Grounded 2 roadmap teases aquatic mounts, earwigs, Steam Deck verification and the conclusion of a big mystery

Aside from some nasty performance issues, Obsidian and Eidos Montreal's Grounded 2 is off to a great start in early access, and thanks to the release of the roadmap we now have a good idea of what's coming next.

While the team's not ready to commit to a hard timeline, the early access roadmap shows that we should expect the game to be in development for at least a year, as the updates go all the way up to summer 2026, and after that includes a list of "future plans".

There's a lot of good stuff being teased, though.

First off, we've got the fall update, which looks to feature some tantalising answers as to who "Axl" is. This name shows up in a mutation description, and in the roadmap it's also connected to recipes, craftable items, a boss and an arena, suggesting it's the codename for a new critter.

There's a strong theory that it's a tarantula, and the roadmap rules out the theory that it could be the mysterious fifth teen (there was one extra space for someone in the original mini-teen container in the first game, and you can find notes from them in the garden). One thing we do know is that it's going to be venomous.

In the winter update, Obsidian's aiming for Steam Deck verification, as well as some updated systems, new equipment and furniture, and more exciting: new bugs! Crickets and earwigs are coming, alongside "new varieties of existing insects" and the ladybug buggy. Players have already been using this chirping beefcake to get around since the first game, as it's not immediately hostile and you can stand on top of it. Finally, we'll actually be able to control it.

The ladybug seems like the perfect tank mount, complementing the damage-dealing capabilities of the orb weaver and the utility focus of the soldier ant. These round bugs can take a real beating, and they have a nasty charge attack.

Appropriately, the summer update will let us cool off with an updated swimming system, watery buggies, watery creatures, watery bases and watery equipment. If you'd like to get around quickly while completely avoiding the park's myriad dangers, ziplines are also coming back. I spent a stupid amount of time making zipline networks in the first game, so I look forward to getting back to my weird obsession.

The roadmap's final column is dedicated to more vague additions that will appear in the "future". These include more passive and active mutations, more buggies, buggy mutations and progression, new creatures, bosses and giant critters, more gear and archetypes, new buildings and crafting materials, and new supported languages (at least for text) including Russian and Arabic.

None of the updates mention the map, but there's a lot of space to cover. At the moment, the meaty first area is cordoned off by construction barricades, and the final park is going to be absurdly massive (thank god we can use bugs to get around). You'll notice that some of the updates have been covered with spray paint, but all of them have the same icon, which denotes that they are updates to the park. It's almost a certainty that these are new park areas, which Obsidian simply doesn't want to spoil yet.

In the meantime, this first early access build offers plenty to keep us occupied, and right now I'm eagerly getting ready for my first co-op playthrough. I'm excited to have someone to keep the spiders away from me.