Grounded Reviews

Grounded is ranked in the 89th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
9 / 10.0
Oct 2, 2022

Obsidian has done a good job at all levels - universe, exploration, combat, construction, survival - for this beautiful and original survival title, a little more balancing and it will be perfect.

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Travis Northup
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
Sep 28, 2022

Grounded is a fantastic survival game with a killer premise, rewarding progression, and boundless creativity that even a host of bugs can’t spoil.

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Recommended
Sep 26, 2022

Grounded's charming, Honey I Shrunk the Kids premise is elevated by its uniquely welcoming approach to wonder.

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90 / 100
Sep 26, 2022

Grounded is a delightfully creative and occasionally terrifying survival sandbox.

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TheGamer
Top Critic
May 12, 2024

Though it finished with a thud, Grounded still stands with the greats of the genre, like Subnautica or The Forest. It just oozes confidence in its theme, and successfully pulls off the feeling of wonder Honey I Shrunk The Kids gave me when I first saw it almost 30 years ago.

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Sep 26, 2022

Grounded has always been a solid idea on paper, but Obsidian brings that potential to full fruition for launch, delivering on the thrills and fun of its brilliantly Spielbergian conceit.

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8 / 10
Sep 26, 2022

Grounded doesn't revolutionize its genre, but it does imbue it with the endearing heart of a child.

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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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Oct 17, 2022

Grounded is an unusual take on the survival/crafting genre, with a clever premise and a decent sense of style. Tedious gameplay drags the experience down, though.

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Unscored
Sep 27, 2022

Grounded is an incredibly rewarding survival experience that constantly pushes you into new areas of its reactive world, filled with insect inhabitants that are some of the best baddies in gaming.

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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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IGN Middle East
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
Sep 28, 2022

Grounded is a fantastic survival game with a killer premise, rewarding progression, and boundless creativity that even a host of bugs can’t spoil.

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9 / 10.0
Sep 27, 2022

Grounded has become, over the years, a real gem that has little to envy to what we expect from Avowed.

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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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77 / 100
Apr 20, 2024

A remarkable port of the hit survival game that we already enjoyed on Xbox and PC. It prioritizes performance over resolution (and it's very noticeable), allowing the massive garden to be brought to the Switch's circuitry. Its desktop performance is disappointing, but if you're looking to play it on a laptop, it's a good option.

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TJ Denzer
Top Critic
9 / 10
Sep 26, 2022

Of all the survival games I’ve played, Grounded is easily one of the coolest. The very theme of it is fun and the execution is pretty on target too. Playing as micro-sized kids in a vast yard full of pests and threats is really interesting, the story keeps exploration intriguing, and the progression, whether alone or with friends, feels satisfying. I’m not fond of how hard it is on normal difficulty alone, or the lack of variety among nearly required gear, but it really gets all the more delightful with friends helping. Even then, there’s plenty of ways to enjoy Grounded solo, too. Between Creative Modes, multiple difficulties, and a nice set of accessibility options, Grounded feels like one of the strongest entries to the survival genre in a long time.

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83 / 100
Sep 26, 2022

Grounded is a very remarkable survival RPG that is only taking its first (and tiny) steps. It has a huge potential to become one of the essentials of the genre, but it already has enough wickers to fall in love with survival fans. Give it a try if you can, because it deserves it.

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8.7 / 10.0
Sep 26, 2022

Finally mature and complete, Grounded is a game that has a lot to offer and little to be forgiven for.

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8.5 / 10.0
Sep 26, 2022

Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.

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Sep 26, 2022

Grounded is a charming survival experience that mixes exploration, action, and crafting into one grand package. There are plenty of options for those wishing to get immersed in the world, and anyone willing to put up with the odd multiplayer requirements will surely get hours of enjoyment out of this game.

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