Good news for tiny adventurers! Obsidian Entertainment just pulled back the curtain on Grounded 2, the exciting sequel to their popular survival game. Prepare to shrink down again, tackle new dangers, and most thrillingly, ride giant bugs across the overgrown backyard. This time, the stakes are higher, the world is bigger, and player feedback is key to shaping the adventure.
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It’s been two years since the events of the first Grounded, and the kids are a bit older this time around. This time jump wasn’t just for story reasons; the team wanted the characters to reflect the growth seen in many young players who experienced the original game throughout the pandemic.
Teenagers fighting a giant cockroach in the survival game Grounded 2
Why Grounded Needed a Sequel
The original Grounded was a hit, but building on it further on older hardware like the Xbox One became tricky. Adding ambitious new features, especially the highly requested ‘Buggys’ (more on those in a sec!), ran into technical hurdles. To truly realize their vision and add the features fans desperately wanted, a sequel built for newer platforms like the Xbox Series X|S and modern PCs was the clear path forward. According to Game Director Chris Parker, continuing on the older platform felt “really restricted,” making a new game the easier way to bring in big ideas.
Get Ready to Ride: Introducing Buggys
Easily the coolest new feature is the ability to tame certain bugs and ride them! Yep, say hello to Buggys. Forget walking everywhere; now you can gallop across the yard on a tamed ant or spider, making exploration much faster. But Buggys aren’t just transportation; they add tactical depth. Different bugs offer distinct advantages – like a Fire Ant Soldier that can rally other ants to your aid, or an Orb Weaver spider with a stunning roar attack perfect for stunning enemies.
A tiny player rides on the back of a tamed Orb Weaver spider Buggy, battling another spider in Grounded 2
Getting your hands on a Buggy isn’t easy, though. You’ll need to brave dangerous creature nests, find an egg, and sneak it back to your base. Expect a serious fight – the parent bugs won’t be happy! Riding these creatures adds a whole new layer of strategy and fun to combat and traversal.
A Bigger Backyard Awaits
At launch on July 29, 2025, Grounded 2’s map will be roughly the size of the first game’s map when it originally released. But Obsidian has big plans! They aim to expand the world significantly over time through updates, potentially making it three times larger. To help achieve this ambitious goal, they’ve partnered with Eidos Montreal, bringing extra talent to add new creatures, areas, and yes, perhaps even more Buggys. New terrifying enemies like cockroaches and scorpions also join the fray, adding fresh challenges.
Two tiny players face off against a menacing giant scorpion in the survival game Grounded 2 backyard
Shaping the Game Together: Game Preview
Just like the first game, Grounded 2 is launching in ‘Game Preview’ (which is essentially Early Access). This means players can jump in early on July 29, 2025, and play the game while it’s still actively being developed. Why? Obsidian wants your feedback! They plan to listen closely to what players love (especially the Buggys!) and what needs improvement, using that input to shape future updates and the final game. This direct dialogue between players and developers was a key part of the original’s success and returns for the sequel.
Grounded 2 is shaping up to be a fantastic evolution of the formula, giving players more of what they loved while adding game-changing features like ridable Buggys. With bigger plans and a commitment to player feedback via Game Preview, the backyard adventure is set to get much, much larger and more exciting when it arrives on July 29, 2025, for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Cloud, available day one in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
