Grounded Reviews

Grounded is ranked in the 89th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
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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Lee Mehr
Top Critic
6.5 / 10.0
Oct 27, 2022

Grounded's quirky concept and adventurous personality will win over survival genre fans, but certain design and launch-window issues shrink my enthusiasm.

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7 / 10
Oct 5, 2022

Grounded indeed doesn't bring anything new to the table, except for its creative concept, which is original and well thought out. The mediocre story complements the otherwise challenging grind and makes it far more bearable than we would forgive another game. Fortunately, if you play Grounded in multiplayer - you'll have a great time.

Review in Czech | Read full review

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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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

INVEN
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Sep 28, 2022

Grounded changed the ordinary backyard into an intense place where you can't see what's coming next by simply adding a concept of shrunk kids. The sandbox game with survival and variety of crafting elements is always fun whether you are playing alone or with friends.

Review in Korean | Read full review

8 / 10.0
Oct 1, 2022

Grounded provides some great survival mechanics and challenging combat in a rather novel environment with an intriguing plotline. The game can be very tough but also very rewarding. However, it can take a while to really get the game going with the analysis mechanic and the lack of explanation revolving around many other ludemes.

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80 / 100
Sep 28, 2022

We all know that Obsidian is a great company that has us used to great products. Grounded is something different from what we're used to and it's a rather particular game that not everyone will like, but if you're just interested in the premise of survival and a feeling of loneliness that it proposes, you should give it a try.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

8 / 10.0
Sep 26, 2022

Grounded is among the most enjoyable survival experiences of recent years, and it is almost strange to emphasise this given that the title was not even supposed to exist. Obsidian, albeit with a small team, has crafted a stylistically original product, not without flaws, but composed of all those qualities with which the American team has always distinguished itself with its video games: quality writing, design and effective world building.

Review in Italian | Read full review

8 / 10.0
Dec 1, 2022

Ultimately, how much you enjoy Grounded is going to depend on how you play and if you choose to enable any of the customization options. In the default state, if you're looking to adventure through the story, you'll have a fun time, but Grounded is at its best when played as a survival sim. Focus on exploring the world, and let the story happen in the background. It may be a slower pace, but it's also more rewarding.

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80 / 100
Oct 10, 2022

The tiny backyard world in Grounded is a joy to explore, full of danger and wonder. It offers great value, despite a slow progression system and a drawn-out main quest line.

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8 / 10.0
Sep 27, 2022

Grounded has great ideas and delivers a truly entertaining experience. It is one of those games that are made for you to start a game and get lost for hours while you get resources, improve your tools and build the best base of all together with your friends. What started as a small and crazy idea evolved into an exceptional survival that shines with great strength.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

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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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 / 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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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

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