Grounded 2 gets a test environment for players to try out upcoming early access features

Obsidian's newest survival crafting experience, Grounded 2, is already a part of the early access program, letting players jump into the game as it continues development. But it looks like some tweaks and features need even more testing and feedback before it reaches the early access version. Obsidian has now announced the Grounded 2 Public Test Build, with the first test already rolling out.

As for why the studio is adding another layer of testing to gather feedback, it said this was to make sure the early access build is more stable.

"The Xbox Insider program is a great way for dedicated Grounded 2 players to provide feedback and bug reports for the latest content made for Grounded 2," Obsidian explained. "While the Xbox Game Preview and Steam Early Access versions of Grounded 2 are also intended to do this, we are looking to make them even more stable by inviting these dedicated players to help us find issues and provide feedback before the content is pushed to Xbox Game Preview and Steam Early Access."

Both PC and Xbox players are able to jump into the Public Test Build as long as they own a copy of the game or have access to it via Game Pass. Xbox players on console and Microsoft Store can use the Xbox Insider Hub to enter the build, while Steam players must switch to the public_test beta option in the game library properties.

Obsidian has already kicked off the first test inside this environment, letting players try the upcoming 0.2 Hairy and Scary update. This carries a new boss fight featuring AXL, a replacement for the construction radial menu, Halloween-inspired changes, new buildings, armor, and a whole lot of quality-of-life changes and features. Find the complete patch notes here.

The Grounded 2 test environment isn't for everyone, though. The studio warned that there is a possibility of progress not carrying over to the main game when the update is ready to hit the early access version. Following this upcoming Fall update, Obsidian has at least two more major updates planned for the game in the coming months, containing new park areas, bosses, quests, and more.

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Posted Thursday 18 September 2025 at 4:36 am AEST (my time).

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