Grounded 2 early access review: Bigger, better, and smaller than ever

After years of anticipation, the sequel to Obsidian Entertainment’s unexpected hit Grounded has finally arrived in early access. Launching at a fraction of the cost of other AAA titles, Grounded 2 has hit the ground running. Apart from a few minor technical issues, which are to be expected when a game is in early access, Grounded 2 appears to be a true successor to the original.

Grounded 2: Launch and pricing

Early access roadmap

Grounded 2 launched on July 29, 2025, in Early Access on Xbox and Steam. Developed by Obsidian Entertainment in partnership with Eidos‑Montréal, it marks a return to the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids-inspired survival game that we all know and love.

Early Access already includes about 25 to 30 hours of content, more than the original’s initial release. The starting zone is equal to the first game’s full size and will be dwarfed in comparison to future updates. Obsidian plans major content drops every four to five months, including new biomes, missions, creatures, and story missions.

Obsidian used this same early access formula in their previous title, and it seems like a win-win: Gamers get a sub-$80 game, and the developers get more time to improve the game and implement community feedback.

Pricing and availability

Grounded 2 launches in Early Access on both Xbox and Steam, priced around $29.99 or available via Xbox Game Pass. There are two editions of the game at launch:

• Standard Edition ($30): The base version of the game, which includes all future updates (apart from paid DLC).
• Founder’s Edition ($40): Titled “The Minotaurs, Myrmidons, and Mants: Oh My Founder's Edition,” you get access to four premium skins with custom emotes, the art book and soundtrack for Grounded 2, with more items and secrets to uncover throughout development.

The story and world of Grounded 2

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids!

In Grounded, players take on the role of four teens who were shrunk to the size of ants and dropped in a backyard, forced to survive the harsh wilderness filled with oversized insects and mysterious technology. The main goal is to uncover who shrunk them, and why. The story unfolds through pre-recorded logs, mysterious research labs, and cryptic messages, gradually revealing a dark corporate conspiracy behind the experiment.

Grounded 2 takes the first game’s premise and runs with it. The scientist that you rescued, Dr. Tully, and his burger-flipping robot assistant BURG.L, along with the four teens from the original game, are being honored at an award ceremony in Brookhollow Park. Where, all of a sudden, Dr. Tully goes mad and rips BURG.L’s head off in a fit of rage. Shortly after, there is an explosion in the park, and in the aftermath, the teens and the deranged doctor are nowhere to be found. You (and up to three friends) wake up in an ominous lab, where you must figure out what happened and how to grow big enough to go home again.

Survival mechanics and base buildings

Not much has changed

At its core, Grounded 2 remains a survival crafting game, but the systems have been noticeably refined. The UI is much cleaner. The new Omni‑Tool replaces multiple standalone tools that used to clog up your inventory. Combining the axe, hammer, shovel, and repair tool into one piece of gear. I’ll be honest, I don’t know how I feel about it. On the one hand, it does help free up inventory space, but on the other, it removes a lot of tools with unique designs from the game, yet still includes the resource grind to upgrade them (with no visual difference).

They also change how you use the tool. Before, you would take out your tool and hit the resource with it. Now, you just press/hold a button. It’s less of an action and more of an interaction. If space was the primary concern, then adding a tool belt (extra slots) to our character would have been a much better way to implement the change. Otherwise, the new Buggies also have inventory now, which we could use to store the extra tools we need. The Omni-Tool is a cool idea, but it does take a feeling of progression out of the game, and I wasn't personally the biggest fan of it.

Base-building in the original Grounded had a shaky foundation at launch, but quickly became one of the best parts of the game. And I think that will also be the case for Grounded 2. Apart from a few new building pieces, the base-building systems in the game remain virtually unchanged. All the original assets are here, and they look even better. However, the game appears to have an issue with collisions when building. Building your base too close to rocks or trees may prevent you from placing floors or walls, which can be frustrating. This was also a problem in the first game, but there were ways around it. Hopefully, this is something the developers are working on. But otherwise, I’ve had a blast building my bases in Grounded 2.

New weapons and combat classes

A more in-depth RPG system

Grounded 2 has an armor set or weapon for almost every bug in the game, and I absolutely love it. Some armor sets and weapons come straight from the original (with new designs), and others are completely new but welcome additions to our ever-growing arsenal. Grounded 2 has also incorporated the class system from the original game and expanded it into a more in-depth feature. You can now specialize in a fighting class depending on what weapons you like to use and make different class builds around it using mutations, armor, and trinkets.

The newly introduced charged attacks let you wind up heavier swings for a greater chance of stunning enemies. And the parry system is as smooth as ever. Even bugs and mounts have new charged attacks and functions in battle (but more on that later). Ranged combat also got a boost, with bows and staffs being much better to use and now offering proper AOE damage. New armor sets bring new buffs to your character, meaning if you want to specialize in certain weapons, you will need to wear particular armor sets with buffs that match your fighting/play style. All-in-all, Grounded 2 takes a much heavier RPG approach to its weapons, armor, mutations, and equipment.

Bugs and buggies

Buggies are the most exciting new addition to Grounded 2

Bugs in Grounded 2 are a bit of a mixed bag. There are a lot of bugs from the original game, with a few new ones sprinkled in here and there. However, there are also many bugs that are missing. These will most definitely be added to the game as it develops. But it was a noticeable loss.

Otherwise, the bugs are much better than the original in terms of their designs, new AI, and their behavior. Their attack patterns are very similar to the original, making parrying less challenging for a returning player, but bugs also have the ability to block and perform charge attacks on you, which is a nice touch. The bug combat could use a little more work and maybe a few different attack patterns, but it’s still just as fun as the original.

Now comes the really fun part. Buggies! Buggies are new rideable bugs that you can use to traverse Brookhollow Park, fight enemies, and gather resources. This was the mechanic that I was most excited about. I expected the buggies to be, well, buggy at launch, but I was pleasantly surprised by just how well they actually work in the game. Some early reviews have mentioned technical issues with either hatching or using the buggies, but I have yet to encounter a problem with mine.

There are only two buggy types at launch: the red soldier ant and the orb weaver spider. The red soldier ant is agile and lets you recruit wild red ants, and the orb weaver is able to intimidate bugs and packs a punch in a fight. The next update will bring ladybugs as mounts, with more buggies rumored to come in future updates.

You can really tell that Obsidian put a lot of effort into bugs and buggies in Grounded 2. With a new water area coming to the game, we are sure to get swimming buggies and probably even flying buggies later down the line. But if there is one thing I would like to see in the future, it is to let us use buggies to automatically gather supplies like grass, stems, or mushrooms for base-building.

What still needs work

Still in better shape than some AAA games

Early Access inevitably brings rough edges, and Grounded 2 is no exception. Performance can dip in densely vegetated areas or when building large bases. I've had assets in laboratories disappear, or found bugs stuck in the ground. But most of these technical issues should be fixed by the first major update. The original Grounded also had its fair share of bugs, and still does to this day.

Apart from technical issues, there is a lot of content that is missing from the original. The different bugs and biomes are what make Grounded such a fun game to explore. I would have been happy with all the bugs from the original Grounded and then the six new ones (as long as new bugs are added in later updates). But shipping the game with so many missing was disheartening. I want the new updates to feature new bugs and biomes, not refreshing things from the last game. But Obsidian has proven that they listen to their players and implement changes to make their game the best that it can be. As a day one launch goes for an early access game, I am incredibly surprised by how smooth Grounded 2 has come out. Especially considering the state of most AAA games that are released nowadays.

One of the most creative survival games on the market

Despite its rough edges, Grounded 2 has managed to remain true to the original while significantly expanding its gameplay and mechanics. I can't wait to see what Obsidian will be adding to the game next, but even as it stands, I consider it to be one of the most fun and unique takes on the survival genre I’ve had the pleasure of playing.