Obsidian Entertainment is having one hell of a year! Not only have they released the fantasy RPG Avowed earlier this year, and are set to release the much anticipated Outer Worlds 2, but they announced a third title at today’s Xbox Showcase. That game was Grounded 2, the sequel to the 80s-inspired solo and multiplayer survival game that was first released into Early Access in 2020.
Check out our full coverage of the Xbox Showcase 2025 for all the announcements.
You can watch the announcement trailer for Grounded 2 below, or on the official Obsidian Entertainment YouTube channel.
A follow-up to the events of the first game’s story, Grounded 2 will see players taking on a new adventure of microscopic proportions.
“Shrunk again, but the world is much larger. In this open-world, single-player or co-op survival adventure, craft weapons and armor, build your base, and traverse the playground on your buggy. But something else is out there"”and it hasn't forgotten you.”
This new entry in the Grounded series sees Obsidian Entertainment team up with Eidos Montreal to bring the game to life. With the original cast of teenagers returning, they are now shrunk down in the Brookhollow Community Park, two years after the first game.
It looks like players can expect a much larger world to explore, at least 3 times the size of the original game’s backyard. Expect diverse biomes, from the frozen wastes of the upturned ice-cream cart to a toxic-coated anthill infested with cockroaches. Prepare for a larger variety of insects to contend with, from colourful butterflies to vicious-looking scorpions. But this time, some bugs can be domesticated and ridden around, providing more options for traversal, building, and combat.
Grounded 2 also introduces Archetypes to allow players to make powerful, possibly game-breaking builds, offering options from ranged, melee, and magic. This all comes with a dash action, an updated combat system, and new active mutations alongside the original passives, broadening player choice even further.
The dev team of Grounded 2 also explained their reason to go the Game Preview route like they did with the original game, highlighting the value of “building the game alongside the player.” This will allow the team to deliver substantial updates at a regular cadence while taking on player feedback.
We recommend watching the Grounded 2 Deep Dive that took place after the Outer Worlds 2 Deep Dive and Xbox Showcase 2025. The Grounded 2 portion begins at the 2:12:35 timestamp in the video below.
The most exciting morsel to take from this announcement is the short time fans will have to wait to begin another mini-adventure. Grounded 2 is releasing as a Game Preview (think Early Access) on July 29th across PC, Xbox, and day one on Game Pass.
With over 25 million players taking a tiny adventure in the backyard of Grounded, there is no doubt in our mind that Grounded 2 is going to see a swarm of players on day one.
Obsidian Entertainment is making 2025 their year, and a lot of us here at the GSC are very happy to see them get their time to shine. Avowed, Outer Wilds 2, and now Grounded 2; it’s Obsidian’s world, and we’re just playing in it.
Are you excited for Grounded 2 later this year? Let us know in the comments below.
