After Obsidian Entertainment surprise-announced a sequel to their hit backyard-set survival game “Grounded” in late June, “Grounded 2” has already arrived on Xbox and PC platforms in an early access release.
Following the same course as its predecessor, this will allow Obsidian Entertainment to develop the game with live community feedback — and the studio has already revealed an official update roadmap.
“Grounded 2” returns players to the shrunken shoes of the same four teenagers of the original game — who have once again been minituarised by shady corporation Ominent Technologies. This time in the expansive Brookhollow Community Park — a setting that’s already larger than the entirety of the “Grounded” 1.0, a map that had doubled in size over its five years of development.
The new setting set the stage for Obsidian to introduce one of the most-requested features from the original title: rideable insect mounts, called ‘buggies’ in-game. These new multi-legged companions are currently the grass-chomping Red Soldier Ant and the predatory Orb Weaver spider, but more options are included in the roadmap.
Three seasonal updates are outlined in the next year, with fall, winter and summer updates mentioning new gear, environments, features and accessibility improvements. On the buggies front, players will have access to a rideable Ladybug and unspecified ‘watery buggies’ before the year is through.
Also outlined are more new insects, friendly and fearsome, that you’ll be able to encounter in the park. Currently, there are several returning creatures from the first game, including the aforementioned ants and spiders, plus larvae, bees, mosquitoes, stinkbugs, aphids and more.
The current roster of new species includes scorpions, butterflies, cockroaches, caterpillars, praying mantis and snails. And the roadmap mentions crickets, earwigs, insect variants, watery creatures and other unspecified newcomers still to come.
Most of the new map additions are censored, but players are hoping they can match up to the unique gameplay offered in some of the more exotic biomes in “Grounded” — though the spilled ice cream cart offers a new icy landscape in the starting map. At the very least, the prevalence of ‘watery’ content indicates there will be a similar addition to the koi pond of “Grounded.”
Other new gameplay systems are teased in the lineup, alongside the new class system available now, which lets players fine-tune equipment and abilities into classic character types such as stealthy rogues and spellcasting mages.
The roadmap indicates fine-tuning for base building and expansions on returning systems like the PEEP.R binoculars, elemental damage types, smoothie buff system and more. You can view the full roadmap below.
Curious about what's coming to Brookhollow Park? Take a look at the Early Access Roadmap to see what's planned for Grounded 2!
More info: https://t.co/agZlpX0EVG pic.twitter.com/S6YT3LJOyb
— Grounded (@GroundedTheGame) July 29, 2025
The game has mixed reviews so far, leaning towards positive. Critics point out the game’s efforts to expand on legacy systems with new features but a disappointing amount of familiar content extracted from the original title to launch the sequel. Also, there are bugs — technical ones, not the aforementioned giant bugs. But this is an early access release, so that should be expected.
“Grounded 2” is available now on Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X/S and PC. Download it on your platform of choice here.