Obsidian Entertainment’s whimsical survival adventure, Grounded, captivated players by shrinking them to the size of ants and turning a suburban backyard into a sprawling, perilous playground. Now, the highly anticipated sequel, Grounded 2, has officially launched into Early Access, and it’s already making a colossal impact. Stepping out of the familiar backyard and into a much larger Brookhollow Park, players are discovering a world that is bigger, bolder, and more complex than ever before. Yet, one of the biggest surprises of this massive new adventure isn’t its size, but the surprisingly accessible PC system requirements that allow a broad range of players to join the fun.
The World Gets a Whole Lot Bigger
The most immediate and striking change in Grounded 2 is the scale of its world. The original game’s backyard felt vast, but the sequel’s new setting—Brookhollow Park—is described by the developers as roughly three times the size of the original map. This is no simple expansion; it’s an entirely new world built from the ground up to accommodate a host of new mechanics and threats.
Players will navigate an overgrown public park, a new frontier where every day objects like spilled ice cream tubs and giant juice cartons become landmarks. This new, larger world is not just a bigger space to explore; it’s a more dynamic and intricate one, filled with new biomes, hidden mysteries, and a richer, more detailed story that promises to unravel the secrets behind the characters’ predicament. The scale of this new map was a key driver for the sequel’s creation, as Obsidian wanted to implement features—like the highly requested insect mounts—that simply wouldn’t have worked on the smaller, original map.
Riding High: Insect Mounts and New Gameplay Systems
Grounded 2 doesn’t just re-tread the path of its predecessor; it introduces significant new gameplay elements that change how players survive and traverse the tiny world. The biggest and most exciting addition is the new mount system. Players can now tame and ride insects, or “Buggies,” which act as both a mode of transportation and a powerful ally in combat.
The initial early access build allows players to ride ants and spiders, with each offering unique benefits. Riding an ant, for instance, provides a faster way to cover ground and can even be used to gather resources more efficiently, as the buggy can chomp through obstacles that would otherwise require manual harvesting. This single feature changes the pace of the game entirely, making exploration less of a slow crawl and more of a grand adventure across the overgrown landscape.
Other new gameplay systems have been implemented to make survival even more engaging. These include:
- Character Archetypes: A new system of character classes with distinct abilities, allowing players to specialize in playstyles like a fighter, archer, or rogue. This encourages greater teamwork and replayability.
- Omni-Tool: A quality-of-life improvement that consolidates various tools (like the axe and shovel) into a single, versatile item, freeing up valuable inventory space for other essentials.
- Expanded Combat: New combat mechanics like a dedicated dodge-dash and the ability for enemies to block attacks adds a layer of tactical depth to encounters with the park’s insect inhabitants.
All of these new features contribute to a much more evolved and expansive survival experience, solidifying Grounded 2 as a worthy sequel.
The Surprising Specs: A High-End Feel with Mid-Range Demands
Given the massive world and sophisticated new systems, many gamers expected a significant jump in PC hardware requirements. However, Obsidian has done an impressive job of optimizing the game, resulting in surprisingly accessible specifications. While the game’s recommended specs are, as expected, a step up from the original, the minimum requirements are a pleasant surprise, allowing a wide range of older and more budget-friendly PCs to run the game.
The official minimum requirements for Grounded 2 are:
- OS: Windows 10/11 with updates
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 / Intel i5-8400
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: AMD RX 5700 / Nvidia GTX 1070 / Intel Arc A580
- Storage: 40 GB available space
This means a PC with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070, a GPU that was a mid-range powerhouse years ago, is still capable of running the game. This is a significant win for the PC gaming community, especially for those who enjoyed the original but haven’t upgraded their hardware in recent years. It ensures that a large portion of the player base can seamlessly transition to the new title without a major hardware investment.
However, the game’s file size is worth noting, as it’s a hefty 40GB—five times larger than the original Grounded. This is a clear indicator of the massive amount of new content and a testament to the game’s expanded scope.
Early Access: The Journey Has Just Begun
Following the path of its predecessor, Grounded 2 has launched into Early Access, inviting the community to help shape its development. This open development process was a key factor in the original’s success, and Obsidian is banking on the same collaborative spirit to make the sequel even better. The early access version already offers a significant portion of the story and a huge chunk of the new world to explore, but the developers have been transparent that more content, including the full story, will be added over time.
The early reception has been overwhelmingly positive, with the game’s concurrent player count on Steam already surpassing the all-time peak of the original Grounded within just a few days of launch. This strong start demonstrates not only the community’s excitement but also the game’s polished state, even in its early form.
For PC gamers, Grounded 2 is a testament to the power of thoughtful development and optimization. It proves that a massive, feature-rich sequel doesn’t have to alienate players with exorbitant hardware demands. It’s a game that respects both the scale of its ambition and the reality of its community’s hardware, inviting everyone to once again shrink down and embark on a new, incredible adventure.
