The numbers of Grounded skyrocket after the announcement of its sequel

Grounded 2 is one of the four Xbox Game Pass games confirmed for July 2025.

More stories in the category Xbox Live

• Week on Xbox: These are the 40 most played paid games of the last 7 days
• Check your messages: Microsoft is giving away new Gears of War Reloaded codes
• Another game quietly joins the Xbox Play Anywhere catalog

The sequel to Grounded, titled Grounded 2, is set to release on July 29, 2025, and this has generated significant interest in the original game. Following the reveal of Grounded 2 at the Xbox Showcase on June 8, 2025, the number of active players on Xbox has increased by 193.8%. This has propelled the game from 88th place on the Xbox list to 23rd, surpassing titles like Halo: MCC and Elden Ring.

Data for this study comes from our colleagues at Trueachievements and Game Trends, who have compiled the information using their analytics and user sampling tools. Although they haven’t detailed the specific methodology, we can be confident that the method used is reliable.

This significant increase in players is healthy for the original game

It appears that the surge in player numbers is partly due to the reveal of Grounded 2’s release date, which will launch on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox PC. Like the first game, Grounded 2 will also be available on Xbox Game Pass via Game Preview on its launch day. I must admit that I was surprised it wasn’t announced for PlayStation 5, as I thought this was Microsoft’s new approach, but I believe we won’t see it on day one because it will launch as a Game Preview version.

The thing is, the original game has seen a 200% increase in players right after the sequel’s announcement. Honestly, it doesn’t surprise me at all, as these kinds of effects are to be expected, and I’m convinced that the original game will benefit from it; having more players now is also a good omen for the sequel.