Grounded is an excellent survival game that is absolutely deserving of a sequel – it’s just that I, and many others, didn’t expect it to get one so soon. Bogged down already this year with Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2, I was shocked when Obsidian announced Grounded 2 a couple of months back, and was even more surprised to see a July 29 early access launch date too. Well, today’s the day, and despite Grounded 2’s inclusion in Game Pass, it’s performing very well on Steam – so well, in fact, that it’s already blasted past its predecessor’s all-time player peak on Valve’s platform.
Given that the original Grounded – a worthy inclusion on our list of the best survival games – only dropped in 2022 and was still being regularly updated and played, Grounded 2 is still a rather unexpected sequel. It follows the same four protagonists (albeit a couple of years on from the events of the first game) and still revolves around a very familiar gameplay loop of exploring, base building, bug battling, and ultimately uncovering the secrets of your shrinking.
However, Grounded 2 does make some innovations – could they have been big upgrades to the original game? Perhaps. But collectively, these changes will make for a sequel that feels noticeably different.
The new world of Brookhollow Park is bigger than the previous game’s and contains more biome variety. Dashing has been added as a new movement and combat mechanic, both for you and your insectile foes. Bugs can now be captured and turned into rideable mounts. The UI has been refreshed. It’s all aiming to bring the beloved gameplay of the original up to new heights, and even though it’s launching today in an early access state, it’s proving very popular.
On Steam, Grounded 2’s debut has resulted in a peak concurrent player count of just under 50,000. This is impressive, given it’s immediately available at no extra cost for millions of Game Pass subscribers. That peak player count is also well above the original Grounded’s all-time record, which sits at around 32,000.
While the player counts look healthy, it’s worth noting that on Steam its early user reviews sit on a 64% positive ‘mixed’ score. Most negative reviews are calling out its PC performance, but given it’s hours old and is in an early access state, Obsidian will likely get things running a lot smoother for everyone in no time at all. I’d be surprised if, over time, that review score didn’t improve by a significant margin.
If you want in, Grounded 2 is available right now on Steam and Windows Store for $29.99 / £24.99 or as part of your Xbox or PC Game Pass subscription.
If Grounded 2 is tempting you into picking up a sub, check out what else you’ll be able to play with our list of the best Game Pass games. If you are going to this new world in miniature, we’ve got loads of guides to help you out, such as this one on the Grounded 2 briefcase combinations.
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