When Grounded 2 was announced, I was obviously really excited... but I was also in disbelief that we were already getting a Grounded sequel, since it felt like the first game had barely reached its full potential.
Sure, Grounded 2 continues the story Obsidian Entertainment started in the first game, expands on its survival game mechanics, and lets us explore an all-new map that's planned to be around three times the size of the first game.
That's all awesome, but it took actually playing the Grounded 2 early access debut to be fully convinced that this sequel needed to happen — and it's the buggies. Getting an ant companion of my own has immediately changed the way I play the game, and truly set it apart from the first Grounded.
One feature to completely change the way you play
I already knew buggies were at the center of Obsidian's plans for Grounded 2 when my colleague previewed the game even earlier, but I had to play Grounded 2 to fully appreciate how much of a difference this feature makes.
Buggies fundamentally change the Grounded gameplay loop, but Obsidian also needed an all-new game that left the last generation of consoles behind in order to make its vision a reality.
I believe it, too, because during my time with the Grounded 2 early access, buggies are the only feature that regularly causes frame rate drops. It's worth it, though... but I should probably explain why.
My first Red Ant Soldier buggy immediately opened up so many possibilities.
The familiar Grounded gameplay is still alive and well in the sequel, tasking you with surviving the perilous Brookhollow Community Park by collecting resources, crafting gear and weapons, battling creatures, building bases, and steadily improving your skills and capabilities.
You can play Grounded 2 exactly like the first game, but you won't want to. You get your first buggy, a Red Ant Soldier, early on through Grounded 2's story. You'll have to go through a lot to hatch your best friend, and my colleague and I discussed the "Great Egg Heist" in our Grounded 2 early access hands-on review.
Once you snatch a valuable egg from the dangerous depths of a nest and hatch it, you'll be able to summon your buggy wherever you are in the world.
Red Ant Soldier buggies move significantly faster than you ever could, can automatically gather loose resources, can attack and defend with bites and blocks, can recruit nearby Red Ant Workers to assist in battle, can quickly chop down grass and weeds, and can haul far more of those valuable building resources than you can.
Suddenly, the colossal map doesn't feel so endless, and building the base of your dreams no longer feels so tedious. Buggies instantly transform traversal and resource collection, and give you an advantage in difficult battles (although you're still more deadly with the right gear and skills).
I haven't even tried the Orb Weaver buggy, either, which is apparently far more combat oriented.
Yes, you can name them — meet Ant-Tony and Hoopkins
I can tell Obsidian has really thought about how to make buggies an integral part of Grounded 2, even though there are only two types in the game right now (we know more are coming, and I hope that includes a flying mount at some point).
For one, you can hatch multiple buggies for yourself, as long as you're brave enough to steal multiple eggs (seriously, every Red Ant on the planet will be after your head, and I don't even want to think about getting an Orb Weaver buggy). Those are also your buggies — each buggy imprints on the player who hatches them, so each player can have their own army.
Buggies also benefit from your perks and mutations, which can give them an edge in battle. For example, I have the "Perfect Parry" mutation that restores stamina when I pull off a perfect block, and now my Red Ant buggy does, too.
Grounded 2 is clearly being built around buggies, and I can't wait to see where this goes.
You can build nests (which can house multiple buggies from multiple players), so you can always send your buggies home in an instant if it's too dangerous to have them nearby. Nests let you rename your buggies, too, which is obviously extremely important.
My colleague, Samuel Tolbert, named his buggy Ant-Tony, so obviously I had to name mine Hoopkins. You know, like Anthony Hopkins? But they're ants? And one of us is playing as Hoops? Nevermind.
Oh, and don't worry — you can pet them, and the game even keeps track of the number of pets you've given your buggies. Grounded 2 is already game of the year 2025, confirmed.
Grounded 2 is now available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC and Steam, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and Xbox Game Pass in early access.
