Grounded 2 Early Access Is Here: Ride Bugs and Rebuild Your Backyard Adventure

Grounded 2 Early Access: Same Survival Fun with a Buggy Twist

If you enjoyed the original Grounded, the sequel is here to bring back that backyard survival vibe — but with a familiar formula and a neat new feature to shake things up. Grounded 2 launched in early access on July 29 for Windows PC and Xbox Series X, aiming to recreate the magic of shrinking down and exploring a giant backyard full of dangers and crafting opportunities.

• Return to survival crafting and base building
• Explore a bigger park environment powered by Unreal Engine 5
• Ride bugs like ants after building a hatchery
• Story with a corporate mystery and anticapitalist satire
• Early access means more updates are coming

Back to Basics with a Bigger Playground

The sequel sticks closely to the original’s core: you play as a tiny kid dropped into a sprawling park instead of a backyard. Your goal? Survive by gathering natural materials like pebbles, sap, and plant fibers to craft gear, build a base, and stay alive. The crafting loop is quick to pick up, and before long you’re upgrading from basic shelters to grass plank forts and acorn water buckets.

Thanks to an Unreal Engine 5 upgrade, the environment looks sharper and more immersive, with lighting that really brings the natural world to life. The starting map is larger than before, too, and you’ll find fun touches like a downed ice cream cart acting as a quirky snow biome. However, the overall look and feel of the grass fields and plants will feel familiar to anyone who played the first game.

Familiar Survival, With Some Growing Pains

While the world has expanded, the gameplay loop can sometimes feel repetitive, especially if you’re returning from the original. Hunting for specific resources like weed stems means lots of wandering and chopping dandelions, then chasing new quests that just send you back out for more materials. It’s classic survival game stuff, but Grounded 2’s early access phase makes this grind more noticeable since the core mechanics haven’t changed drastically.

Still, if you’re new to the series, this survival routine offers plenty of opportunities to build and explore. The multiplayer aspect that made the first game a social hit will need some time and updates to regain its full charm.

New Feature: Riding Bugs!

The standout addition so far is the ability to ride bugs. After building a hatchery and incubating an egg, you can mount an ant to move around the big map much faster. This was a highly requested feature from fans, and it definitely adds a fresh layer of fun, making you feel like a true backyard adventurer mastering the insect world.

Until more content arrives, this buggy ride is one of the few new tricks in Grounded 2’s early days, but it’s a welcome one that spices up exploration and traversal.

Wrapping Up

Grounded 2 offers a cozy return to a beloved survival formula, enhanced by a bigger world and a cool new mechanic. However, it plays it safe for now, feeling like a replay of the original’s early stages. For longtime fans, the excitement might be tempered by the familiar grind, but newcomers will find a solid survival adventure with plenty of building and bug riding fun.

Keep an eye on future updates to see if the sequel can grow beyond its roots and recapture the multiplayer magic that made the first game a hit.

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