Powerwash Simulator's biggest secret is all the wild time-travel lore

Powerwash Simulator will launch on PS5 and PS4 on January 31st, 2023, finally giving PlayStation fans a taste of what they've been missing: a dose of the madness that is Powerwash Simulator's lore.

Powerwash Simulator might seem like your run-of-the-mill hobby simulator, its sole appeal being just how cathartic it is to clean things, but did you know the lore of this PlayStation Indie runs wild and deep? Washing stuff is just the beginning, as Powerwash Simulator's lore hides some amazing time-travel shenanigans.

Powerwash Simulator? More like Power Rangers Time Force, which is also a real thing.

How did the world of Powerwash Simulator get so dirty?

Powerwash Simulator on PS5 and PS4 actually has a story, although it is rather threadbare. The lore is dispensed largely via in-game text messages and environmental details — much of which is completely ignorable if you really just want to stick to washing. That said, we'll pop a little spoiler warning here: if you're already sold on Powerwash Simulator and would rather take the hints you've read so far and find out the rest for yourself, that's perfectly respectable.

Now, if you've ever seen any screenshots of Powerwash Simulator, you might have noticed that the game's world is utterly covered in filth. You might then assume that this game doesn't take place in a comprehensive world — everything exists in some sort of power-washing fantasy. Not so: the world of Powerwash Simulator got all grimed up because the in-universe Elon Musk wanted to find Atlantis.

Across Powerwash Simulator's various jobs, you'll work for a few somewhat wealthier clientele — even Lara Croft from Tomb Raider will be your Powerwash Simulator DLC boss. One exceptionally wealthy individual, Blake Thrust, hires you to clean some of his stuff, like a giant drill and a private jet. It's this individual who starts mining a nearby volcano, Mt Ruthless, which puts the world on the brink of collapse and covers much of it in soot, dirt, and grime.

Thus, you begin the journey to set the world aright and powerwash the apocalypse away. Upon your travels (through text message, of course), a job you take will introduce you to some time travellers led by Ceruleon Skye. Coming from the far-flung future, in a timeline where Mt Ruthless erupts, blotting the sky and nearly destroying all human life, Skye's crew are currently travelling through time to prevent the deepest darkest timeline, and your help lands you a fascinating spot in the lore of Powerwash Simulator.

That ain't coming off.

We don't want to spoil the whole thing — let's just say this does require you to powerwash some extra special stuff in order to stop Mt Ruthless from killing everyone, and we'll hint that there are some curious statues in the game worthy of your scrutiny. There are plenty more secrets in this superb contender for the best FPS games on PlayStation, involving suspicious gnomes and conspiratorial cats, but this is the vital lore you need to know before playing Powerwash Simulator. Let us know in the comments just how insanely useful this was to you.

More PowerWash Simulator stories:

PlayStation 5

Written by Lee Brady

Staff Writer Lee keeps one eye on the future (Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth), one eye on the past (PS Plus Premium, recent Sony news), and his secret third eye on the junk he really likes (Sonic Superstars, Final Fantasy XVI). Then he uses his big mouth to blurt out long-winded opinions about video games.