<p>To analyze the effect of spray trajectories on the temperature and residual stress of plasma-sprayed coatings, this study employed finite element method coupled with the element birth and death technique to simulate the deposition of CrMnFeCoNi high-entropy alloy coatings on 45 steel substrates. The focus was on comparing the influence of “N” shaped and “S” shaped spray paths on the distribution and magnitude of residual stress in the coatings. Under the same spray process parameters, the residual stresses in the coating of the two paths are similar in magnitude and distribution. However, on the substrate surface, particularly in the transition regions between adjacent coatings, there are significant differences in residual stress. The shear residual stress at the interface between the substrate and the coating for the coating sprayed with the “S” shaped path is significantly lower compared to that sprayed with the “N” shaped path. Overall, the comparison revealed that the “S” shaped spray path effectively reduces shear residual stress at the edges of adjacent coating layers, thereby enhancing the bonding strength between the coating and the substrate. Therefore, to optimize the coating quality, it is recommended that the planning of adjacent spray passes be in opposite directions.</p>