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Graphical abstract Highlights • Innate T cells trans-activate innate immune cells that make inflammatory cytokines. • Innate T cells worsen inflammation and mortality in several critical illnesses. • These illnesses include sepsis, burn, ischemia-reperfusion, stroke, asthma, COPD. • Sulfatide-reactive diverse NKT cells are protective in several critical illnesses. • Therapies that target innate T cells are effective in models of critical illness. Abstract Rapid onset of acute inflammation is a hallmark of critical illnesses that bring patients to the intensive care unit (ICU). In critical illness, innate T cells rapidly reach full activation and drive a robust acute inflammatory response. As "cellular adjuvants," innate T cells worsen inflammation and mortality in several common critical illnesses including sepsis, ischemia-reperfusion injury, stroke, and exacerbations of respiratory disease. Interestingly, innate T cell subsets can also promote a protective and anti-inflammatory response in sepsis, ischemia-reperfusion injury, and asthma. Therapies that target innate T cells have been validated in several models of critical illness. Here, we review the role of natural killer T (NKT) cells, mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells and γδ T cells in clinical and experimental critical illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]