Spray Paint Simulator takes clear inspiration from popular relaxation based simulation games like PowerWash Simulator and House Flipper. As a big fan of these types of games, I found myself immediately enjoying my time with Spray Paint Simulator. It offers that same satisfying, low-stress gameplay loop, but adds its own unique twist that sets it apart from its inspirations.
The game opens with a tutorial mission that has you spraying what appears to be a Dodge Challenger. This serves as an excellent introduction to the mechanics and expectations of the game. Unlike PowerWash Simulator, where you jump straight into the action of cleaning, Spray Paint Simulator adds a pre-step, masking! Before you can paint, you need to tape off and cover areas you don’t want to spray, such as windows, wheels, and already painted areas. Attached items like antennas, license plates, and door handles will require you to remove. You also have to purchase all your materials like paper, tape, paint, and even batteries for your spray gun.
This added layer of preparation turns the game into more than just a straightforward painting experience, it becomes an added meditative process of coordinating your supplies before you begin the job. For fans of the genre, this methodical, step-by-step approach is where the real joy lies. It’s a relaxing and calming gameplay experience that allows you to go at your own pace and unwind. And that’s all before you even begin the painting itself.
Mechanically, spraying the paint feels very similar to spraying water in PowerWash Simulator, making the core gameplay feel familiar and immediately satisfying. However, the added challenge of keeping certain areas free of paint adds enhances the overall experience. You can’t begin the painting process until everything is prepped unfortunately , so no wild departures from the task at hand, that is until you get to Free Spray mode, more later. Spray Paint Simulator may follow in the footsteps of other titles, but it carves out its own identity with thoughtful detail and a therapeutic pace.
Like others in the Simulator genre, Spray Paint Simulator offers an upgrade system for you to make your work easier. In this case you can upgrade your main tool, the spray gun. As you progress, you can purchase enhancements that improve paint output, increase the spray distance, and extend battery life. These upgrades not only make the process more efficient but also add a sense of progression and customization that keeps gameplay engaging. You’ll also need to invest in supportive tools such as ladders, scaffolding, and eventually even cherry pickers to reach higher areas, especially as jobs become larger.
The spray gun itself offers some familiar options, options like rotating the nozzle for vertical or horizontal spray patterns. You can also switch to a narrow jet for more detailed work, perfect for hitting tight spots without wasting paint. Resource management plays a role too, since paint, tape, batteries, and other materials must be purchased. While these items aren’t overly expensive, frequent resupplies can gradually chip away at your in-game funds, encouraging more careful and strategic use of your tools.
One common challenge in games that revolve around applying or removing substances is determining when a task is truly complete. Spray Paint Simulator helps alleviate this by highlighting missed areas, whether it’s unpainted spots or elements you forgot to mask or remove. Additionally, each section of your project features a percentage meter, letting you track your progress. For example, painting a bus’s door will show the percentage covered and when you hover over the front panel it’s change over to the amount covered there. However, the game still suffers from the issue of those frustrating final few percentage points, where it becomes difficult to find what you missed. Even with highlights, spotting those small overlooked sections can be tedious. An additional visible alert system, one that would appear after a certain percentage covered, such as arrows point to the missed spots, would significantly improve this aspect.
A nice touch at the end of each job is a short stop-motion recap video, showcasing your painting process from start to finish. Much like in PowerWash Simulator, this feature, though easily ignorable, adds a satisfying sense of closure to each project. All of these features are part of Spray Paint Simulator’s career mode, which offers a structured gameplay experience lasting around 15 hours. In this mode, you’ll complete a variety of painting jobs, progressing through increasingly complex projects while unlocking the ability to buy new tools, and upgrades. It’s a satisfying blend of task management, precision, and creativity that rewards careful planning and attention to detail.
Beyond the career mode, the game includes two additional modes: Free Spray and Multiplayer. Free Spray gives you the freedom to paint however you like, without the constraints of job requirements or resource management. As you unlock new levels in career mode, those environments become available in Free Spray as well, giving you a broader canvas to work on. You can also invite friends to join you in Free Spray mode, and I was unable to test multiplayer at time of writing so I am unsure if players only get access to the hosts upgrade, similar to PowerWash Simulator, or if players join with their own. Regardless, this adds a fun, collaborative element and allows for some creative experimentation with friends.
While Spray Paint Simulator shares similarities with games in the Simulator genre, it manages to feel distinct thanks to its emphasis on masking and preparation. It’s one of the few games in the genre that requires players to take the time to protect certain areas before starting their work. This mechanic not only adds realism but also creates a deeper, more immersive gameplay experience. The variety of tools, combined with the game’s focus on both creativity and precision, offers a refreshing freedom often seen in other job simulators to a degree. At the same time, Spray Paint Simulator delivers that deeply satisfying feeling of completing a job well done while making it both relaxing and rewarding.
A Steam code was provided in advance by the publisher for review purposes
