Is Grounded 2’s Early Access Worth It?

Grounded 2 is now available, though the game has had a rather rough beginning in its early access launch so far. With a story that’s far from finished, frequent crashing, and several core features still a work-in-progress, it’s no surprise that early reviews for Grounded 2 have been rather mixed. However, underneath all these early access issues , the familiar gameplay and setting that fans of the original game fell in love with still shine through, promising a bright future for the franchise, even if it takes some time.

For players who are on the fence about jumping into Grounded 2’s early access in its current state, there are plenty of valid concerns to be had about whether it might be best to wait until Grounded 2’s full release to experience the best version of the game instead. Ultimately, though, with the benefit of a discounted price, full transparency regarding Grounded 2’s early access roadmap, and hindsight of how the original game’s early access journey turned out, the benefits of jumping into the sequel right now arguably outweigh the downsides.

Grounded 2 Is Rough Around the Edges, But Its Future Is Incredibly Bright

If Grounded 2 were a new IP from a new studio, the game launching in its current, incomplete state with frequent crashes surely would have been a controversy waiting to happen. However, with the benefit of hindsight of how praise-worthy the original Grounded turned out after its own lengthy early access period and post-launch updates, the sequel’s early access issues will likely only be a small hurdle in Grounded 2’s long road to success.

Grounded 2 Invisible Wall Ominent Lab Map Boundary Early Access Under Construction

There’s no denying that the frame-rate drops and frequent crashing are a cause for frustration, especially when the latter leads to lost progress, but it’s clear that in the moments where these issues aren’t so noticeable that Grounded 2 is going to be a big improvement over the original. So far, there are already clear advancements of franchise staples present, like the streamlined Omni-tool and the game-changing buggy mounts, which is what makes the additional upcoming features and improvements in Grounded 2’s early access roadmap that much more exciting.

Grounded 2’s Early Access Benefits Outweigh the Negatives

Grounded 2 Early Access End of Story Content In-Game Notification Final Boss Ending with spoiler text blurred

While Grounded 2 is still facing some performance issues for the time being, one reason why players might still want to give it a chance during its early access is that the game’s discounted price is quite a bargain. Not to mention, Grounded 2’s early access is also available on Xbox Game Pass. At a time when the price of games is controversially high, it’s admittedly hard to pass up a deal as good as the current discounted price of Grounded 2 while the game is in early access.

Grounded 2 Invisible Wall Park Map Boundary Early Access Under Construction

Another reason why players might want to jump into Grounded 2’s early access right now is to help shape the future of the franchise. This is the perfect chance for fans of the original Grounded to voice their lingering critiques and see the sequel elevate the franchise to new heights, though, newfound fans of Grounded 2 can share their feedback all the same.

Though Grounded 2 will inevitably offer sales in the future, this opportunity to provide feedback and shape the game’s development won’t always be available after the game’s early access and ongoing support end.

Especially given how widely praised the original Grounded game turned out to be, and knowing the developers' plans for how the game will evolve into a much richer experience by the time Grounded 2’s full release date arrives, getting the game for a discounted price during its early access period is a generous deal. This may not fully excuse some of the performance issues that the game faces, but even so, the benefits of jumping into the current state of the game arguably outweigh the risks.

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