Belgian indie studio Rablo Games revealed Robot Recycler Ryn on November 24, 2025, with an announcement trailer showing off their ambitious construction RPG. The game puts you in the role of Ryn, a young woman learning the art of the Recyclers in a post-apocalyptic world where only specially trained individuals can build combat robots. Set for a Q4 2026 release on Steam, the game promises deep crafting mechanics inspired by real metalworking techniques combined with turn-based or active combat and a narrative campaign.
How Robot Building Actually Works
Robot construction in Robot Recycler Ryn happens through three detailed phases that emphasize realism over simplicity. First, you assemble the frame using various spare parts you’ve scavenged from the wasteland. This skeletal structure determines the basic shape and capabilities of your robotic limb, whether that’s an arm, leg, torso, or specialized component.
Second comes forging the shell, the most interactive and complex phase. You select from eight different real-world materials and alloys, each with distinct properties affecting durability, weight, and combat effectiveness. Then you use tools like the blowtorch, hammer, saw, workbench, and lathe to meticulously shape each piece of armor plating. Developer Pablo Coma visited training facilities for machining mechanics students to understand metalworking processes, and that research shows in how the game handles material deformation, heat treating, and precision crafting.
Finally, you assemble all the crafted limbs into a complete operational robot ready for battle. The quality of your craftsmanship directly impacts your robot’s performance. Rushing through construction or making imprecise cuts means your robot will be fragile and weak. Taking time to properly forge each component results in a powerful machine that can dominate opponents. This cause-and-effect relationship between construction quality and combat effectiveness creates meaningful consequences for how seriously you take the building phase.
Two Ways to Play
| Mode | Focus | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Story Mode | Narrative campaign | Follow Ryn’s journey, exploration, Recycler Rumble League |
| Construction Mode | Pure building | Unlimited crafting, optional combat testing, no story constraints |
Story Mode follows Ryn as she learns to become a Recycler and rises through the ranks of the Recycler Rumble League, a brutal competition where robot builders fight for dominance in the year 2530. The world is shattered and imbalanced, with oppressive rulers controlling the Rustfields. Ryn’s goal is to master robot construction while working to restore harmony to this devastated future. The mode includes exploration, combat, and narrative beats alongside the crafting mechanics.
Construction Mode strips away all story elements and focuses entirely on the robot-building experience. You can create whatever wild machines you imagine without narrative constraints, then optionally test them in battle scenarios to see how your designs perform. This mode appeals to players who just want to experiment with different builds, materials, and designs without worrying about campaign progression or story requirements.
Combat Options
Robot Recycler Ryn offers two distinct combat styles to accommodate different player preferences. Active mode requires real-time decision making where you dodge enemy attacks and make repairs to your robots during battles. This hands-on approach adds tension and skill requirements, rewarding players who can think quickly under pressure while managing multiple damaged robots simultaneously.
Auto-battle mode automates all combat actions, letting your robots fight independently based on their construction quality and team composition. Success in this mode depends entirely on how well you designed your robots and how strategically you arranged your team rather than player reflexes. This option suits players who prefer to focus on the crafting and strategic planning aspects rather than action gameplay.
The Rablo Games Pedigree
Rablo Games was founded in 2014 by Pablo Coma as a solo developer working in his spare time using Construct 2. His first game, Healer’s Quest, launched in April 2018 after a successful Kickstarter campaign. The RPG turned the traditional formula upside down by making you play as the healer in a party of reckless adventurers who constantly get themselves killed through stupidity. The game received positive reviews for its humor and unique perspective on RPG party dynamics.
In January 2019, Coma joined Appeal Studio as a game designer and director on Outcast: A New Beginning, where he reunited with Baptiste Remy. The two had previously worked together during a 2014 Game Jam. They decided to collaborate on restarting development of Necro Story in Unity, Coma’s second game that had begun shortly after Healer’s Quest. After over four years of collaboration and six years of total development, Necro Story finally released in October 2024.
Clémence Geurts joined the team in February 2024, expanding Rablo Games to three core members. The studio is now working on multiple projects simultaneously: Joltt – Battle Pillars planned for 2025 release, and Robot Recycler Ryn targeting Q4 2026. This marks the first time Rablo Games is developing multiple titles in parallel, showing the studio’s growth from Pablo’s solo efforts to a proper small team.
The Post-Apocalyptic Setting
Robot Recycler Ryn takes place in 2530 in a world called the Rustfields, a devastated future where civilization has collapsed and oppressive rulers control what remains. The trailer and press materials emphasize a post-apocalyptic aesthetic with ruined environments, scrap metal everywhere, and a society built around salvaging and repurposing old technology rather than creating new innovations.
In this world, Recyclers are the only people with the knowledge and skill to construct functional combat robots from spare parts and raw materials. This makes them extremely valuable and powerful figures in society. The Recycler Rumble League serves as the primary competitive arena where Recyclers prove their skills, with rankings determining social status and influence. Ryn’s journey to master this craft and climb the League rankings forms the backbone of Story Mode’s narrative.
FAQs
When does Robot Recycler Ryn release?
Robot Recycler Ryn is scheduled to launch in Q4 2026 on Steam. That means October, November, or December 2026. No specific date has been announced yet. The game is available to wishlist now on its Steam page, and Rablo Games is sharing development updates on their social media channels.
What platforms will it be on?
Currently only PC via Steam has been confirmed. No announcements about console versions for PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo Switch have been made. Given Rablo Games’ previous titles stayed PC-exclusive, Robot Recycler Ryn might remain Steam-only, though nothing is definitively ruled out.
Is it single-player or multiplayer?
Based on all available information, Robot Recycler Ryn is a single-player experience. The Recycler Rumble League battles are against AI opponents, not other players. No multiplayer features, co-op modes, or PvP options have been mentioned in any announcements or press materials.
Do I need to play Healer’s Quest or Necro Story first?
No, Robot Recycler Ryn is completely unrelated to Rablo Games’ previous titles. Each game exists in its own universe with its own story and mechanics. While playing Healer’s Quest and Necro Story might give you appreciation for Rablo’s design sensibilities, there’s no narrative connection requiring you to play them first.
How realistic is the metalworking?
Pablo Coma visited training facilities for machining mechanics students to research real metalworking processes. While the game is stylized and gamified, the core concepts of forging, shaping metal with tools, material properties, and construction quality affecting final product durability are based on real metalworking principles. It’s meant to feel authentic without being a full industrial mechanics simulator.
Can I share my robot designs?
This hasn’t been confirmed yet. Many construction-focused games include Workshop integration for sharing designs, but Rablo Games hasn’t announced whether Robot Recycler Ryn will have this feature. Check for updates closer to launch or ask the developers directly on their social channels.
What’s the art style?
Rablo Games uses a distinctive 2D art style across all their titles. The trailer for Robot Recycler Ryn shows hand-drawn character art with a somewhat painterly aesthetic, combined with detailed mechanical designs for the robots. The post-apocalyptic environments feature rusted metals, industrial decay, and warm color palettes dominated by oranges and browns.
Will there be a demo?
Rablo Games hasn’t announced plans for a public demo or early access period before the Q4 2026 full release. Given the game is still over a year away, a demo could appear closer to launch, but nothing has been confirmed. Wishlist the game on Steam to get notified of any demo announcements.
Why This Could Be Special
Construction games typically fall into two categories: physics sandboxes like Besiege where you build ridiculous contraptions and watch them explode, or deep simulation games like From the Depths with overwhelming complexity. Robot Recycler Ryn appears to be targeting the middle ground, offering meaningful construction depth without requiring engineering degrees while maintaining accessibility through its RPG structure and narrative framework.
The emphasis on realistic metalworking processes distinguishes it from games where construction is just clicking parts together in a menu. Having to actually forge armor plating using proper tools, selecting materials with different properties, and seeing construction quality directly impact combat performance creates a satisfying cause-and-effect loop. Combined with the post-apocalyptic setting and Ryn’s story, Robot Recycler Ryn could fill a niche for players wanting thoughtful robot construction without the overwhelming technical complexity of pure engineering simulators.
Whether Rablo Games can deliver on this ambitious vision remains to be seen. The studio has grown from solo developer to a three-person team, but Robot Recycler Ryn is significantly more complex than their previous titles. The Q4 2026 release window gives them substantial development time, which they’ll need to nail the balance between realistic construction mechanics and accessible gameplay. If they pull it off, Robot Recycler Ryn could become the go-to game for players who’ve always wanted to build custom combat robots piece by piece.