Painter built a 3–1 set advantage over Spanish qualifier Cristo Reyes in the second round of the 2015 World Championship, but lost three sets in a row without getting a match dart to be eliminated 4–3. He suffered a 9–0 whitewash to Andrew Gilding in the third round of the UK Open. Painter missed out on playing in the World Matchplay this year since he switched to the PDC in 2001. He failed to qualify for the rest of the majors on the PDC calendar in 2015, but remained in the top 32 on the Order of Merit to play in the 2016 World Championship.