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Suzanne Humphries is the Commerce Editor for Review Geek. She has over seven years of experience across multiple publications researching and testing products, as well as writing and editing news, reviews, and how-to articles covering software, hardware, entertainment, networking, electronics, gaming, apps, security, finance, and small business. Read more...

There are few things I love more than a nice, thorough deep cleaning session. At times, I’ve wished I could just get a pressure washer and use that to clean everything. Fortunately, with PowerWash Simulator, that’s exactly what I can do, and it is incredibly satisfying.

The game, developed by FuturLab, tasks you with cleaning up a grime-covered town little by little. You might be thinking “Why the heck would I pay for a video game that simulates chores I’m not even gonna do in real life?,” and that’s a totally valid question. But trust me, once you get your hands on this virtual pressure washer, you won’t want to quit. Like, ever. I played it for two hours the other night and I don’t think I blinked once.

In PowerWash Simulator, you’re in the town of Muckingham, and its good citizens are crying for help. It’s up to you, the hero, to clean up all of the dirt, grime, graffiti, and muck. Fortunately, you’ve got the right tool for the job—your trusty pressure washer—and you can even earn a little cash along the way. Talk about job security!

You’ll need to grab your trusty pressure washer and start by cleaning up your van. From there, you can work your way around town and clean up areas and items like a fire truck, airplane, cat-shaped monster truck, backyard, cemetery, playground, mansion, carnival, forest cottage, subway platform, and more. The game even lets you use the washer hose to knock things like garden gnomes or planter pots over while you clean, as a treat.

As with any cleaning project, though, the devil is in the details. One simple pass along the front of an item probably won’t be enough to get all the gunk off, and some chunks of grime will require a little extra effort on your end to get rid of them.

You may need to do a few passes, change your angle, or swap in another spray nozzle; you have a few nozzles to choose from here, like a gentler wide-angle nozzle or a narrower, more intense spray option. Once you get a specific object area or item clean, it’ll turn shiny and glow for a moment so you know it’s done.

That’s pretty much all there is to the game—it’s not complicated because it doesn’t need to be. There isn’t a time limit on each job or a time limit or someone judging your work. In fact, the only pressure in this game is that of the water exiting the spray nozzle.

As you focus on washing away all of the crud in Muckingham, I’ll bet that you’ll also feel your worries and stresses wash away because this game is seriously zen. After all, how can you be worried about remembering to pay a stupid bill on time or sending Mom flowers for Mother’s Day when you’re blasting dirt off your barbeque grill? It’s satisfying work, and all the Spring cleaning any of us should ever have to do.

PowerWash Simulator is currently still in Early Access, so you may encounter bugs or glitches if you download and play it. The game may change before it’s officially released, or it may not; that’s up to the developer. Personally, when I played through it, I didn’t encounter any bugs or glaring issues. At any rate, I highly recommend getting and playing this game. It’s incredibly relaxing and rewarding, and you can set it down and pick it up whenever you want.

Grime is the enemy, and you can blast it away with this entracingly relaxing video game.

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