PowerWash Simulator News

Hey everyone!

The second community map vote, round 1, group 1, is now live!



To learn more about the vote and the last time we did this, read here.

Please note: these are the community-suggested levels, last time we made the Mini Golf Course, Steam Locomotive and Gnome Fountain. We are also actively working on lots more content that is already planned but we don't have any dates or teasers to share just yet. Sorry!



Thank you, everyone, for your incredibly creative suggestions. Our design team has been hard at work shortlisting over 400 of these great ideas down to 16 contestants.

Here's the full filthy table!



Yes, it is time for you to decide which 2 winners will be made into delightfully dirty levels in the future! To cast your vote and more info, join our Discord here: https://discord.com/invite/powerwashsimulator and head to the #community-map-vote-2 section.

Vote 1, group 1, is between the Crystal Caves and Roller Skate Rink!

Our design team has also added some flavor text to help illuminate further what we may actually do when making the level and best inform your decision:

[h3]Areas :[/h3]
Crystal Caves
A recently discovered cavern full of giant glistening shards and clusters of crystal formations.

Roller Skate Rink
A long-abandoned roller rink indoor facility that was once host to many bright lights and funky nights.

Swimming Fun Pool
A local swimming pool surrounded by themed water features and slides.

Rock Climbing Gym
Several climbing zones featuring precariously angled walls and colourful foot/handholds.

Laser Tag Arena
A ‘well-used’ Laser Tag Arena densely packed with neon structures, walls, ramps and cover.

Aquarium
Sea-life viewing galleries with large windows and glass tunnels.

Bowling Alley
A classic bowling alley with several lanes, gutters and seating areas.

School Cafeteria
The aftermath of a food fight in a school hall where the floors, tables, walls, pillars, windows and ceilings have been covered.

[h3]Vehicles:[/h3]

Submarine
A 4-6 person ocean research submarine with large viewing windows, various deep-sea surveying equipment, hatches and propellers.

Subway Train
A two-carriage subway train that has been a long-time host to several layers of grime and graffiti, both inside and out.

Luxury Yacht
A 50-70ft luxury vessel.

Mining Dump Truck
A multi-ton bearing truck with its gigantic wheels, cab and dumping tray.

Combine Harvester
A farming machine consisting of a large head for cutting and collecting plants, a cab for driving/control and a body which stores and processes materials.

Double Decker Bus
A two-storey passenger bus.

Limousine
An exceptionally long party vehicle that looks like it’s had an exceptional night out.

Garbage Truck
A refuse collection vehicle.

Which are your top picks so far?

Do any of the flavor texts sway how you might vote? Let us know below!

Again, we're working hard on already planned content in the background and will share more as soon as we are ready.

Thanks for reading; until next time!

Keep up with everything PowerWash Simulator by following our channels:

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/powerwashsimulator
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PowerWashSim
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/futurlab
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@powerwashsim?
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/powerwashsim/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/powerwashsim
PWS Wiki: https://powerwash-simulator.fandom.com/wiki/PowerWash_Simulator_Wiki

Hey everyone - welcome to dev log 66!

Last week, we opened suggestions for our next Community Map Vote, where we will be making levels suggested by you. More info and how to share your ideas, here: https://steamcommunity.com/games/1290000/announcements/detail/3371528804092332981

This week, it's all about statistics!





Less than 2 months have passed since 1.0 dropped and over 3,000,000 people have now equipped a power washer to restore Muckingham to sparkling glory! Thank you to everyone who has picked up the game so far!

For context, that's more than the population of Jamaica, 33 full Wembley stadiums and 600,000 crammed Honda Civics (apparently the third most popular car in the USA with 5 seats). We thought following this announcement, we'd look at some more fun statistics from the game!

Note: below are Steam only, and based on the past 30 days activity on the 7th of August*









Are any of these numbers big surprises? Do you feel like the yellow nozzle gang needs to be stopped? Let us know in the replies below!



Thanks for all of your feedback on the Research Edition and for everyone who has taken part in this unique opportunity to advance science!

We've been listening to your feedback and have a hotfix to address some known issues! :)

Update notes:

• Added three new study questions
  
• Improved button UX on the question popups to help avoid confusion
  
• Added support for retrieving lost reward progression
  
• Fixed small issue with study telemetry
  

Until next time!

Keep up with everything PowerWash Simulator by following our channels:

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/powerwashsimulator
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PowerWashSim
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/futurlab
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@powerwashsim?
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/powerwashsim/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/powerwashsim
PWS Wiki: https://powerwash-simulator.fandom.com/wiki/PowerWash_Simulator_Wiki

Hey everyone!

A new community map vote is coming, and the suggestions are now open! If you weren't with us for the last one in July 2021, the Mini Golf Course, Gnome Fountain and Steam Locomotive were all community suggestions. All of the ideas were shortlisted by our design team and then voted on in a knock-out style tournament to be made in the game! Which is now happening again!



Please note, like last time, jobs take a long time to develop. The new levels voted in will come in the future, but we will also be announcing the next lot of planned maps soon; keep your eyes peeled. There are lots currently being made!

If you are interested in the last one, you can see the news here: https://steamcommunity.com/games/1290000/announcements/detail/3006699741749732225

We also released a behind the scenes from design and art on the making of the Mini Golf Course below: https://steamcommunity.com/games/1290000/announcements/detail/3305091754553822108



Like last time, the votes will take place on our Discord. You can join that via this link: discord.com/invite/powerwashsimulator

To submit an idea, create a thread in the 'job-suggestions' section:



There is a guide in there, but in short if you already see your suggestion, rather than creating a new thread, use the reactions to show support or comment in that thread if you have any specifics on what that idea might look like.

We will keep this open for a few weeks, then collate them all into a list. Our design team will look at how these ideas could be developed and how popular they may be to shortlist for the knockout style vote. The votes will take place in a few weeks and we'll share more instructions when that is ready!

Thanks in advance for your suggestions :)



Live Stream

This week we'll be jumping on our Stream for a FuturLab Friday where we look at the job design process with designer Nick answering your questions! Don't miss it, 3PM BST, today: https://www.twitch.tv/futurlab

Tokyo Games Show

We have announced that we'll be at Tokyo Games Show! Keep an eye out for announcements around the show! Plus, let us know if you'll be there.

We are there in part of our publisher Sqaure Enix booth, you can see more of that and line-up here.

Oxford Study

Thanks to everyone who has taken part. We are pretty shocked, as we always are, with how many people have opted-in so far. We'd also like to thank you all for the feedback so far on how it is generally working and suggestions to make it better. We're definitely listening.

This news is standing in for this week's dev log! we'll come back next week with another log installment.

Thanks for reading; until next time!

Keep up with everything PowerWash Simulator by following our channels:

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/powerwashsimulator
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PowerWashSim
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/futurlab
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@powerwashsim?
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/powerwashsim/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/powerwashsim
PWS Wiki: https://powerwash-simulator.fandom.com/wiki/PowerWash_Simulator_Wiki

Hey everyone!

We’re excited to offer an opportunity to take part in a unique collaboration between FuturLab and independent researchers from the Oxford Internet Institute (part of Oxford University).

Plus, get clean exclusive cosmetic items for doing it! (cosmetics coming soon)

In short, play for science and more stuff!



This is a one-of-a-kind anonymous research study centered around the well-being of PowerWash Simulator’s players and also aims to deliver insights into the larger discourse of gaming and mental health. For more information on the study and previous studies, see our main page here.

The most significant difference from the main game is that both Multiplayer and Non-English language support have been disabled in the Research Edition.

A new ‘character’ has been introduced in the Research Edition which allows our researchers to contact you, the player, as if they exist in the game’s universe. They will get in touch throughout the study and occasionally ask questions about your experience. These questions are extremely short (they’ll take you less than a couple of seconds to answer) so shouldn’t disrupt your game experience.

The study questions will not be asked in challenge mode, as they would be disruptive to this mode’s gameplay.

Rewards will be available later, but the system to unlock them has been implemented so that progress will be counted towards them. You’ll see this progression reflected in the ‘Rewards’ pop-up in the game.

Please note that campaign progress will not be carried over between the Research Edition and the main game. This means that opted-in players will need to start from the beginning of the game and any progress in the Research Edition will not be shared with the main game. This is to ensure the study can be delivered in the most consistent way possible while also avoiding potential issues with saved progress on the main game.

Please read our FAQ for more info on the study and the Opting In section for how to join. :)



It’s easy to start participating in the study. The Research Edition of the game is available to any existing owners on Steam through a publicly accessible beta branch.

All you need to do is follow these simple steps to get started:

1. Navigate to your Steam library



2. Find PowerWash Simulator and right click on it (if you can’t see it, ensure you don’t have any filters set which might be hiding it)



3. Select ‘Properties…’ from the right click context menu



4. Select ‘BETAS’ from the left hand menu



5. Click the dropdown, and select ‘research-edition – Research Edition 2022’



6. Steam should now start downloading the new branch

7. Once the download is complete, simply launch it in your usual way, you should see the Research Edition logo on the intro title screen



Q: I have PowerWash Simulator on a platform other than Steam, can I still participate?
A: The Research Edition is only available for owners of the game on Steam.

Q: How do I opt in or Out?
A: See the Opting In and Opting Out sections!

Q: Can I have the Research Edition installed as well as the main version?
A: Unfortunately, no. Due to the nature of Steam’s beta branches, you can currently only have one version installed at a time. Switching to the Research Edition (or back) will trigger a download and re-install of (most of) the game. This should be around 5GB.

Q: Is save data from the main game separate?
A: Yes, the career progression is separate but game settings will be shared between both. You will have a fresh save on the study branch but can return to your current main game save at any time by opting-out.

Q: Will I lose any progress on the main game for opting in to the Research Edition?

A: No, all campaign progress on the main version of PowerWash Simulator will be retained as the Research Edition uses a separate 'save file'. All progress from both branches will be kept when swapping between branches on Steam.

Q: Why should I get involved?
A: Because it’ll support extremely important research on video games! This is a first-of-its-kind research study which will be important in understanding the effects videogames can have on their players. We also have a few rewards planned for participants, which will arrive at a later date!

Q: How do the participation rewards work?
A: During gameplay, the researchers will periodically get in touch with the player via an in-game character. These will usually be followed by a popup with a question about the player’s experience and wellbeing. These questions are always optional, but answering them will yield progress towards unlocking the next reward.

The rewards will be released at a later date. In order to claim and use them once they go live, you will have to launch the Research Edition and use the in-game rewards popup to claim any you have unlocked. Once these have been claimed, you will be able to equip them on both the Research Edition and the main version of the game on Steam only. Equipped cosmetics will be visible to all players during cross-platform multiplayer.

Q: I have an issue with the Research Edition, how can I report it?
A: Please use this thread on the Steam discussion boards.

Q: I would like to ask the researchers a question, how can I do this?
A: Please get in touch via their dedicated email address.

Q: Will the Research Edition be available in my language?
A: At this current time the Research Edition is only available in English.

Q: Can I play the Research Edition offline?
A: While the core gameplay will still be functional when offline, the data from the study can only be sent to the researchers while you have an active internet connection so we do encourage trying to retain online connectivity whilst playing on the Research Edition as much as possible.

Q: Will the researchers know who I am if I participate?
A: No, the data being collected are being de-identified so that no one at either FuturLab or Oxford Internet Institute will be able to re-identify you as a participant.

Q: What will you do with my data?
A: In the Research Edition, there are two types of data being collected.

The first is the ‘base’ telemetry - metrics for player progression, shop purchases, general gameplay activities etc. This will be both kept by FuturLab and provided to the researchers for analysis in the study.

The second type of data is made up of the responses from the Research Edition-specific popups (aka the questions that the researchers will ask you). Any question that you respond to from the researchers will not go to FuturLab, and will be sent securely from the game client to the researchers’ own database. No-one except the researchers will have read access to this sensitive information—and like your telemetry, these data will be de-identified.

Q: What is the difference between the Research Edition and the main version?
A: The Research Edition has the same content as the main game except for the following:

- Multiplayer has been disabled
- Non-English language support has been disabled
- A new launch sequence will allow first-time players to opt-in if they agree to the terms
- A new Opt Out button on the main menu provides players with instructions on how to transition back to the main game and remove their progression (and sensitive data) if desired
- A new Tell us how you feel button in the menu allows players to optionally give the researchers feedback about their experience once every 30 minutes
- A new Rewards option in the menu allows players to track their progress towards unlocking the new cosmetic reward for participation. Though these aren’t yet available for claiming, progression will be tracked and saved - don’t worry, you’ll be able to claim them when they release
- Throughout gameplay, a new character will periodically contact the player with communication about the study, often closely followed with a question about their experience

Q: How long will the Research Edition be available?

A: While we don't have a solid end date in mind yet, the branch will be available for at least three months from launch (which was 18th August 2022).

Q: Is there an age limit?

A: Unfortunately due to data protection and handling laws, participants must be aged 18 or older.





Once you have opted into the Research Edition, Steam will have automatically downloaded that version of the game and you will be able to run it from the Steam listing of the game in your library.

To return to the main game, you must follow the same process to get to the beta branch selection dropdown, then select None.



This should trigger/queue a download in Steam for the main version of the game, to replace the Research Edition.

Thank you for your interest! We hope you will consider joining us in the Research Edition of PowerWash Simulator.

Until next time!

Keep up with everything PowerWash Simulator by following our channels:

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/powerwashsimulator
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PowerWashSim
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/futurlab
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@powerwashsim?
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/powerwashsim/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/powerwashsim
PWS Wiki: https://powerwash-simulator.fandom.com/wiki/PowerWash_Simulator_Wiki

Hey everyone - welcome to dev log 65!

Last week, we opened our storybooks to take a look at the narrative of PowerWash Simulator with Writer Mark Ginbey: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1290000/view/3409806154136534468

This week, we’re getting all soppy with some reflections from the team on the creation, launch and community of PowerWash Simulator. We took inspiration from FuturLab’s Co-CEO James Marsden, who, at the PWS launch party, asked each member of staff what they were most proud of.

Originally posted by Toby

I think my favourite part of development was the day that Dan internally presented the completed story that he and Mark had been working on. It was such a wonderful surprise! The prospect of players encountering it themselves was hugely energising during development and it’s been fantastic to see it pay off.

Toby Adam-Smith | Head of Production

Originally posted by Nick

The Timelapse Camera in Powerwash Simulator. It turned out to be quite an important part of the game. The satisfying visual 'payoff' to all of hard work that goes into cleaning each job.
I still really enjoy watching players finish a job and seeing their washing methodologies be replayed at high speed. Everyone washes the same jobs but everyone's timelapse are unique. An expression of creativity that never gets old in my eyes. Very proud to have thought of this idea for the game.

Nick McCarthy | Designer

Originally posted by Louis

Very proud of how far we've come in improving accessibility for the game, listening to community feedback and developing new accessibility features + options for the players who need it. There's always more that can be done, so I'm looking forward to supporting it further and making it more playable for everyone!

Louis Sykes | Senior Games Programmer

Originally posted by Will

There are a couple of proud moments for me during/post launch, but most of them boil down to being able to show family and friends that my name is in the credits of a game that they enjoy so much. Plus the reactions to the story have made me laugh, the best was ‘Cleaning the RV again? That's a bit lazy to reuse the OH MY GOD'

Will Dyball | Multiplayer Programmer

Originally posted by Sofia

I remember the first time I washed something, during the very early days of development, when the powerwasher’s water was just a red beam! It has been an incredible journey of testing and following the game’s development throughout the past years and see it evolve to become the marvel it is today!

Sofia Emmanouiliou | Senior QA Tester

Originally posted by Elliot

I can't stop looking at things and thinking: 'you could power wash that.'

Elliot Greenwood | Business Development & Licensing Manager

Originally posted by Sam

We've received lots of messages from fans saying how much fun the game is and how it's helped them relax in times they've needed to! It just feels great knowing the work we're doing is having that kind of positive impact, and I hope people will continue to feel the same with what we have planned in the future!

Sam Jenkins | Junior Game Designer

Originally posted by Matt

It’s been a great journey on PWS, surrounded by a wonderful team. I've really enjoyed stepping out of my boundaries and catching up to our senior developers in terms of workflow and technical knowledge. As satisfying as it is to clean visual dirt, I've found satisfaction in clearing away the brain fog when tackling a new feature or issue.

I've also enjoyed watching the communities reaction to various content! From doing so, I have consolidated my views on fellow PowerWash enjoyers, and that is more of you NEED to use aim mode, it's like having a third arm attached to your face, truly the peak of human evolution. (I joke, but seriously aim mode is cool!) P.S Thank you fellow yellow nozzle users for your service

Matt Kelsey | Graphics Programmer

Originally posted by Federico

Working on a game that is considered not only fun and relaxing but also therapeutic is great. Not only does it entertain people but for some it also helps them relax and even open up.

Federico Dapote | Junior Game Designer

Originally posted by Paul

I would say I'm most proud of the end level murals. I've loved watching players discover them for the first time, and also seeing people decode the characters I created!

Paul Simpson | UI Artist

Originally posted by Dave

I can't get enough of watching people complete the game and watch the credits. It makes me so happy every time! Everything about that end sequence is so good and perfectly wraps up an incredible journey.

Dave Gabriel | Designer

Originally posted by Alicja

While I haven't been working on the game very long it's been amazing seeing all the positive feedback and seeing PWS being mentioned everyday, it's very uplifiting! On more personal note I love testing new levels and I'm forever surprised by how fun it is to test this game.

Alicja Nogal | QA Tester

Originally posted by Dan

I’ve really enjoyed all the environmental storytelling that we squeezed into the game. From using dirt to tell the history of the buildings and vehicles (and customers!), the reappearances of vehicles in later jobs and the many different ways we snuck in references to the Mayor’s missing cat, it has been really fun bringing the town of Muckingham to life.

Dan Chequer | Lead Designer

Originally posted by Josh

It is an incredible pleasure working on PWS, the community is super wholesome! I personally have been shooketh at the amount of feedback we've gotten, each time we asked for polls or feedback there would be thousands of responses. It has given us a real clear picture of what the playerbase is thinking with each patch and has made Early Access feel really worthwhile.

Josh Brown | Senior Community Manager

Originally posted by Gonzalo

I remember working on the first demo of PWS. On those dark days someone decided it would be funny to add a gnome to a garden. Seeing gnomes evolve from a small detail to a joke to becoming an integral part of the game is definitely something that I will never forget.

Gonzalo De La Mata | Junior Programmer

Originally posted by Steven

I love seeing the community band together to help each other wash levels in co-op, and it makes me smile every time I see someone post that they have got all the achievements!

Steven Dupont | Programmer

Originally posted by James

Whilst Early Access has presented its challenges for production, it’s been an extremely rewarding experience on balance. The team has had direct feedback from players all the way along, which is so rewarding for the creative spirit, and on release day, from a studio point of view, it’s less nail-biting waiting for the review scores to appear when you’ve known how players are enjoying the game throughout development with a user rating. Thank you so much for taking part and joining us on this journey!

James Marsen | FuturLab Co-CEO

Small update for achievement text that requires no download is now live on all platforms. The below alterations were made to make the achievement objectives as clear as possible.

[h2]Changes: [/h2]

All Hands on Deck Description:

EN: Complete the Fishing Boat decks and steps first Complete the Fishing Boat bow, steps and main deck first.

(This change has also been made in all other languages)

Pressure’s Off:
IT: Pressione al Massimo Senza pressione

Fashionista Description: “Equip a new outfit, gloves and washer modification at the same time”

IT: Usa un nuovo completo, guanti e una modifica dell'idropulitrice in contemporanea Usa un nuovo completo, nuovi guanti e una nuova modifica dell'idropulitrice in contemporanea

SC: 同时装备新服装、手套和清洗器改装 同时装备新服装、新手套和新清洗器改装




Until next time!

Keep up with everything PowerWash Simulator by following our channels:

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/powerwashsimulator
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PowerWashSim
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/futurlab
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@powerwashsim?
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/powerwashsim/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/powerwashsim
PWS Wiki: https://powerwash-simulator.fandom.com/wiki/PowerWash_Simulator_Wiki