The Last Caretaker, developed by Helsinki-based studio Channel 37, was named game of the year at the Finnish Game Awards 2026, Yle reports.

The award ceremony, held on Thursday evening in Helsinki, honoured the best Finnish games released in 2025 across five categories. The Last Caretaker, the studio’s debut title, placed first in the main category, ahead of Amistech Games’ My Winter Car and Kimmo Lahtinen’s Sektori.

The game puts players in control of a robot tasked with ensuring humanity’s survival after an apocalypse through building, farming, collecting and research. It has received international acclaim for its technical quality and atmosphere, and has sold hundreds of thousands of copies while still in early access. During its first two months, The Last Caretaker generated nearly seven million euros in gross revenue.

Channel 37 was founded in 2021 by a group of industry veterans, including Antti Ilvessuo and Sami Saarinen, who previously founded Red Lynx, later sold to French publisher Ubisoft.

Other winners at the gala included KooKoon Games as rookie of the year, Valtteri Lahti as influencer of the year, and Kimmo Factor’s Sektori for creative achievement. A new category, best additional content, was introduced this year, reflecting the industry shift toward ongoing game services; the award went to Cities Skylines. Neogames Finland also handed out its first Business Excellence Award to Supercell’s Clash Royale.

The winners and nominees were selected through a vote by members of the Finnish Game Developers’ Association. According to preliminary estimates from Neogames, the total revenue of Finland’s game industry grew despite a challenging international year.