tinyBuild and debut studio Fantastic Signals reveal The Lift — Steam Playtest is live
Indie publisher tinyBuild and debut studio Fantastic Signals, a new team made up of veteran developers responsible for games such as Pathologic 2 and Ori and the Will of the Wisps, has announced The Lift, a first-person, narrative-driven supernatural handyman simulator coming to PC.
According to the recent press release, Fantastic Signals is drawing from their experience working on Pathologic 2 to weave immersive-sim elements into The Lift and introduce multiple unique twists into a genre that usually focuses on repairs, renovations, and cleaning.
Announcement Trailer
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In terms of setting, The Lift is inspired by the works of Soviet and Russian science-fiction authors, the Strugatsky brothers, and the SCP Foundation. This provides a weird and wonderful mix of fairy-tale fantasy and sci-fi steampunk atmosphere, mixed with strange machines and contraptions against a dark, mysterious narrative.
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The Lift — Game Info
Release: 2026 (PC)
Genre: Supernatural Handyman Simulator, Immersive Sim, Story-Rich
Developer/Publisher: Fantastic Signals / tinyBuild
Platforms: PC (Steam) — Playtest live now; console versions planned
If you enjoy unusual builder/sim playtests, also see our coverage of The Hell City Builder.
The Lift is positioned as a “supernatural handyman simulator,” tasking the player with renovating a massive research facility abandoned after a mysterious incident. Gameplay injects aspects of “house-flipper” style systems—replacing, cleaning, and fixing various machines and electronics—while keeping an ever-creeping dark matter from enveloping everything.
At the core is the repair system: analyzing devices, replacing missing parts, and connecting circuits from found components. Every machine has a purpose, from vending machines and generators to supercomputers, massive satellites, and reactors. This taps into proven gameplay tropes—games like House Flipper, Garage Mechanic, Crime Scene Cleaner, and other repair sims are strong sellers, satisfying a mix of discovery, solution, and repair-based gameplay.
The Lift is a refreshing addition to the genre, tapping into the popularity of “fix it” games while also bringing a beautifully realized universe of weird and wonderful elements that help it stand apart.
Players can join the Playtest now via Steam.
Console release details haven’t been revealed yet, but expectations are high for The Lift to succeed on PC and current-gen platforms in 2026.
By: Aidan Minter, Contributing Writer
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