Research Points are the currency that gates almost everything worth having in Waterpark Simulator, from bigger park capacity and larger inventory space to new buildings and structures. You earn them by doing hands-on work around the park, then spend them at the Research Table. The catch is that basic labor feels slow, so the goal is to pick the actions that pay the most XP per second.
Quick answer: Spray visitors with the Water Gun until they react (about three to four sprays each) for roughly six to nine XP per guest, then supplement with maintenance and the trash-bag-burst trick during downtime.
Best Research Point methods, ranked by speed
Every method below feeds the same Research XP bar. The bar moves through many small actions, and the amount of available work shifts with park size, guest traffic, weather, and how many attractions are running. Here is how the reliable earners compare.
| Method | Approx. XP | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Spray Water Gun on visitors | ~6–9 XP per guest | Fast early-game farming |
| Burst trash bags, then pick up | XP per individual piece | Steady grinding near a dumpster |
| Sell the correct ticket | XP per correct sale | Passive daily income |
| Clean, mop, and repair | XP per action | Constant, always available |
| Let Vandals spray graffiti | Good early XP per clean-up | Early game with upgraded mop |
Spray the Water Gun on customers
The Water Gun is the fastest early-game earner by a wide margin. You unlock it fairly early, once the park reaches its first Star level. After that, walking the park and soaking guests turns nearly every visitor into a small XP payout.
Burst trash bags for extra XP
Picking up trash is an easy earner because more visitors mean more litter. There is a faster variant, though. Instead of dropping a full trash bag into a bin, throw it hard against a wall or object so it bursts open. You then collect each individual piece of trash separately, and every piece pays out.
Do this right next to a dumpster so you never have to walk far for a new bag. Fill, throw, scatter, pick up, repeat. The loop is repetitive but it stacks XP quickly when you need a short push.
Maintain the park: clean, mop, and repair
Regular upkeep is the most consistent source of Research XP because the park always needs it. Cleaning up puddles, repairing damaged structures, and scrubbing dirty attractions all add to the bar. Since messes pile up throughout a busy day, you rarely run out of work.
The most efficient way to farm maintenance XP is to run one full cleaning-and-repair loop after closing. With no guests to serve, you can move through the whole park without stopping to sell tickets or respond to safety alerts. Start at the entrance, sweep through food stands, toilets, and showers, then follow the pools and slides out to the farthest attraction and back toward the Research Table.
Tip: Competent staff can steal your XP. Two Janitors keep the park clean, but they often reach puddles before you do, leaving fewer messes for your own bar. If you need a personal Research push, keep fewer cleaners while the park is small and manageable.
Sell the correct tickets
Selling tickets is a dependable earner because a steady stream of customers arrives every day. Each visitor tells you which ticket type they want. Hand them the right one and you collect Research XP. Give them the wrong ticket and they leave, so pay attention to each request.
Let Vandals leave graffiti (early game)
Punishing Vandals cuts off a quiet source of income. If you leave them alone and let them spray graffiti around the park, cleaning it up returns solid Research XP. This works best in the early game, especially once you have an upgraded mop, since the graffiti clean-up rewards stack fast against the effort.
Spend Research Points at the Research Table
Once the bar is full and you have Research Points banked, head to the Research Table to unlock upgrades. New sections of the research tree open up as your park’s Star level climbs, and you then spend points on individual nodes within it.
Buy the upgrade that removes your park’s biggest current bottleneck rather than the flashiest node. If dirty water forces constant drain-and-refill cycles, work toward Chlorine, which cleans dirty pool water without a full drain (it does not remove bottles or trash, so keep clearing those by hand). If guests are stuck at the entrance, prioritize cashier upgrades and the Ticket ATM. If you have hit your staff cap, buy Hiring Level Up before unlocking any role you cannot actually employ, since unlocking a job does not create an employee slot.
You will know a purchase worked when the node lights up as unlocked in the tree and its effect appears in the park, whether that is a new building, extra inventory space, or a higher park capacity. Save points only when nothing on the tree solves an urgent problem, and stop hoarding the moment dirty water, staff limits, or long queues start costing you more than the next node would.
