Grounded Reviews

Grounded is ranked in the 89th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
M3
Top Critic
Oct 3, 2022

Grounded is a cozy and scary game at the same time. One moment we explore the exciting world and gather material for our base in peace and quiet, and the next we panic when a huge bloodthirsty spider wants to sink its teeth into us.

Review in Swedish | Read full review

Chris Wray
Top Critic
8.5 / 10.0
Oct 16, 2022

Grounded is undoubtedly one of the best survival games around. While it falls into some of the same traps, getting very grindy and gatekeeping progression while not signposting as well as it should do, there's little doubt that it's a very engaging game. Where many games will give you a world to play around in, Grounded places you in a living, breathing world and has you engage with every element in interesting ways.

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8 / 10.0
Sep 26, 2022

At the standard settings and medium difficulty, Grounded is more demanding than it might appear at first glance: at the start of the game, everything that's bigger than a tick will slaughter you and it takes a bit to figure out how to progress; equipment also needs not only to be crafted but also maintained. Luckily, the game also offers settings that allow for a more forgiving experience, perhaps better suited to anyone who's planning on going solo. Other than that, Grounded is technically solid, and its audio can be incredibly atmospheric (and a little bit scary).

Review in Italian | Read full review

87 / 100
Sep 26, 2022

Although it doesn’t reinvent survival game mechanics, Grounded’s setting goes a long way towards making the familiar seem new. The world is great fun to explore. It’s easy to lose yourself for hours in the game’s satisfying loops and creative environments. The narrative does a good job of giving you direction but not a rigid path, so you’re always free to take your time and enjoy. Slightly tepid combat and a few minor technical issues aside, Grounded is one of the most engaging survival crafting games I’ve played in quite a while.

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6 / 10
Apr 22, 2024

Grounded is a fantastic survival game, a colourful, unique, and original slice of joyful adventuring that everyone should play if they have the opportunity. It nails the Honey, I Shrunk The Kids vibe, its core gameplay loops are moreish, and its setting and enemies are often breathtaking in how they reframe the mundane. However, and as usual for these big efforts on Switch, this port has plenty of issues. They've had to tank the visuals, the all-important online co-op is flaky, the frame rate is fine until you start going big on bases - just all the stuff we've come to expect at this stage, really. If you can handle the issues, or if Switch is your only way to play, this game can still deliver the goods and the quality shines through. However, if you have another way to play it, we'd definitely recommend you do that instead.

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Oct 11, 2022

The full release of Grounded is impressive due to its polish, attention to detail, and unique, compelling premise and world, but is still in need of some work to reach its full potential as a giant of the survival genre. It is staggering to see where Grounded started and how far it has come to reach version 1.0, and it is easy to get immersed in this familiar but new world. Grounded should, if nothing else, serve as the example for future game accessibility functions. Grounded is one of the more sophisticated and unique co-op survival games available today, and both veteran survival gamers and newcomers to the genre can find a lot to enjoy about its gameplay and style, especially if they've ever dreamed of exploring the world while the size of a bug.

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8 / 10.0
Sep 26, 2022

Grounded is a product that knows how to be delicious in its genuineness.

Review in Italian | Read full review

8 / 10.0
Sep 26, 2022

Overall, the survival genre is very saturated. Grounded is a unique take on a tired formula and is genuinely a breath of fresh air in the space. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel but it doesn’t have to, it’s chosen a premise and has adapted it beautifully and skillfully. While some improvements can be made in combat and other areas, the game is a well-made experience that survival fans will love. I personally can’t wait to jump in with three friends following the full launch. It can get lonely out there all alone in suburbia.

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85 / 100
Sep 26, 2022

Obsidian Entertainment has done it once again. Grounded is an extremely fun survival game that takes the best elements of the genre and presents them in a simple way, where the experience is much bigger than it seems

Review in Spanish | Read full review

85 / 100
Sep 26, 2022

Grounded is the perfect survival, building and role-playing game, with a good story and a miniature world full of life.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

4 / 5.0
Sep 26, 2022

If you are in the mood to try out something new in the survivalist genre, Grounded may be the game you are looking for due to its unique shrunken environment and formidable enemies. All things considered, I can’t wait to see what will happen next in this first-person narrative from Xbox Game Studios.

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8 / 10.0
Sep 26, 2022

Featuring a fun and slightly silly setting for this genre, Grounded comfortably provides the basics that allow it to create an engrossing and at times horrifying survival experience. Add a good amount of worldbuilding and a narrative that compliments the gameplay nicely and you have a cooperative experience well worth your time, even if a few bugs (and not the good kind!) have stuck around throughout its pre-release period.

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8.5 / 10.0
Sep 26, 2022

In a genre that's markedly saturated, Grounded stands tall. Dripping with charm, its unique setting and premise give it ample space to impress players who think they've seen it all.

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7 / 10.0
Apr 18, 2024

Grounded on the Nintendo Switch sacrifices a bit of visual fidelity for a really solid port of an incredibly quirky survival game.

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4.5 / 5.0
Oct 12, 2022

Much like the protagonists, Grounded sees Obsidian heading into new brand new territory that's still familiar in some ways, and their expedition ends up paying off big-time.

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8 / 10.0
Sep 26, 2022

Grounded is a solid title that has massive scope and a grand adventure for anyone seeking it, with its inclusion on Xbox Game Pass everyone who subscribes to the service should give this one a try.

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8 / 10.0
Oct 3, 2022

It's fantastical, cartoonish, and realistic in equal measure, with a sense of fun and even dread, expressed through impressive art direction and a moody synth-driven soundtrack.

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Gamersky
Top Critic
7.4 / 10.0
Sep 26, 2022

As a survival game, Grounded has a good story and gameplay, but only if you can accept all kinds of bugs and terrifying spiders. The game creates a mini world that allows players to explore driven by curiosity, and there is some guide missing when the player is exploring. The difficulty of the single-player mode seems a bit unfriendly, reducing the fun of the player experience.

Review in Chinese | Read full review

7.5 / 10.0
Sep 26, 2022

This final release for Grounded confirms that Obsidian gave its soul to the game, crafting a survival game which is still improvable, but unique in a lot of ways.

Review in Italian | Read full review

95 / 100
Apr 29, 2024

With stunning settings and an intriguing story centered around cowering teenagers searching for answers, Grounded mixes adventure, survival, and base-building. While facing a variety of enemies and challenges, players can explore the world solo or with up to three friends in multiplayer. However, the lack of clarity about the next steps of the story and the need for complex items can be challenging for some players, although fun is guaranteed, especially in multiplayer mode.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review