I have spent 15 hours solo in Grounded 2. Now, I hate myself and spiders!

The Grounded series touches on a subject close to my heart – seeing the world from a perspective of a small creature. Before you start laughing, let me explain. I was born in the 90s. I remember 2 movies from my early childhood, Home Alone (1990) and Honey, I shrunk the Kids (1989). The first one cemented “stranger danger” mentality in me, but the second sparked my interest in the small creatures around me. For example, I became an often visitor at the nearby ant nest – especially after I saw Antz (1998). Of course, sadly, life flies, and I don’t have time to spend it with my little friends. But Grounded 1 reignited these feelings from the past. So, years ago, I gathered a team of friends and sunk into this world. My group disbanded after some time, though, and I have not picked up the game since then. However, Grounded 2 gave me a second chance. This time, I decided to face it alone. So, let me take you on the adventure!

• Thank you Grounded 2, now I hate myself!
• I hate spiders even more!
• Buggy, the only friend I need!
• Should you play Grounded 2 solo?
• To build or not to build
• Bugs that I don’t need but I get!
• My final thought

Thank you Grounded 2, now I hate myself!

After playing Grounded 2 for 15 hours, I can tell you that I enjoy its world. You can really feel like a shrunken person in the middle of a park. However, while the environment is interesting on its own, it would be nothing without creatures that live in it. I love when they interact with each other or the surroundings (mostly webs). When I have a chance, I observe it from afar. I would like to see more of it, as it would make the park even more believable.

The big part of my opinion of the world is thanks to models of insects. And that’s my problem! Grounded 2 is a survival… no surprise here. You have to gather various resources and kill animals to get what you need. No problem! However, some of the creatures are really too cute to kill and keep your humanity! The first time I encountered a bee, it was just chilling on a rock. Soon after, a second one joined it, and I just couldn't bring myself to bother them.

Look at this cute creature!Grounded 2, Obsidian Entertainment, Eidos-Montréal

Until now, my hardest kill was not a spider or scorpion but a caterpillar. Not because it is a difficult opponent, far from that. It is a plump, slow creature, which may look dangerous, but is the most harmless bug I have met so far. All other insects, after player’s attack, fight back or run. Caterpillars can’t do either. They only turn their back on you, sometimes try to go away, but it is futile, as they are very slow, and wait for their death… heartbreaking.

I really hate myself for killing caterpillars.Grounded 2, Obsidian Entertainment, Eidos-Montréal

Of course, the game is full of creatures you want to kill, too. That’s why…

I hate spiders even more!

I like spiders in real life. I don’t live in the region where they can be of any threat to humans. Moreover, they are not very big here, so there is nothing to be afraid of, right? However, Grounded 2 really does a good job in making me hate them. Of course, they look scary (definitely use the arachnophobia slider, if you have problem with that), but it’s not the biggest issue here. They are everywhere!

Yeah, I hate them.Grounded 2, Obsidian Entertainment, Eidos-Montréal

To get most of resources, you need to either fight spiders or sprint through their territory. They are the biggest threat at the beginning of the game… and they are very hostile. While most of the creatures in Grounded 2 will not attack you on sight, or you really will have to go near them, spiders are predators that will attack you without warning and they patrol their surroundings quite vigorously. Imagine almost killing your first ladybug, a big armored creature, you have low HP… and then you are attacked by 8-legged monster. That’s what happened to me. They are difficult to deal with in the solo playthrough. Luckily you can outrun them… or defeat with your Buggy!

Buggy, the only friend I need!

Grounded 2 introduced a new mechanic – Buggies. Yes, now you can ride bugs! These mounts are a great help. To be honest I have unlocked only one – Soldier Ant – but I can’t imagine playing without it. It is quite clear that the game was crafted for a few players in mind. Bigger creatures are really hard to kill alone even with the best equipment you can afford (not to mentions farming). Moreover, some resources are tricky to get because killing a proper insect does not equal getting the resource you want. Yes, drop is randomized to some extent.

Who is a good boy?Grounded 2, Obsidian Entertainment, Eidos-Montréal

But my buggy is a lifesaver. It is fast, which helps me avoiding those pesky spiders. Moreover, it can carry a lot of resources, including “planks.” It makes the game much more pleasant for a solo gamer. And the cherry on top, it can help you during fights. Soldier Ant has a better armor than you, it can take a few hits, while you can attack the opponent from behind or with a bow. Before an enemy realizes that you are there and attack you, the fight may be over. Without Buggy, my adventure wouldn’t have been even half as pleasant as it has been. So, speedrun the story until you unlock your faithful mount – that’s my advice for you all, especially for those lonely wolves, who want to play alone.

Should you play Grounded 2 solo?

Talking about buggy is a good opportunity to touch on solo gameplay. As you probably know, the coop-oriented games can be quite grindy if you want to face them alone. Grounded 2 feels that way sometimes. As I had mentioned, combats with bigger creatures can be painful (I play on normal level of difficulty). Gathering some resources, too. However, the game also has some features which help you with that. Of course, there is buggy, which is a great help. But there is something more.

Many survival games allow to save only when you go to bed. You can do it manually in Grounded 2. Some players may call it cheesy, but I believe that it is a lifesaver for solo players. I would give up, if I had to run for all my lost stuff after each death.

Moreover, at some point in the story, we unlock a resource scanner (quite soon). Thanks to that, you can quickly find the material you are looking for. However, you need to get it in the wild first for it to show on the map. But it is still a great help for all players, especially if you are solo and don’t want to waste your time while building your base.

To build or not to build

Of course, to be a successful bug tamer, you will need a base with neat equipment. However, I did not spend a lot of time with the building mechanic. It is very similar to many other survival games. You craft walls, floors and roofs and put them together, creating a building. However, there is no environmental danger to force you to do that, and the pieces were just very basic, so I decided to spend more of my time exploring.

That’s why my base is not the most beautiful thing. Just a few workstations and an unfinished house in the middle. I will finish it someday… I promise… but the adventure calls right now.

Home sweet home.Grounded 2, Obsidian Entertainment, Eidos-Montréal

It is a good opportunity to mention other mechanics that I did not tell you much about. For example, you can permanently boost your character by drinking goo from teeth hidden in various places. Moreover, there are some perks to unlock, once you complete various challenges (for example do a perfect block a couple of dozens of times). Grounded fans will recognize them immediately as Milk Molars and Mutations respectively.

Let’s not forget about science points. It’s something similar to experience. You get them for scanning new resources (you will unlock new blueprints for that, too) or discovering various hidden places. They allow you to buy some new technologies, and most importantly, upgrade your omni-tool.

Finally, there are survival mechanics, you must eat and drink (and hold a torch in cold places). However, these needs are so easy to fulfil that I haven’t had any issues with keeping my character hydrated and well fed. Just remember not to eat before going to bed, as you will wake up hungry and thirsty anyway. It’s a feature, not a BUG.

Bugs that I don’t need but I get!

Before launching Grounded 2, you should know that the game can be… BUGGY (the pun is definitely intended). Luckily, I have not encountered any problems with performance – stuttering, frame drops, freezes – though I really shouldn’t because I have a pretty powerful PC: Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, Ram: 64 GB, Graphics: GeForce RTX 5080, SSD.

However, I can’t say the same thing about crashes. The game unexpectedly closes every few hours. We can also add to that insects that get stuck in the ground.

You poor thing.Grounded 2, Obsidian Entertainment, Eidos-Montréal

Once, I experienced a bug with the fight not being properly ended, despite me defeating all opponents. No matter what I did or where I went, the combat state prevented me from saving or sleeping. Fortunately, starting another fight and killing an opponent fixed the issue. I can imagine that while playing with more people, the game may be a little bit more unstable than in my case.

My final thought

I will definitely return to Grounded 2 after writing this text. The game takes me back to my childhood when I was observing the ant nest. It’s a pleasant feeling. I may even invite some friends to play… Though, don’t expect a groundbreaking mechanics here. It is a survival game through and through. You gather resources, fight opponents, develop your character and ride on various mounts. However, the world is odd enough for me to be invested. If you, like me, remember fondly Honey, I shrunk the Kids or Antz, you might want to give this game a chance. Especially, if you pay for Game Pass anyway.

Grounded 2

July 29, 2025

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• Overview
• Guide

• sandbox
• co-op
• survival
• Xbox Game Pass / PC Game Pass