PowerWash Simulator has a helpful new Aim Mode in its Birthday update

A toggle to help with motion sickness

Has it really been a year since PowerWash Simulator launched on Steam? It has! It turns out that time flies when you’re meticulously blasting away gunk with a pressure washer. If you like the idea of this surprisingly resonant sim but are waiting until it hits version 1.0, it’s still in Early Access — but it’s getting closer, as evidenced by this week’s Birthday update. There’s a new Aim Mode in PowerWash Simulator to help reduce motion sickness.

The developers hope that Aim Mode will chip away at “one of the biggest barriers to a minority but significant group of players.” Basically, it’s a toggle (using “C” or pressing up on the D-pad) that lets you aim your washer independently, so the camera will stay still.

“We think most players will play with this mode to some degree, as many of us at FuturLab have opted to wash in this mode,” said the PowerWash Simulator team.

Many of PowerWash Simulator‘s updates have added new levels — known in-game as “jobs” — and the Birthday update is no exception. There’s a Steam Locomotive job (pictured above), as well as a Gnome Fountain (don’t make eye contact with the little guys) and a Mini-Golf Course. You’ll find all three jobs listed under the “special” section.

Old jobs got a bit more “love”

Aside from the three new jobs, following a bunch of player feedback, FuturLab has also gone back through to shore up many of the game’s existing jobs.

“Several jobs have had a visual and design redux, including the Back Garden, Storybook Cottage, and Shoe House,” according to the developers. “Many jobs have had their details renamed to be more straightforward. Large areas like the Playground floor have been cut down into smaller chunks for more dings. Thresholds have been made tighter or slightly easier depending on feedback (the Skatepark floor no longer completes with a massive piece of dirt left). Plus, many more small tweaks.”

A few more PowerWash Simulator Birthday update bullet points:

• Tutorial prompts — “Maybe some content creators won’t be stuck realizing they can rotate their nozzles over multiple episodes…”
• Controller haptics — “Haptics are here for more controller-led washing immersion.”
• More money sources — “Co-op partners and replaying levels will earn 25% of the total amount of the cleaning job. Player 1 in co-op will get the total amount if they are in career mode. We hope this will help without ruining the economy.”

I haven’t played PowerWash Simulator in, well, too long — but it’s been staring back at me in my Steam library for months, just waiting to be picked over Vampire Survivors. In all that time, I’ve kept it up-to-date. It’s one of those games I know I’ll eventually return to, and I don’t mind keeping it installed, just in case I want to get some Big Dad energy out.

Conceptually, I love that this game exists — and that it’s so popular.