This Day One Game Pass Release Is Your New Chill Obsession
‘Spray Paint Simulator’ puts the fun in watching paint dry.
There’s plenty to be stressed out about. Whether it's big stuff like climate change, medium stuff like mediocre Wes Anderson movies, or small stuff like wondering if you drink too much Diet Coke, odds are your brain could use a break. Video games promise to deliver us the escapism we crave, but sometimes you need to calm yourself in a way that the latest Elden Ring release can’t deliver. Sometimes you just need to chill, and the latest Day One launch on Game Pass is here to help.
Spray Paint Simulator is not just a clever name. The experience is exactly as advertised. Players settle into the role of an aspiring artist/entrepreneur who finds work doing everything from custom car touch-ups to massive indoor renovations. If you’ve spent hours methodically blasting away in PowerWash Simulator, then Spray Paint Simulator will feel like a natural evolution. Where PowerWash Simulator emphasized cleanup and order, Spray Paint Simulator is about color, expression, and that deeply gratifying pssshhh of aerosol.
In the past few years, "chill games" have exploded in popularity. From Unpacking to Townscaper, players have shown they’re hungry for relaxing gameplay loops that emphasize creativity and low-stakes engagement. These titles ditch combat and timers in favor of zen-like flow states, and Spray Paint Simulator is the latest standout in the genre.
Developed by North Star Video Games, the gameplay loop borrows liberally from PowerWash Simulator’s satisfying core as you clean up (or in this case, fill in) every nook and cranny. The game’s mechanics are deceptively simple but surprisingly deep. Career mode is a great place to start. You’ll get different jobs from clients, some more colorful in their personalities than others, but there isn’t some grand hero’s journey at the center. It’s just about the work.
Regardless, the work follows a familiar pattern. Your first step will be to cover areas that shouldn’t get painted, a.k.a. masking, which is a detail-driven task that walks the line between satisfying and tedious. As you finish jobs you earn money for upgrades. Players have access to an expanding toolkit of paints and accessories that help you tackle tougher jobs. One of your first investments will be the portable radio that provides a steady stream of lo-fi beats to keep you in the groove.
Once you master masking complex projects like this tour bus become much more satisfying.
And you’ll need a good groove to get through some of the bigger jobs in Spray Paint Simulator. This is where the comparison to PowerWash Simulator starts to work against it. Washing the same brown dirt off of stuff feels less repetitive than applying the same color paint for 20-30 minutes at a stretch. Smaller jobs, like painting a tour bus, can be a little more lively thanks to the added details.
The game also features a robust Free Paint Mode, where you can create and share pieces on massive digital walls with no restrictions. Think of it like a graffiti sandbox, perfect for players who just want to paint for the sake of painting. It’s all very user-friendly, too. You don’t need to be an artist to enjoy Spray Paint Simulator any more than you need to be a farmer to enjoy Stardew Valley.
With an accessible control scheme, cross-platform support, and modding tools already in the works, Spray Paint Simulator is off to a good start. Its emphasis on mood and atmosphere make immersion easy, although if you’re the type who always needs a good game to accompany podcasts this is a perfect fit for that, too. If you’re expecting thrills you should look for a game that is not about literal paint drying.
Free Paint mode is exactly as fun as it sounds (especially in co-op).
Spray Paint Simulator is more interior design than subway tagger, but its methodical loop is soothing in all the right ways. This isn’t a game you have to think too hard about, but you have to think just enough you can get out of your head for a bit. Fans of PowerWash Simulator will fit right in, but newcomers won’t face much of a learning curve thanks to a straightforward premise and intuitive controls. Settle in with a pair of headphones and feel your stress melt away drip-by-colorful-drip.
