Laundry Store Simulator is a first person shop management game from Indonesian studio Akhir Pekan Studio, published by PlayWay and released on 9 December 2024. You start with a small laundromat, a handful of second hand machines and a stack of decorations you can sell for startup cash, and you build it into a business with coin operated self service, a minimart, a screen printing bench, carpet and shoe cleaning and a bakso cart out front. Progress runs on a Laundry Rank that rises as you serve customers, and each rank up hands you a challenge asking for a set number of repetitions of a specific task before it unlocks. Machines matter more than they first appear: the starting Cheap Used washer costs eleven dollars and takes 45 minutes a cycle, while the Waffles Series 77B costs 786 dollars, needs Rank 8 and cuts that to about 20 minutes. There are 75 achievements, a skill tree, phone based quests and a rotating cast of troublesome customers, and the whole thing is far denser than the storefront screenshots suggest.
Starting Laundry Store Simulator can feel overwhelming. This guide tells you exactly what to focus on during your first hours so you don't waste time on things that don't matter yet. For the full progression path, see our walkthrough.
What Kind of Game Is This?
Laundry Store Simulator is a simulation game built around Laundry Rank and rank up challenges and Washer and dryer tiers. The core loop involves mastering these systems to progress through increasingly challenging content.
What to expect: Time investment in learning mechanics, experimentation, and gradual mastery. The game rewards patience and knowledge.
Choosing Your First Build
| Build | Beginner Rating | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Cashier | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Washing and drying staff | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Folding and ironing staff | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Minimart clerk | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Bakso vendor | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
Our recommendation: Start with Washing and drying staff. It offers the most forgiving experience while teaching core mechanics.
Avoid Bakso vendor as your first pick. It requires deep knowledge of game systems to use effectively. Once you're ready, check our classes guide for all options.
First Session Step-by-Step
Step 1: Learn Laundry Rank and rank up challenges
Every completed transaction awards experience, and hitting the threshold triggers a challenge rather than an instant promotion. The challenge asks for a set number of repetitions of one task, such as washing a certain number of loads or serving a number of customers, and only completing it raises the rank. Ranks gate almost everything worth having: the minimart employee needs Rank 6 together with the storage room unlocked, and the Waffles Series 77B washer needs Rank 8.
This is the foundation. Spend your first 15-30 minutes getting comfortable with how Laundry Rank and rank up challenges works before worrying about anything else. Our combat guide breaks this down further.
Step 2: Head to Coin Wash Room
The self service area, and the most valuable expansion in the early game because coin washers earn money without your attention. Customers regularly leave clothes and underwear behind in these machines, which becomes free stock to sell.
Clear the main content here before moving on. Everything teaches fundamentals you'll need later. See our maps guide for all locations.
Step 3: Get Your First Upgrade
Look for Waffles Series 77B washing machine: it's the most accessible early upgrade. The top tier washer at 786 dollars, gated behind Laundry Rank 8, cutting the wash cycle to roughly 20 minutes. Higher quality machines also break down far less, so the saving is in uninterrupted running as much as in cycle time.
Step 4: Understand Washer and dryer tiers
Washing machines run from the Cheap Used unit at eleven dollars with a 45 minute cycle up to the Waffles Series 77B at 786 dollars, which drops the cycle to roughly 20 minutes. Faster machines cost more but they also break down less often, so the real saving is fewer repair interruptions rather than the raw time. Dryers work the same way and become the bottleneck once your washers are quick, because clothes queue between the two stages.
This is the system most new players overlook. Invest time here early. It pays off throughout the entire game.
Step 5: Push to Minimart counter
Retail shelves at the front of the shop selling cleaning supplies and other goods, with prices you can adjust every day. The 1,100 dollar upgrade also makes the cashier employee Tannahill considerably more effective at the counter.
Essential Mechanics Explained
Laundry Rank and rank up challenges
Every completed transaction awards experience, and hitting the threshold triggers a challenge rather than an instant promotion. The challenge asks for a set number of repetitions of one task, such as washing a certain number of loads or serving a number of customers, and only completing it raises the rank. Ranks gate almost everything worth having: the minimart employee needs Rank 6 together with the storage room unlocked, and the Waffles Series 77B washer needs Rank 8.
Washer and dryer tiers
Washing machines run from the Cheap Used unit at eleven dollars with a 45 minute cycle up to the Waffles Series 77B at 786 dollars, which drops the cycle to roughly 20 minutes. Faster machines cost more but they also break down less often, so the real saving is fewer repair interruptions rather than the raw time. Dryers work the same way and become the bottleneck once your washers are quick, because clothes queue between the two stages.
Coin laundry self service
The Coin Wash Room is the single best early unlock because coin washers earn without you touching them. They run from 39 dollars to 201 dollars with cycle times from two hours down to one hour twenty, and customers pay a fixed rate no matter which machine they use, so the cheap ones are not obviously worse per transaction. Customers also leave clothes behind in coin machines, and those can be sold at the secondhand shop across the street for a dollar or two each.
Employees at two dollars a day
Every employee costs two dollars a day, which is trivial against what they earn, so hiring early is close to free money. They are not equal: Ellen handles folding and ironing well enough to be the first hire most players make, Tannahill runs the cashier position and becomes far more useful once the 1,100 dollar minimart upgrade is installed, and Alva is slow enough at washing and drying that many players skip her. Special employee upgrades let staff handle minimart stock, fur removal and other tasks they cannot do by default.
Side businesses and the minimart
The laundry itself is only part of the income. A minimart sells retail products at prices you set daily, screen printing lets you make custom shirts with variable ink costs, carpet cleaning and shoe cleaning unlock as separate services, and a bakso cart sells food to a separate customer type. Fully upgrading the bakso cart unlocks a dedicated bakso employee. Setting up the minimart early is the standard advice because it produces steady income that does not compete with your machine time.
Common Beginner Mistakes
1. Buying expensive manual washers before you unlock the Coin Wash Room, when coin machines earn without your attention and cost a fraction as much
2. Leaving the starting decorations in place instead of selling them, which delays your first real machine purchase by a full shift
3. Skipping employees because two dollars a day sounds like an ongoing cost, when a single staff member clears more than that in one shift
4. Upgrading washers while ignoring dryers, which just moves the bottleneck one stage down the line and leaves clean laundry stacked up
5. Ignoring the phone quests, which pay six to twenty dollars each and are the steadiest early income in the game outside coin machines
First 5 Hours Checklist
- Understand Laundry Rank and rank up challenges and Washer and dryer tiers
- Choose Washing and drying staff as starting build
- Clear Coin Wash Room main content
- Acquire Waffles Series 77B washing machine or equivalent upgrade
- Reach Minimart counter
- Sell the decorations that come with the starting shop before your first customer arrives, because furniture resells for roughly ten percent of its purchase price and that first lump of cash buys your first proper washer.
- Coin washers cost between 39 and 201 dollars and customers pay a fixed rate regardless of machine quality, so buying the cheapest coin machines and filling the room beats buying one expensive unit.
Tips for New Players
- Sell the decorations that come with the starting shop before your first customer arrives, because furniture resells for roughly ten percent of its purchase price and that first lump of cash buys your first proper washer.
- Coin washers cost between 39 and 201 dollars and customers pay a fixed rate regardless of machine quality, so buying the cheapest coin machines and filling the room beats buying one expensive unit.
- Every employee costs two dollars a day, which is small enough that hiring as soon as staff become available pays for itself within a single shift.
- Ellen is the strongest early hire for folding and ironing, Tannahill becomes a five star cashier once the 1,100 dollar minimart upgrade is installed, and Alva is slow enough at washing and drying that most players leave her on the bench.
- Open the challenges app on your phone every one or two shifts, because quests pay roughly six to twenty dollars each and they expire if you leave them unclaimed.
- Movement speed upgrades in the skill tree run up to 225 percent, and on a shop with several rooms that is worth more than an extra machine because it cuts walking time on every single order.
- Higher quality machines break down less often, so if you are chasing repair based achievements keep some level 1 coin washers around deliberately until those achievements are done.
- Clothes left in coin machines sell for a dollar or two each at the secondhand shop across the street, and empty cardboard boxes go for about ten cents, so sweep the coin room on every pass.
- The minimart employee needs Laundry Rank 6 and the storage room unlocked together, so plan both before you expect the counter to run itself.
- Fully upgrading the bakso cart unlocks a dedicated bakso employee, which is the only way to serve bakso customers without standing at the cart yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best first purchase in Laundry Store Simulator?
Sell the starting decorations for cash, then put that money into coin washers once the Coin Wash Room is available. Coin machines cost between 39 and 201 dollars, earn while you work elsewhere, and customers pay the same rate whichever machine they pick, so quantity beats quality here.
How does the Laundry Rank system work?
Serving customers earns experience, and hitting the threshold triggers a challenge asking for a number of repetitions of a specific task. Completing that challenge raises your rank. Ranks gate content: the minimart employee needs Rank 6 plus the storage room, and the Waffles Series 77B washer needs Rank 8.
Are employees worth hiring?
Yes, all of them cost two dollars a day. Ellen is the standout for folding and ironing, Tannahill becomes a five star cashier once you install the 1,100 dollar minimart upgrade, and Alva is slow at washing and drying. Special upgrades let staff handle minimart stock and other tasks they cannot do by default.
What are the disruptive customers?
The game warns you before they arrive. The smoker kills your tips while present, the sprayer blocks other customers from reaching the counter, one visitor sneaks into your office to use your computer, and another requires you to deal with a bomb. Each one is a timed interruption rather than a permanent problem.
What else can I sell besides laundry?
A minimart with daily adjustable pricing, custom shirt screen printing with per design ink costs, carpet cleaning, shoe cleaning, and a bakso cart that serves its own customer type. Fully upgrading the bakso cart unlocks a bakso employee to run it for you.
More Laundry Store Simulator Guides
- Laundry Store Simulator Laundry Store Simulator Overview
- Laundry Store Simulator Best Builds
- Laundry Store Simulator Tier List
- Laundry Store Simulator Walkthrough
- Laundry Store Simulator Tips & Tricks
- Laundry Store Simulator Weapons Guide
- Laundry Store Simulator Combat Guide
- Laundry Store Simulator Boss Guide
- Laundry Store Simulator Maps & Locations
- Laundry Store Simulator Crafting Guide
- Laundry Store Simulator Classes & Characters
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