The Grounded team and Obsidian Entertainment are very happy to announce that over 15 million players have entered the backyard. When Grounded hit its full release just a couple of months ago, the backyard was swarmed by players looking to see what life was like on a micro level. Whether you’ve been with us from the very beginning, or have only recently taken on your first mite, we want to thank you for being a part of this impressive community.
Since its early access launch, Grounded has been a game that has been built by the community and the full release has not changed that. Thanks to the feedback from newcomers and old friends alike, the team has a special update ready just in time for the holidays. A Holiday Treat will bring in a host of quality-of-life features as well as some exciting new gameplay features and content to help those explore the backyard.
Of the new gameplay features that will make a lot of people happy is the ability for the ZIP.R lines to go up. No longer will players only be able to descend on their ziplines placed throughout the yard as they will now have the ability to ascend as well, helping get to places they want to explore even quicker. There is also a new trap that will help protect your base against invading creatures. When it comes to the base, there are also a host of new base decoration and vanity items coming in this update like new chairs, dressers, half stairs, and even a holiday “tree” that can be displayed during the month of December.
The real big changes come in the quality-of-life updates that the community has asked for. The big one is an additional row of space in the player inventory. This will help for those who like to carry multiple weapon types and armor sets depending on the situation, but also want to harvest and collect everything they can find. And speaking of carrying weapons for different situations, there are now multiple hotpouches that can be cycled through so players will have even more access to items in their inventory without having to open the menu.
For those who don’t want to deal with waking up in the middle of the night, we have changed the way sleeping works so that you will be able to wake up after the sun rises. Fans of spicy weapons can pre-cook their meals as creatures will now drop cooked meat instead of raw. Toasty! And players can now toggle off their own nameplates for everyone else, so games of hide and seek can now commence. But that’s not all! Everyone can now name trailer markers, build from nearby chests and pallets, and labs have received a new “Water Cooler” building so thirst can be quenched on those long lab excursions.
Grounded is available now on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows 10/11, and Steam for $39.99. It’s also available with Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass and Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta). To learn more about Grounded and for full details on the Holiday Treat update, check out the latest Developer Vlogs on the Obsidian YouTube Channel or visit the official website.