Say it ain't so. After fresh confirmation from Xbox CEO Asha Sharma during an interview with Bloomberg, which revealed that exclusives do indeed matter. As Sharma put it, "in order to become a platform, you must have exclusive content and services."
However, during Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest, Grounded 2's next major update was unveiled, with the "Into the Abyss" update arriving on August 11, 2026. Coincidentally, that's also the day Grounded 2 launches on PlayStation 5, making it the latest Xbox-published title to lose its console exclusivity.
It's hard to say, really. Xbox's approach to exclusivity appears to be heading toward a case-by-case basis, which I honestly find more confusing than simply being fully exclusive or not.
They're strange times for Xbox fans, and while I could spend the next few paragraphs debating the company's strategy, I'm sure that discussion has already been done to death. Instead, let's take a look at what players can expect from the newly revealed Grounded 2 roadmap.
First up is the Playgrounds Update, which brings Steam Deck Verified support and ROG Ally support, meaning Grounded 2 should run much more smoothly on handheld gaming PCs. The update also introduces Playgrounds Mode, allowing players to create, upload, and share their own custom playgrounds for those feeling a little more creatively inclined.
Other things fans can look forward to include Steam Deck cross-play, updates to swimming, watery bases, new creatures, and support for additional languages.
Honestly, Grounded has become quite a hit for Obsidian, and I genuinely love the concept behind the game. That said, I have to admit I've only played the original Grounded around the time it first launched.
It's not that I don't want to give Grounded 2 a try. There are simply too many games releasing these days, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with everything.
Still, I'd love to hear your thoughts on Grounded 2's PlayStation 5 release. Do you mind seeing another Xbox-published game head to PlayStation, or was this exactly what you expected? Let me know in the comments, and be sure to take part in our poll above.
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