Grounded 2 was released on Steam Early Access — «love letter» to the original with 78% positive reviews

Grounded 2 is officially in early access — and the bugs didn’t stop users from praising the project. On  Steam 78% of players positively assessed the sequel as an improved version of the original.

Despite its crudeness, fans of the survival genre are already praising the content, humor, and updated gameplay. The biggest advantages are the scale and new features. The Brookhollow Park location is now three times larger than the map in the first part. Obsidian has expanded the local fauna with the so-called Buggies: tame insects that serve as transportation, combat allies, and even mobile resource warehouses.

The multifunctional Omni-Tool has also appeared — now a shovel, axe, and hammer are combined into one tool, which greatly simplifies life in the game. Finally, you can free up your inventory from a pile of excess iron. However, not everyone liked the idea — players criticize the implementation, not the concept itself. To chop down trees or dig, you have to constantly hold down the E button, instead of the usual dragging of the tool into your hand.

But it was not without problems. Even on powerful PCs, the game noticeably freezes, produces FPS drops, and suffers from micro-lags. Some players complain about crashes, sound bugs, enemies freezing in textures, and unstable connection in co-op. Other problems include the lack of DLSS/FSR, minimal graphics settings, and unfinished map areas. The last point is logical, since only the first act is currently available. Some regions are still closed with «under construction» ribbons, and the available location will be finalized.

In addition, the opinions of users are similar:

• «I think people are missing the point that this is EARLY ACCESS. THE GAME ISN’T DONE. I love it. It’s soo cool especially compared to the first. I knew after playing the first that if a second game ever came out I’d buy it immediately, and I did».
• «So far the game is phenomenal, at least in singleplayer on a beefy computer. Please add options to turn off Unreal Engine’s more “bullish” features, like lumen, and work on the netcode of the multiplayer. More graphics settings = more compatibility for players.».
• «Familiar characters, atmospheric music from the late 80s, familiar bugs, improved graphics. Unfortunately, at the moment, the game is poorly optimized».

Despite the technical problems, most players leave positive feedback — Grounded 2 is praised for its content, presentation, and potential. Obsidian has once again relied on its corporate identity, as it has recently been inspired by nature, such as a recent example of the mushroom Avowed. Some have already called the project a «love letter» to the first part — with a better design and more convenient gameplay.

Grounded 2 was released on July 29, 2025 in early access and is already available on PC and Xbox. You can play through Steam, Xbox Game Pass, and Xbox Cloud Gaming with cross-platform saves. It is currently available for ₴999.