Grounded 2 (Game Preview) Lands July 29 – Here’s What You Need to Know

Shyla Schofield, Senior Communications Manager, Obsidian Entertainment

Summary

Grounded 2 launches July 29, 2025, in Game Preview for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, and Xbox Cloud, in Early Access on Steam, and with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass —get ready to shrink down and dive in!
And with Xbox Play Anywhere, a single purchase lets you play with Xbox consoles and Xbox PC with full cross-saves – at no additional cost.
Suit up with the Founder’s Edition — the Standard Edition with additional content including four cosmetic character skins, custom emotes, and a digital artbook plus soundtrack to flex your style.
Play your way with accessibility options like Arachnophobia Safe Mode, Read to Me, and more from day one!
Everyone gets a gift! The Tools of Yore decorative set is free for all players jumping into Grounded 2.

The countdown to Grounded 2 is nearly over, and we’re gearing up to welcome players back to Brookhollow — only this time, the world is bigger, the bugs are bolder, and the park is ready to play in so saddle up! As we get closer to the Game Preview/Early Access launch on July 29, 2025, we’re excited to announce the Minotaurs, Myrmidons, and Mants: Oh My! Founder’s Edition, available for purchase starting at launch.

This edition is packed with stylish cosmetics to help you stand out while exploring Brookhollow Park. You’ll get the game plus unlock four premium character skins, each with their own custom emotes: the mighty Minotaur, the stoic Myrmidon, the elusive Rogue, and the fearsome Mant. You’ll also get access to “ONYX-PRO, Inside the Game” — a digital artbook and soundtrack that takes you behind the scenes of Grounded 2’s development and will be updated throughout Game Preview/Early Access — and a decorative set of Tool Effigies called the Tools of Yore, perfect for showing off your adventuring spirit at home base.

Correction — almost perfect. The Tools of Yore aren’t actually exclusive to the Founder’s Edition. They’re a gift to every player who joins us in Grounded 2, whether you’re playing through Game Pass, purchasing the standard edition, or picking up the Founder’s Edition down the line. It’s a simple “thank –you” from the team, for stepping back into the tiny world with us.

Players can always start their adventure with the Standard Edition of Grounded 2, or by playing day one with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. If they decide they want the additional cosmetic items — none of which affect gameplay or progression — and the digital artbook and soundtrack, the Minotaurs, Myrmidons, and Mants: Oh My! Founder’s Edition will be available as a Founder’s Pack upgrade as well.

In addition to new cosmetic options and the digital artbook and soundtrack, we’re also continuing our commitment to accessibility. Grounded 2 will launch into Game Preview and Early Access with a wide array of features designed to support different playstyles and player needs. This includes Arachnophobia Safe Mode, colorblind options, subtitle customization, narration through Read to Me, adjustable reticles, control settings, and more. We’re also committed to supporting the same localized languages from the original Grounded, starting with English, French, Castilian Spanish, German, Italian, Latin American Spanish, and Simplified Chinese at Game Preview/Early Access—with more languages to be added over time. These tools and options are just the beginning — we’ll continue building on them with community input throughout development.

Grounded 2 launches July 29, 2025, in Game Preview for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, and Xbox Cloud, in Early Access on Steam, and with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. And with Xbox Play Anywhere, a single purchase lets you play with Xbox consoles and Xbox PC with full cross-saves – at no additional cost. The Standard Edition during the Game Preview/Early Access period is $29.99 USD while the Founder’s Edition will be available for $39.99 USD, and the Founder’s Pack upgrade will be available to $10.00 USD. We’re incredibly excited to explore what comes next with you. This world is meant to grow and evolve, and that only happens with your feedback, creativity, and curiosity.

So, grab your gear, round up your team, and meet us in the park. And don’t forget to join the conversation in our official Discord — we’ll be there, keeping an eye out for your base builds, bug tales, and all the wild stories that only Grounded 2 can deliver.

Grounded 2

Xbox Game Studios

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

Shrunk again, but the world is much larger. Survive a sprawling open world alone or in co-op with friends. Craft weapons, forge armor, and build bases while exploring the park on your trusty Buggy mounts. Unravel hidden mysteries and face unexpected threats. But something else is out there—and it hasn’t forgotten you.
Shrunk to the size of an ant, you’ll find once-familiar spaces turned into a sprawling, uncharted frontier. Survive alone or in co-op with friends, crafting weapons, forging armor, and building bases as you explore manmade playgrounds overgrown by nature. Traverse this new realm on trusty Buggy mounts—your capable allies—and uncover the mysteries lurking beneath bright colors and towering structures. But stay wary: something else is out there, and it hasn’t forgotten you.

Survive, Adapt, Overcome
The world is relentless, but so are you. Shape your adventure with unique archetypes, each offering distinct abilities to match your playstyle. Whether you rely on precision, cunning, or sheer strength, you’ll need every advantage to survive against the threats lurking in the park.

Stronger Together
The perils of the park are daunting alone, but with friends, every challenge becomes an adventure. Work together to build, fight, and uncover the secrets buried beneath the grass. Whether you’re facing danger side by side or continuing your journey in a shared world, survival is always better with allies.

Because Walking is Bogus
They scurry, they fight, and now—they help you survive. Hatch, raise, and ride your own insect friends – Buggies! Saddle up and traverse through the park, fight on them or alongside them in battle, or use them to gather resources and build your base. The right partner could mean the difference between thriving and barely surviving.

A Shadow That Follows You
The threat is always there—watching, learning, waiting. You don’t know where it’s coming from, only that it never leaves. The deeper you dig, the closer it gets. Some mysteries should stay buried, but it’s too late now. It knows you’re looking. And it’s ready. Every answer drags you deeper, every step invites something closer. You were never alone. You thought you were in control. You were wrong.

The post Grounded 2 (Game Preview) Lands July 29 – Here’s What You Need to Know appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Donkey Kong Switch Games Are Getting Price Cuts Alongside the Release of Bananza

While nowhere near as popular as Mario games, Donkey Kong has continuously released some of the best 2D platformers in the entire market. The Donkey Kong Country series, which started on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, has released two remasters on Nintendo Switch specifically. One of these is Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, launched earlier this year for Nintendo Switch, and if you’re a fan of 2D platformers, this is easily a must-own game. Then there’s also Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, which is on sale for the same price at Woot as well.

These deals are part of an ongoing video game sale at Woot, which lasts until August 1 and includes a ton of other Switch games.

Donkey Kong Switch Games Are on Sale at Woot

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD features over 80 levels across nine different worlds. This version of the game brings the new features found in the 3DS release, in addition to a new Modern Mode that increases the number of hearts per level. Some of the levels you’ll come across will be incredibly challenging, but the platforming is very fair and exceptionally fun, whether playing alone or with a friend.

DKC Returns initially launched on the Wii in 2010, but even 15 years later, the game still holds up. We gave the game an 8/10 in our review, stating, “Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a passable remaster of an amazing platformer – more modern improvements and a larger graphical update would have been nice, but this is still one of the greatest 2D platformers Nintendo has released this century.”

The other deal worth mentioning in this sale is Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, which was originally released for the Wii U. We gave that game a 9/10 in our review, stating, “Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze is a fun and challenging platformer that isn’t afraid to make you work hard.”

Now is the perfect time to jump into DK’s previous adventures, as Donkey Kong Bananza (out tomorrow!) is set to feature numerous references to older games in the series. If you’re excited for Donkey Kong’s big debut on Nintendo Switch 2, be sure to check out our 10/10 review of the game.

What is Woot?

If you aren’t familiar with Woot, the easiest way to learn more about it is through the about page on its website. In a nutshell, Woot is a daily deals site that was founded back in 2004 and later purchased by Amazon. They offer deals on just about everything that many other retailers don’t often have. The products themselves are always high-quality and backed by Amazon, so it’s legit. Prime members even get free standard shipping on anything they buy on Woot, so you don’t need to worry about hitting a minimum price or total shipping costs if you already have Prime.

In addition to this video game sale, there’s also a pretty good sale on board games and puzzles worth checking out.

Noah Hunter is a freelance writer and reviewer with a passion for games and technology. He co-founded Final Weapon, an outlet focused on nonsense-free Japanese gaming (in 2019) and has contributed to various publishers writing about the medium.

Cyberpunk 2077 Update Announced For Switch 2, Here Are The Full Patch Notes

Includes four new cars.

Cd Projekt Red has announced a new update for Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition on Switch 2, adding in four new cars and a boatload of improvements.

There’s no release date for the update at the time of writing, but we’d wager it probably won’t be too far off. It’s hitting the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC tomorrow (that’s 17th July 2025). We’ll let you know as soon as we get more details on the Switch 2 release.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

The Biggest Magic: The Gathering Crashers and Climbers This Week – July 16

We’re a few weeks into the Magic: The Gathering Final Fantasy Universes Beyond set, and things are starting to settle down as we head into (you guessed it) another set.

That’s right, Edge of Eternities is right around the corner, but before the space-themed set arrives, there have been yet more price fluctuations in the world of Magic: The Gathering.

Crashers: Vivi Drops Again

Vivi Ornitier was around $70 a week or two ago, but is now at around $45. He’s still incredibly popular, but he is dropping off.

Vivi’s synergies are also dropping. Harmonic Prodigy reached $13 but has started to roll downward, closing in on the $10 mark.

Perch Protection from Bloomburrow is also down, now as low as $8 for all you Chocobo lovers. It’s still up, but it’s lower than it has been.

Remember when Tifa, Martial Artist was absolutely flying at around the $50 mark? She’s seen a steep drop, likely because she’s included in the FF7 Commander precon.

She’s down to under $4 now, when just a few weeks ago she’d have set you back $50 (although she’s great fun to use in a game).

Climbers: Cloud Nine

For the first few weeks of the Final Fantasy set, a big focus was on counters thanks to Tidus’ Final Fantasy X deck, but now Cloud is our spiky-haired boy of the week.

His focus on Equipment cards is seeing a series of synergies bounce into the limelight, notably Sigarda’s Aid, Sword of the Animist, and Panharmonicon.

The former lets you cast equipment as if it had Flash (and is up to over $20 from $3 in the last 3 months), while Sword of the Animist is up to $14 and lets you rack up land like there’s no tomorrow.

Finally, Panharmonicon gives you extra triggers, meaning you could build an absolutely savage board state very quickly indeed. Interestingly, Pnaharmonicon is sitting at around $5 still. I might have to invest.

Sticking with Cloud, the Kaldheim set’s Halvar, God of Battle is up to around $30 It gives equipped (and enchanted) creatures Double Strike, lets you mix and match equipment, and turns into the Sword of the Realms which can power up a card and protect it from death by sending it back to your hand. Not bad, Halvar.

Finally, another clash of Universes sees the RMS Titanic from the Doctor Who set rising in prominence. Why? Because the now $5 card is likely to be a big winner for the new rules in Edge of Eternities, which will see vehicles become more important since they can be used as Commanders.

MTG Sealed Sets

Everything else Final Fantasy is pretty hot right now, so if you manage to find anything in stock, it might be worth picking up ASAP to avoid disapointment.

Looking for more TCG discussion and market watch? Check out the full MTG release schedule for 2025, last week’s MTG price movers and shakers, or, on the Pokemon side of things, our latest crashers and climbers for Pokemon TCG and the most expensive 151 cards going right now for Pokemon trainers

Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He’s a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife’s dismay.

Some of the Best Deals on Games After Prime Day Are Actually at GameFly

GameFly is running an impressive sale right now on PS5 and Xbox Series X games, plus Blu-ray movies. It’s definitely worth checking out if you’re looking to save money on recent AAA games. You can get PS5 deals like Elden Ring Nightreign for $27.99 and Doom: The Dark Ages for $39.99. You’re not likely to find those kinds of discounts anywhere else for quite a while on new copies of those games, especially after Prime Day.

The caveat is that all of the games are pre-played (more info on that below). You can shop the whole sale here, or read on for our picks.

Save Up to 50% Off Pre-Played Games at GameFly

Elden Ring Nightreign is a fun twist on the From Software formula perfected in the original Elden Ring. It turns the game into a three-player co-op roguelite. It might not be for everyone (see our review for details), but $27.99 makes it much more palatable.

Doom: The Dark Ages may be available for Xbox players on Game Pass, but that doesn’t apply to PS5 owners. So this is a great way to play through it at significantly less than the new game MSRP. Check out our 9/10 Doom: The Dark Ages review for more info on that.

Also on sale are Civ 7, Monster Hunter Wilds, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and many more. You can even save cash on Blu-rays like Mickey 17 and Mufasa: The Lion King. Lots of savings to go around.

Is GameFly a Good Place to Buy Used Games?

Everything you buy from GameFly is “pre-played,” meaning it’s been sent out to GameFly customers. That said, everything GameFly sells in these sales is in good condition. It also comes with brand-new new cases and inserts where applicable. I’ve bought games in previous GameFly sales, and I never would’ve guessed they were used, aside from arriving without shrink wrap.

All of these games are also “100% guaranteed,” so if you have any problem with them, you can get a full refund. Buying pre-played games is a good way to pick up recent games at way cheaper than new pricing. And this sale knocks even more money off the pre-played discount, which is essentially stacking a deal on a deal.

Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN’s board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Bluesky.

Come slide with me through loopy shooter maps in this homage to Counter-Strike’s beloved Source engine surfing

Counter-Strike surfing is a modded game mode for Valve’s bomb defusal FPS in which players skate through obstacle courses by means of a Source engine physics glitch. It has a proud history dating back to 2004, when modder Charles “Mariowned” Joyce discovered that it was far more enjoyable to slide off roofs than shoot people in his custom map Killbox. So he made a new map dedicated to sliding, The Gap. Thus the greasy chute that led to Alice0 (RPS in peace) hailing CS surfing as “the esport we deserve” in 2020.

People have crafted their own versions of the mode in games like Roblox, and Proper Game Developers such as Blizzard have seemingly taken inspiration – Overwatch‘s Lucio is surely a love letter to the mode. Now here comes SurfsUp, a free-to-play surfing game in the Godot Engine. Released this month, it’s been favourably compared to surf maps in Valve’s Counter-Strike 2, and is worth a pop even if you have no prior experience of counters or striking. Also, to clarify, it has nothing to do with that licensed penguin game for Xbox 360. Stand down, Cody Maverick groupies.

Sonic Racing: Crossworlds On Switch 2 Will Feature The Full Base Game On Cartridge

That’s right, no Game-Key Card!

Sega has just earned itself a big win by confirming that Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds on the Switch 2 will not be a Game-Key Card when it launches physically in early 2026.

In a press release, the company confirmed that Crossworlds will launch digitally on Switch 2 in Holiday 2025 and physically in Early 2026, with two versions available for digital purchases. The standard is priced at £64.99 and the Digital Deluxe is priced at £74.99. It’s not known at this time how much the physical version will cost.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Shake It! Ten Rat-Tastic Reasons Why Ratshaker Will Change Your Life Forever

Category: Games

July 16, 2025

Shake It! Ten Rat-Tastic Reasons Why Ratshaker Will Change Your Life Forever

Calvin Parsons, CEO Sunscorched Studios

With Ratshaker, you take control! Feel the satisfaction of watching the meter rise as you shake the cartoon Rat into submission. The more you shake, the closer you get to solving your problems for good.

Fast-acting, easy to use, and highly effective, Ratshaker ensures your space stays problem-free in no time. But make no mistake, this is no ordinary game. This is a ritual. You must perform it. It is coming for us.

Launching today on Xbox Series X|S, this $3.49 nightmare will burn itself into your psyche. You are not prepared. You never were.

To celebrate this momentous occasion, our most unhinged Rat-gineers have curated ten of the most rat-tastic, most cursed reasons why Ratshaker will change your life—forever.

1. Ratshaker Deceives Your Mind

You will be lulled into a state of confusion as the world around you is not what it seems. You will see a Ratshaker Meter overhead while a 2D cartoon Rat rests firmly in your fist.
Gaze upon The Pale Fields and despair, for you are not ready for the descent into self-destruction you will endure in just a few shakes.

2. A Balance of Horror and Humour

Ratshaker will mercilessly throw you into a blend of liminal dread and absurdism that you need to experience.
You’ll wonder why you’re laughing at all. Maybe the game is laughing at you. It knows what you have done.

3. The Golden Voice of the Rat

Did you expect the Rat in Ratshaker to have a deep, silky, posh voice as it screams with every shake?
Of course it does! Not only does the Rat look absurd, it talks! The Rat offers its commentary as you spiral.

You can skip the Rat’s commentary with just a quick squeeze!

4. Many Have Been Cast Into the Basement

Countless content creators have willfully given in to the strange call from the other side of the meat wall—beckoned to open the door with a fist full of Rat and jump right in.
From Markiplier’s climactic playthrough of the original build, to that guy from two doors down who just hates having fun, many of them went on to make videos—scared and confused—about what Ratshaker is.
They could not stop shaking. They loved it. They had to.

5. Feel the Burn. Wiggle Until It Hurts. Can You Endure?

Ratshaker will challenge your “I can press the A button really fast” championship that you and your friends made up.
Unnecessary quick time events have nothing on the finger punishment that is shaking this cartoon cross-eyed Rat.

Seriously, it calls for some real handwork. Shake it!

6. Nostalgia Will Snare You. You Can’t Escape Its Trap.

Don’t let the pixelated visuals fool you! There’s something in the walls, something shaped like your guilt. You know what you did (or are going to do)!
You can shake (and/or squeeze) that silly Rat all you want, it’s not going to save you. Your surroundings might look familiar—but there is something waiting around the next corner. Always.

7. Completionists Love Shaking the Rat

You’ve done this before. What’s a few more shakes? Collect everything to fill that Rat-shaped hole in your soul.
From clever achievement names to two different outcomes you deserve, Ratshaker gives you the feeling that maybe it really was all your fault, and you need to go back.
Go back and face it again and again and again and again and again. Over and over. Forever.

8. Secrets That Only Appear on Special Occasions

Ratshaker will regularly drag you back to your favourite suffering chamber, 2778-B.
During those cold winter months, remember who gave you a gift? That’s right. Ratshaker.
Boot the game up during the festive season and receive a twisted surprise.
Come Valentine’s Day, fire it up again and receive something even stranger!

9. No Matter How Fast You Are, It Never Ends

They tried to run through as fast as possible—all just to start again. What about you? Do you prefer ripping it off like a sticky bandage, or do you just like to take it all in?
Sink deeper into the atmosphere, feel the negative space pulse with every inch it gets closer to you.
Maybe you should try to clear it in seven minutes. Don’t let it get you.

10. The Hive Mind Is Growing. Join Us

Take the first real breath in six years. Go on. Breathe in. Breathe out. There are people out there with eyes like ours.
You and I are the same. You want Ratshaker, I want Ratshaker for you.
We’ve already tasted the cycle of eternity. What about you?
You don’t want to be left out here alone, out here in The Pale Fields. Something is out here. Something is watching.

Just. Shake. The. Rat.
Join us. Ratshaker, Ratshaker, Rat, Rat, Rat.

Ratshaker can soon be yours!
Don’t miss the gaming phenomenon that is the simple act of shaking a cartoon Rat and walking through your personalised torment.
All for the low, low price of a coffee…

Ratshaker

Dark Product

☆☆☆☆☆
4

★★★★★

$3.49

Get it now

RATSHAKER

– The Ultimate Solution to All Your RAT Problems!
Tired of pests taking over your space? Say goodbye to them for good with RATSHAKER

, the revolutionary new way to deal with unwanted pests! Just take and shake, and RATSHAKER

does the rest. No traps, no mess, no unmarked disposal barrels!

With RATSHAKER, you take control! Feel the satisfaction of watching the meter rise as you shake that rat into submission. The more you shake, the closer you get to solving your problems for good. Fast-acting, easy to use, and highly effective, RATSHAKER ensures your space stays problem-free in no time.

The post Shake It! Ten Rat-Tastic Reasons Why Ratshaker Will Change Your Life Forever appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Cyberpunk 2077 update 2.3 motors into your life this week with new cars, auto-driving, a taxi service and more

Cyberpunk 2077‘s previously delayed update 2.3 drops tomorrow, July 17th, CD Projekt have revealed in their latest livestream. It’s mostly about giving you more options in terms of traversing the world, because adding in a whole metro system post-launch didn’t do enough in that regard.

The studio will not stop, even though they’re now making Cyberpunk 2. They’ve worked with fellow developers Virtuos to add-in some new cars, a taxi system, self-driving cars, and other stuff not related to getting from A to B.

Cyberpunk 2077 update 2.3 launches on July 17, CD Projekt has confirmed, across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox — but not Nintendo Switch 2.

In a livestream, CD Projekt developers said the studio needs more time to work on patch 2.3 for the Switch 2 version of the game. No release date was mentioned.

Paweł Sasko, Cyberpunk 2 Associate Game Director, said this patch focuses on vehicles and customization. Adrien Jouannet, Lead Designer at support studio Virtuos, which has helped CD Projekt with Cyberpunk 2077 updates, confirmed 2.3 adds three new cars and one new motorcycle, which is the first customizable motorcycle in the game. The new vehicles are each unlocked by completing a small quest. Sasko said it will be “intuitive” to trigger the quests. The new quests do not contribute to 100% completion for achievement hunters.

Elsewhere, update 2.3 adds the new AutoDrive feature, which lets you drive vehicles hands free. In-universe, AutoDrive hits all the vehicles in the game via a software update. You can set a marker, sit back and let the car drive there for you. (It’s worth noting to use AutoDrive you have be driving on a road.) There’s also a wandering mode, where the vehicle will drive automatically endlessly in free roam, which sounds fun for explorers. Helpfully, the Delamain AI taxi company can be hired for AutoDrive, so he can just drive you around if you’d like.

This, accompanied with the cinematic camera you can activate while driving, will let you see Night City in a much more cinematic way. This, Sasko said, was inspired by fan-made videos of driving around Night City for hours on end. You can use Photo Mode while using AutoDrive.

Speaking of Photo Mode, there’s a lot of new features with 2.3. You can now change the time of day and the weather for the scene. There are 27 new NPCs for Photo Mode, too, as well as new outfits and natural poses for the main characters. CD Projekt teased a new Photo Mode contest for fans.

On the technical side, PC gamers can expect AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 3.1 (FSR 3.1) support with 2.3 tomorrow. Cyberpunk 2077 will support FSR 4, Sasko said, but it will arrive alongside an AMD driver release. HDR10+ gaming is now properly supported. VRR is coming to the console versions of Cyberpunk 2077.

And finally, CD Projekt talked about the already-announced Mac version of Cyberpunk 2077, which launches alongside 2.3 tomorrow, July 17.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Author: Game Infliction