Releasing ontoXbox Game Passis almost a surefire way to draw attention to a game, but even with its day-one launch on the service,Grounded 2is off to a tremendous start elsewhere. Obsidian Entertainment’s survival game, in which players are shrunk and must contend with insects and other dangers in a backyard, released in early access for Xbox consoles and on Steam on July 29.
Within its first hour of release on Steam,Grounded 2surpassed its predecessor,Grounded, in all-time peak concurrent player count (viaGameSpot). Per data onSteamDB,Grounded 2exceeded 45,000 concurrent players in that first hour, whileGrounded’s all-time peak – from 2021 – was just over 32,000(thanks again,SteamDB). These aren’tCounter-Strike 2numbers by any means, butGrounded 2usurping its established predecessor, which saw years of post-launch support, within minutes is very impressive.
Grounded 2 Set A Series Peak Player Count Record
Its Real Player Count Is Likely Much Higher
At the time of writing,Grounded 2’s all-time peak of 49,836 on launch day remains its highest mark. The game’s Steam player count doesn’t tell the whole story, though. ConsideringGrounded 2’s $30 price tag on Steam,it’s likely that many more players have opted to play the game via Xbox Game Pass, both on PC and on Xbox. Unless Microsoft decided to divulge total concurrent player numbers across all platforms, which it rarely, if ever, does, then we’ll likely never know its true record.
Grounded 2isObsidian’s second of three games this year, joiningAvowedfrom February andThe Outer Worlds 2, which is coming out in October. Interestingly,Grounded’s highest player count on Steam coincided with a free weekend a year after its early access release, but still predating its full 1.0 launch.This is a potentially good sign for the future ofGrounded 2; its successes may only be starting.
Grounded 2 Is Off To A Strong Start
Another Win For Game Pass
Simply the existence of a sequel being developed indicates thatGroundedis viewed as a success for Obsidian and Microsoft, and nowGrounded 2is off to a very strong start.Screen Rant’s preview just before early access claimed it’sbetter than the original, andfans are clearly interested in trying even its incomplete stateif they’re opening up their wallets for the Steam version.
Grounded 2is yet another feather in Game Pass’s cap. The service reachednearly $5 billion in revenueover the past year, in large part because Xbox Game Studios titles release there day-one like clockwork.Grounded 2joins not onlyAvowed(and soon to beThe Outer Worlds 2) onXbox Game Pass, but alsoDOOM: The Dark Ages,Indiana Jones and the Great Circle,South of Midnight, and more first-party games that make up the service’s stacked catalog.
