By now, we’ve all exterminated our fair share of creepy crawlies in Grounded, from hordes of aggravated soldier ants to the horrendous wolf spider, which no one truly wants to face more than once. We’re well-versed in these critters and the landscapes they inhabit, which begs the question – what if we could design and build our own critter habitat, create new ways to fight them off, or even build new game experiences entirely?  

This is precisely what the Grounded Make It And Break It Update allows you to do. With the brand-new Playgrounds mode, you can craft your own levels from the ground up, with a suite of design tools at your disposal. Using either the pre-existing backyard or an empty sandbox as a starting point, you can craft buildings, place obstacles, furniture, and even creature spawners that’ll drop enemies whenever you’d like them to be.  

Create puzzles, mini-games, battle arenas – whatever you can dream up. It’s a brilliant new addition that will revitalize the backyard, and we were fortunate enough to get a sneak peek of the tools and chat with the Grounded team about how this lovely creative suite came to be.  

Grounded Game Director Adam Brennecke tells me that adding Playgrounds was a long time coming. Inspired by the modding community, the team wanted to give players the tools to craft their own unique Grounded experience, and the ability to share and try out others’ creations as well.  

“We focused on creating a cool narrative experience for 1.0, and continued to add quality of life updates, more variety, and cool features,” Brennecke says. “We got to a point where the [backyard] felt really fleshed out, we were happy with all of the content in-game, and this felt like the next thing to do.”  

And so we get into the meat of the Make It and Break It update – the building tools. Here, you’ll find almost every object included in the yard; all of the foliage, laboratory pieces, creatures great and small – everything you place is moveable, down to individual blades of grass. The update also brings a new suite dubbed “Gadgets and Gizmos,” and these are the tools that’ll let you build out mechanics for your custom spaces.  

This update also introduces some other tweaks to existing aspects of Grounded. The team went back to the drawing board with the Burgle quests, which now come with additional challenges. These changes will also draw attention to some early game systems that new players can easily miss.  

There are also new set pieces for avid base builders, combat adjustments, and a fix to a particular pain point for players – your dandelion glider no longer takes up a trinket slot!  

Make It And Break It will come as quite the surprise to Grounded players – there has been speculation among the community, but Obsidian has managed to keep its teasers ambiguous enough. All that’s left is to get stuck into the brand-new tools and let your imagination run wild. 

“I don’t think this update is something that players would expect,” Brennecke says. “I think people just want more Grounded, and we’re definitely providing that… in a different way, and we’re excited to see where it goes.”  

Grounded

Xbox Game Studios

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The world is a vast, beautiful, and dangerous place – especially when you have been shrunken to the size of an ant. Explore, build, and survive together in this cooperative survival-adventure. Can you thrive alongside the hordes of giant insects, fighting to survive the perils of the backyard? Uncover the mysteries while playing through the story! How did you wind up so small? Who did this to you? How do you go home? These are all answers you will uncover as you play through the story. Solo or with friends – anytime! You can face the backyard alone or together, online, with up to three friends. Not only that, but with the Shared Worlds feature, you can continue to play in your shared world even if the original host is not on, with all your progression saving! (Online console multiplayer requires Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or Game Pass Core, sold separately.) Nowhere is safe – not even your base. Creatures can be found roaming the yard in a multitude of environments, such as the depths of the pond, the caverns of the termite den, and even the sweltering heat found in the sandbox. You can even attract them to different places in the yard by activating the MIX.R devices. However, the more you interfere with the creatures in the yard, the higher the chance that they come knocking at your own door, so you better prepare. Play true to your playstyle! Use the in-game customization systems such as Mutations and Milk Molars to activate the bonuses and perks you want for your character. Not only that, but craft and upgrade your armor and weapons to give your character the stats and advantages you need in order to take on the perils of the backyard. It’s time to go big, or never go home!