Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: The world is in ruins. Humanity has fled to the cosmos, leaving behind a network of robots tasked with preserving what’s left. It’s not entirely clear what happened to Earth in the first place, let alone the humans who left it, but those mysteries are what drive you forward on your quest to keep humanity’s legacy alive. 

A desolate, post-apocalyptic world is by no means an unexplored concept in gaming, but it serves as a strong jumping off point for The Last Caretaker, the debut title from developer Channel37. You play as the eponymous robot, who has mysteriously been reactivated with an unexplained, almost compulsive need to complete their final mission. As luck would have it, those who escaped to the stars discovered that they are incapable of reproducing in a gravity-free environment, meaning that their only hope is for one of these worker robots—in this case, you—to cultivate genetically engineered embryos with the hope of launching them into outer space and ensuring humanity’s continued existence. 

“Our team has always been fascinated by the evolution of technology, and the idea of building a world where robots played a central role in humanity’s future was compelling from the very beginning,” explains Jack Pattillo, community manager for Channel37. 

“We also wanted to create a world that felt lived-in. This is not the story of how the flood happened. When the game begins, the world is already underwater. That’s not the central mystery—it’s just the backdrop," Pattillo continues. "Your journey isn’t about surviving the flood, it’s about navigating what came after. From the start, we wanted players to step into a world filled with unanswered questions. Why were you reactivated? What happened to those who left Earth? What is still out there? The game encourages exploration, guiding you from one location to the next as you piece together the answers.”

The Last Caretaker’s prologue, which we went hands-on with during Summer Games Fest, serves as a teaser of sorts, introducing players to a handful of core mechanics without pulling the curtain back entirely. Object interactions and physics play a central role—nearly every item you come across in The Last Caretaker can be picked up, thrown, carried, or stored in your inventory for safekeeping. You’re first tasked with getting your ship up and running, which requires you to charge a handful of your ship’s components by wiring them together with electrical cable. Batteries you find often need to be charged, and things like electrical current can be reversed, allowing you to drain or charge critical equipment. 

My favorite, of course, was a device I simply referred to as “the Grinder,” which can take just about anything you can throw into it—rusted pipes, office chairs, the post-apocalyptic sky’s the limit—and turn it into raw materials. These materials can then be used to craft equipment like repair tools and flashlights, though there looks to be a few dozen blueprints and craftable items in the full game and we only saw a fraction.

My hands-on time with The Last Caretaker came to an end once I got my ship running again and took to the high seas, but I only scratched the surface of what the game has to offer. As you begin exploring nearby structures—think radio towers, abandoned science labs, gas depots, that sort of thing—your in-game map will slowly expand, revealing more key areas, with the final goal being a rocket launch site that can (presumably) help you send newly born humans into space.

While the team over at Channel37 is planning to launch The Last Caretaker in Early Access later this year, the development process is constantly evolving, and has already amassed a devoted community. Pattillo, having previously worked for Rooster Teeth, is no stranger to the world of webshows, and regularly hosts a weekly livestream of the game. 

​​”We do not hide behind polished vertical slices,” says Pattillo. “Instead, viewers have watched the game evolve in real-time. The map has shifted, the UI has been tweaked, new weapons have appeared, systems have been overhauled, and machines have been reworked or moved entirely. If it has changed, they have probably seen it happen live. This level of openness is central to how we build both our game and our community. We are proud of The Last Caretaker, and we hope that by inviting people behind the curtain, they are just as excited to see where it goes next as we are.”

Wishlist The Last Caretaker on the Epic Games Store ahead of its Early Access launch later this year. For those who want to follow along with The Last Caretaker's development, you can check out weekly livestreams over on YouTube.