Obsidian Entertainment’s Grounded started as a plucky internal passion project from a small team of thirteen developers. With the release of the Fully Yoked 1.4 update, the shrunken backyard survival game reaches its definitive, content-complete masterpiece form.
The Ant Queens and Moral Diplomacy
The centerpiece of the Fully Yoked Edition is the introduction of the three Ant Queens—residing deep within the Red, Black, and Fire Ant hills. Players are presented with three distinct moral choices for each queen: befriend them with delicious treats, betray them, or poison them for rare genetic rewards.
Befriending a queen unlocks loyal baby ant companions that assist in carrying lumber and digging clay, while poisoning them drops recipes for devastating toxic armor sets.
- New Game Plus Mode: The Yoking machine lets players restart the backyard in an alternate reality with remixed creatures and random infusion buffs.
- Infused Weapons and Trinkets: Craft equipment infused with explosive bursts, life-steal procs, and frost pulses.
- Full Japanese Voice Acting: Complete bilingual audio support alongside expanded story dialogue for all four teen survivors.
Ant Queen Choices and Associated Rewards
Each choice you make with the Ant Queens permanently shapes your backyard ecosystem for that playthrough:
| Ant Queen | Friendly Approach Reward | Poison Approach Reward | Companion Unlocked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Ant Queen | Red Ant Pheromone Perk + Baby Red Ant | Red Ant Queen Scepter + Toxic Armor | Baby Red Ant (Carry Capacity +10) |
| Black Ant Queen | Black Ant Pet + Acid Immunity Trinket | Black Ant Queen Shield + Exploding Acid | Baby Black Ant (Harvest Speed +25%) |
| Fire Ant Queen | Fire Ant Pet + Acid Burn Resistance | Fire Ant Queen Staff + Napalm Spores | Baby Fire Ant (Combat Stagger Aura) |
“Grounded was built hand-in-hand with our community. The Fully Yoked Edition is our ultimate thank you to everyone who stepped into our backyard.”
Cross-Play Triumph Across All Platforms
The Fully Yoked Edition officially launched Grounded on PlayStation and Nintendo Switch with seamless cross-play and cross-save enabled alongside Xbox and PC. Grouping up with three friends across any hardware ecosystem is effortless.
Available on Game Pass Ultimate
Grounded: Fully Yoked Edition is available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, and Xbox Game Pass. If you haven't played since early access, there has never been a better time to dive back in.
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