Grounded 2: join and leave the Public Test on Steam and Xbox

Rot and Ruin is available as Public Test Build 0.6.0. Steam players switch through Grounded 2’s beta settings; Xbox and Microsoft Store players use Xbox Insider Hub. Obsidian recommends starting a new game for testing because updated content can affect existing saves. Test progress is not guaranteed to carry over.

Switch branches on Steam

Right-click Grounded 2 in your library and open Properties.
Open Betas and select public_test – Public Test Build.
Close the window and let Steam download the update. Launching the game can also trigger the download.

To return, repeat these steps and select the option to opt out of betas. Switching back does not establish that a test save will work in the regular release.

Use Xbox Insider Hub

You need to own the game or have an active Xbox Game Pass or PC Game Pass subscription. Install Xbox Insider Hub, open Previews and join Grounded 2 Public Test. Xbox players may need to restart the console to trigger the update.

To leave, Obsidian lists Manage, Leave Preview and Done in the Hub, followed by a restart and reinstalling Grounded 2. Before switching, make sure you have not continued your important regular save exclusively in the test build.