Grounded 2 Is Familiar and Bigger — But Not Much Bolder

Obsidian’s Grounded 2 is now available in early access, and anyone who played the original will recognize the formula instantly. You’re still a shrunken kid trying to survive in an oversized backyard (now expanded to a full park), collecting materials, building a base, and avoiding deadly bugs. It’s still about slurping dew for hydration, turning acorns into gear, and transforming grass into walls. The difference this time? The rideable bugs — and that’s about it for now.

The original Grounded built its player base around the chaos and creativity of backyard survival. A post on Polygon by Giovanni Colantonio perfectly illustrates the peak of the first part. Released during the early days of the pandemic, it was a cozy sandbox where players could build, explore, and laugh with friends while the world was on pause. Its sequel leans into the same sandbox vibes and nostalgic tone. But five years later, repeating the same tricks makes Grounded 2 feel more like a careful remix than a major evolution.

The story setup is nearly identical: evil corporation Ominent is once again shrinking kids, this time in a park instead of a backyard. The satirical tone is even more obvious this time, giving Grounded 2 a clear connection to Obsidian’s other projects, like The Outer Worlds. The story is a light touch, but the anti-corporate undertones are more prominent right from the beginning.

After escaping a lab tutorial, you’re dropped into a massive natural playground. That’s where the core gameplay loop kicks in. You gather sap, fiber, pebbles, and mushrooms. You craft spears, shelters, and workbenches. You set up base camp near a juice box or a patch of mushrooms and try to survive long enough to expand. If you played Grounded, you’ve done this all before.

There’s still a clear joy in building. Constructing a working base from random bits of backyard debris captures a specific childhood fantasy. The sequel’s updated tools make this process smooth and satisfying, and it’s still one of the most rewarding parts of the game. The Unreal Engine 5 upgrade helps too, giving the world a richer, brighter look, especially when the sun cuts through tall blades of grass or a glowing drop of dew clings to a leaf.

But while the setting is more expansive, it doesn’t feel drastically different. The new park map is bigger and includes some clever landmarks, like a collapsed ice cream cart that stands in for a snowy biome. Still, a lot of the map is just more of the same green fields, familiar bugs, and collectible materials. The lighting’s improved, but the layout and pacing don’t break much new ground.

That becomes a problem during the first few hours. Resource collection can quickly shift from fun to frustrating. Need weed stems? You have to find a dandelion. Need a shovel? Go back and hunt for acorns. Every successful craft just unlocks the next shopping list. That’s normal for survival games, but Grounded 2’s early game feels slower if you’ve already grinded through this loop once before. There's a lot of walking in circles trying to remember which part of the grass contains the right kind of clover.

The one standout feature in this build is the ability to ride bugs. You’ll need to build a hatchery, find an egg, and wait — but the payoff is real. Mounting an ant and zipping through the world changes the pace entirely. It’s not just a gimmick. It makes traversal faster and funnier, and it brings the game closer to the cartoon fantasy it always aimed for. This one addition gives the sequel a new kind of energy, especially when you’re speeding past threats instead of creeping around them.

“It was a highly requested feature from fans.” – Giovanni Colantonio, Polygon.

That’s what one developer said earlier this summer, and it’s easy to see why. Riding a bug feels like the kind of “why wasn’t this already here?” mechanic that clicks instantly. It’s the only part of Grounded 2 that actually makes the game feel like a sequel instead of a re-release.

Everything else is safe. The survival loop is intact, the crafting tree is just as long, and the base-building remains the highlight. But without more dramatic changes or surprises in early access, Grounded 2 plays more like a reboot than a bold follow-up. It’s the same playground — only this time, the jungle gym is a little bigger, and you can ride on top of it instead of climbing it.

Right now, Grounded 2 is best for newcomers or returning fans who don’t mind starting from zero again. You’ll still get spooked by spiders and still laugh when your fort collapses. But it’s hard to say if this version will bring back the old groups who drifted away years ago.

Grounded 2 is available in early access starting July 29 on Windows PC (on Steam) and Xbox Series X.