I’ve recently found myself really drawn to rug-cleaning videos. Chances are you’ve stumbled across them on YouTube or TikTok: carpets that are painfully dirty—often jet black, packed with grime, and even crawling with bugs—get soaked with a heap of water and soap. Then people scrub them hard using a mix of brushes and scrapers until bright, vivid designs (usually nodding to the 70s) finally reappear. The videos are oddly satisfying and surprisingly calming to watch. I’ve definitely lost track of time listening to that soothing rush of a water jet blasting dirt away. Still, I can’t help wondering where they manage to get rugs like that in the first place!
Powerwash Simulator scratches a similar itch, almost like ASMR in game form. That may be part of why the 2022 title turned out to be such a surprise hit: it’s essentially the anti-FPS. Instead of aiming to take things down, you line up your shot and spray to restore. The settings feel warm and inviting even with all the mess, and the audio is mostly just your water stream plus the unmistakable “ping!” when you’ve done the job properly.
FuturLab has recognized that momentum, and with this follow-up, it wants to cement its place as the studio behind what it calls “relaxing games.” Powerwash Simulator 2 absolutely delivers a soothing experience—I played for around two hours, and I had a good time. That said, once the shine of the original starts to fade, I’m not fully convinced this sequel brings enough newness to fully justify its own existence.
The team openly describes this as an evolution rather than a total overhaul. It’s a sequel that keeps the parts players liked from the first game, then adds a handful of small improvements. For instance, there’s a new Dirt Finder. Each task is broken into smaller parts that still need cleaning, and those areas are marked in the environment with targets. That means you don’t have to constantly hit the highlight dirt button just to find what needs attention. There’s also a new adjustable nozzle that makes it easier to switch between different spray widths without swapping equipment every time. And between jobs, you can unwind in a customizable home base, including the chance to hang out with friends.
Visually, the game has been given an agreeable upgrade—pleasant, though not radically different. Put simply, the improvements sound convincing: levels are more detailed, the texture quality sees a “significant increase,” dirt particles now match the exact grime type you’re removing, and better lighting helps create a comfortable atmosphere. In real play, though, you mostly notice these changes when you compare screenshots side by side. Up front, it still looks like Powerwash Simulator, just a bit smoother. The water clinging to vertical surfaces and sliding down under gravity seems more realistic, yet it doesn’t change the gameplay by dripping the way you might expect. FuturLab says this choice was made to support performance and reduce frustration, but it’s still another case where Powerwash Simulator 2 focuses on polish rather than gameplay shifts.
The preview build kicked off with a simple removal-van assignment that asked me to crouch and clean around the wheels, then climb up to the roof. Those short, manageable tasks are exactly where Powerwash Simulator has always shined, and that holds here as well. I worked carefully across each surface, alternating between spraying upright and aiming across horizontal angles. The game rewarded me with visible cleanliness and the satisfying ping. It’s a straightforward, genuinely enjoyable loop. (If only deep cleaning in real life were anywhere near this effortless.)
After that, I tried one of the new multi-stage jobs: a public facility. It started as an advertisement laid out on the ground, and once that was cleaned, it revealed the building’s exterior. When I finished there, the door opened to show a grimy public restroom, drenched in unpleasant greens and sticky-looking browns. You could almost imagine the smell through the screen, but my powerwash jet cleared it out quickly. This kind of structure feels like a smart addition in Powerwash Simulator 2. Instead of making big jobs feel overwhelming just because of their size, the scope is split into smaller sections, which helps you tackle more complex, almost puzzle-like layouts.
Two more assignments demonstrated fresh ways to move around levels. In the Art Deco House, I could maneuver a scissor lift around the property and raise myself to reach a partially hidden balcony—far easier than using a step ladder. Then there was an enormous billboard that included abseiling equipment, letting me swing side-to-side while I sprayed, though the controls felt a little awkward. Both of these tools seem important as tasks get larger, and I didn’t fully complete either area during the preview. While we couldn’t test multiplayer in this session, Powerwash Simulator 2 will include online co-op with shared campaign progression, plus split-screen co-op for two players. Those bigger jobs should be even more fun with friends, since you can chat and split the spraying work.
One thing that felt missing in this preview—at least on the surface—was a truly major new idea to draw players in, beyond another quirky story promise. Powerwash Simulator became popular largely because of its novelty, though it was backed by a solid core. In the sequel, that initial novelty has already been scrubbed away. Even so, what’s left is still entertaining, but it doesn’t quite carry that same fresh spark. For some players, a quick return may be all they need—and I won’t pretend it didn’t work on me. Two hours flew by while I settled into a calm back-and-forth rhythm with the water jet. The day’s stress drained away, and my thoughts drifted even as I stayed focused on the task.
Still, part of what made the first game stand out were the surprising crossovers, where players cleaned places such as Croft Manor from Tomb Raider and the Seventh Heaven bar from Final Fantasy 7, among others. If that style of DLC keeps coming, it will almost certainly extend Powerwash Simulator 2’s lifespan in a big way. With that in mind, this polished sequel gives FuturLab a great opportunity to keep refining and experimenting with its cleaning simulator—so long as the dirt doesn’t start to feel too thin. And maybe we’ll even see rug-cleaning DLC, which could really trigger those ASMR moments and lock in my relaxation time for good.