There are a lot of job simulation games out there now, letting you try out everything from driving trains to farming to even power washing. While I sometimes enjoy those games, I think The Lift will be my new favorite. It takes the idea of a job sim and adds a spooky, unusual twist.
The Lift is a new game that feels like a mix of the SCP Foundation, Pacific Drive, and Control. You play as a maintenance worker – fixing things like benches and lights – within a strange and unsettling facility. I’ve even started calling it “The Oldest House Flipper”! A free demo is available on Steam today, and I recently got a chance to play about three hours of it. It takes inspiration from games I love, but combines those elements in a fresh and interesting way.
The central location in The Lift, called The Institute, has a strange, unsettling atmosphere reminiscent of Remedy’s unique style. It’s a once-organized workspace now mysteriously deserted and falling apart. As the ‘Keeper,’ your job is to restore order, which means solving electrical puzzles similar to those in BioShock, cleaning up a strange black substance covering everything, and exploring the world in a detailed, immersive way – heavily inspired by games like Prey (2017). In fact, the game’s crafting system, where you find blueprints and feed resources into a machine to create better parts, is directly taken from Prey, even down to the look of the room where it all happens.
The team working on Fantastic Signals designed the game’s open-ended exploration of The Facility to feel reminiscent of games like Prey, which offer multiple ways to overcome challenges. Later in the game, new tools will even change how you approach areas you’ve already visited. However, the game also incorporates elements of a job simulator, creating a unique blend that feels familiar yet distinct from those other beloved titles.
In The Lift, every floor has a ‘health’ rating, and you’re tasked with fixing whatever’s broken to get it back to normal. It’s all about hands-on work! You’ll restore power to vending machines, replace broken lights, and gradually improve each floor’s functionality. You’ll also use a special tool to clean grime from surfaces like benches and doorways, unlocking new areas and helping you repair this abandoned, rundown facility.
The Lift is a game where you manipulate controls and interact with various systems, much like many job simulation games. It encourages experimentation – you can try out every button without fear of negative consequences, even if it leads to mistakes. Resources are readily available; if your equipment runs out of power, you can easily recharge it, and you can even reverse actions if needed. The levels aren’t overly guided, allowing for a feeling of exploration and discovery. Learning through observation and interaction with the environment is key – you figure out how things work by doing, rather than just being told. This complex, problem-solving approach is reminiscent of immersive sims, and it’s a quality I really appreciate in games. I didn’t expect to find it in a job sim, but so far, The Lift is working well.
The game’s story gradually reveals what happened at The Facility before your arrival to repair it. You’ll discover clues like Soviet-era posters and scattered notes, designed to keep you engaged and motivated to progress through each day and reach the next level. The developers haven’t fully explained if there are traditional enemies, but based on comparisons to the game Pacific Drive, it seems likely you’ll encounter strange anomalies rather than creatures to fight. However, it’s still uncertain.
I’m still figuring out The Lift – it’s a unique mix of genres with a lot of interactive elements, making it tricky to explain. The good news is a playtest is available, and the best way I can describe it is this: If you enjoy games like Control, Prey, and Pacific Drive, and wondered what they’d be like if they focused on a job, you’re in luck! The developers at Fantastic Signals asked themselves the same question and then created this game to explore that idea.
The Lift comes to PC in 2026, with console versions coming at a later date.
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2025-09-16 17:41