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How to play cross-play - Grounded

Setup a cross-play co-op multiplayer session in Grounded and start surviving the dangerous backyard with your friends!
Sam Chandler
Sam Chandler
1

Grounded has finally arrived in Early Access and players are hoping to cross-play with their friends. Thankfully, Grounded does include cross-play, and it’s rather easy to set up a co-op multiplayer game session for you and your tiny pals.

How to play cross-play

Players on Steam will need to have an Xbox account and use the Xbox Console Companion app to join friends.

Much like a lot of Xbox’s other titles, Grounded includes cross-play between Xbox One consoles and PC. This should make it an appealing co-op option for those players that have friends across multiple platforms and storefronts.

cross-play co-op grounded
Select either to host a lobby or join a friend's game of Grounded.

Setting up a co-op cross-play multiplayer session in Grounded is easy. The first step will be for someone to host an online game.

  1. Select Multiplayer from the main menu
  2. Choose to Host Online Game
  3. Choose to create a New Game or Continue a previous game save
  4. Wait for your friends to join the lobby
multiplayer difficulty Grounded
The host will be able to select from three different difficulty levels and a "Creative" mode.

The host will also be able to choose the difficulty level of the game. For beginners, playing on Moderate is a good option as it showcases more of Grounded’s mechanics. Veteran survival players may want to test their mettle with the Whoa! difficulty. Anyone that just wants to explore (without the threat of spiders) can chill in the Creative mode.

  • Mild: The yard is a hostile environment, but stats are more forgiving and friendly fire is off.
  • Moderate: Moderate stress level. Manage thirst, hunger, health, and stamina while you fight to survive.
  • Whoa!: The most punishing way to live the tiny life. Creatures are tougher, vitals are harder to keep filled, and everything breaks faster.
  • Creative: Zero stress! Craft and explore with no resource management or existential threats.

Once the lobby is created, other players will need to manually join the game. Grounded is currently in Game Preview/Early Access and there is no way to send out game invites. Players will need to join by doing the following steps:

  1. Select Multiplayer from the main menu
  2. Choose to Join Online Game
  3. Select your friend from the list

Following these steps will have you join a friend that is hosting a lobby. When all players have joined (there can be four players in a game), the host can launch.

The host of the Grounded game will be the one responsible for the save. Ensure that the game is saved before quitting so you can continue playing it again next time.

Creating a cross-play multiplayer session in Grounded is rather simple as players can get into a game with only a few button presses. Check out the Shacknews Grounded page for more news and guides.

Head of Guides
Head of Guides

Hailing from the land down under, Sam Chandler brings a bit of the southern hemisphere flair to his work. After bouncing round a few universities, securing a bachelor degree, and entering the video game industry, he's found his new family here at Shacknews as Head of Guides. There's nothing he loves more than crafting a guide that will help someone. If you need help with a guide, or notice something not quite right, you can message him on X: @SamuelChandler 

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