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2025 · Obsidian Entertainment · Action-adventure · Adventure

Grounded 2

Timed Xbox exclusive

Shrunk again, but the world is much larger. In this open-world, single-player or co-op survival adventure, craft weapons and armor, build your base, and traverse the playground on your buggy. But something else is out there—and it hasn’t forgotten you.

Released: 1 July 2025
Platforms: PlayStation 5 Windows Xbox Series X/S
Genres: Action-adventure Adventure Role-playing Survival
Developers: Obsidian Entertainment
Publishers: Xbox Game Studios
Perspective: First person Third person
Themes: Action Survival
Age ratings: ESRB T
Languages: Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Mexico), Spanish (Spain)
Time to beat: 14hmain story38hcompletionist

About

Grounded 2 is a 2027 survival action-adventure video game developed by Eidos-Montréal and Obsidian Entertainment and published by Bethesda Softworks. A sequel to Grounded (2022), the game was announced during the Xbox Games Showcase in June 2025 and entered early access on July 29, 2025, for Windows and Xbox Series X/S through Steam Early Access and Xbox Game Preview, respectively. An early access version for PlayStation 5 followed on August 11, 2026, with the game's full release scheduled for 2027.

Continuing the core premise of the first game, Grounded 2 follows miniaturized teenagers who must survive in an oversized environment by gathering resources, crafting tools and equipment, building bases, and fighting insects and other creatures. The sequel is set in Brookhollow Park, a larger setting than the backyard of the original game.

Players say

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Grounded 2 is a survival game that can be played from a first-person perspective or third-person perspective. Players explore Brookhollow Park, gather materials, craft weapons, armor, and tools, and build shelters and other structures while defending themselves from hostile creatures.

As in the first game, progression is tied to improved equipment and access to new areas and resources. New features introduced in the sequel include rideable insect mounts known as "Buggies" and the "Omni-Tool", which combines multiple gathering and repair functions into a single tool. The game also adds revised movement and combat options, including dodging.

Story

Grounded 2 is set in 1992, two years after the events of the first game, and again follows the four original teenagers after they are shrunk. The story is set in Brookhollow Park and involves renewed activity connected to Ominent, the corporation featured in the first game.

Development

Grounded 2 was co-developed by Obsidian Entertainment and Eidos-Montréal. According to the developers, rideable insect mounts were one of the most requested additions after the first game and became a major reason for developing a sequel rather than trying to retrofit the mechanic into the original.

Creative director Justin Vazquez said that the design of the mounts, known as Buggies, and the design of Brookhollow Park had to be developed together, while game director Chris Parker said balancing traversal and combat around mounted and on-foot play was a major development challenge. Obsidian also said that technical limitations influenced the decision to create a new game rather than continue expanding the first title.

Reception

Pre-release and early-access coverage generally described Grounded 2 as a larger and more streamlined follow-up to the first game. Critics highlighted Brookhollow Park, the Buggy system, and the Omni-Tool as notable additions to the formula.

In its review in progress, GameSpot wrote that the sequel established "a much stronger foundation for the future", while noting that some features and content from the original game were not yet present in the early-access build. PC Gamer praised the game's world design and quality-of-life changes, particularly the Omni-Tool and mounted traversal, though it also noted that the game was still in an early-access state.