-vision never took off.

If you’re expecting a complete evolution from PowerWash Simulator, you aren’t going to find it here, but why would you? The basic concept of the game is sound: PowerWash Simulator 2 simply takes what was already great and makes it a little better. Refinements in gameplay, better water spray physics and wash mechanics, new locations and improved graphics — it all comes together to make what I think will be an absolutely brilliant sequel. If you loved the first game, this is a total no-brainer.

PowerWash Simulator 2 is coming later this year to PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.