How to play Grounded early demo on Xbox One and PC

Grounded soon receives its public demo on Xbox One and PC, providing the first at-home, hands-on opportunity with the latest title from Obsidian Entertainment. From the studio behind Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Worlds, its latest passion project proposes a family-friendly survival experience with a fun-sized twist. Here’s everything you need to know about the first Grounded flight, and how to play on Xbox One and PC.

What is the Grounded demo?

Grounded sees four kids shrunk in their backyard, channeling similar themes to the 1989 film, “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.” Explore a towering world and assemble tiny homes, while gearing up to fight the insects around every corner. The game includes the staples of any survival experience, from resource gathering, crafting, and improving your tools along the way.

While Grounded makes its formal early-access debut on July 28, Obsidian has outlined plans to host a limited-time demo on Xbox One and PC. The early flight offers a glimpse of the upcoming Grounded experience, based on “one day in the life of Grounded’s single-player campaign.” The Grounded demo provides your first chance to play early — and for free.

Microsoft will also limited access, with a “limited number of slots” available for the demo. These will be offered on “first-come first-serve basis,” so make sure you join the test as soon as possible.

That means players can witness one in-game day before progress resets, putting a cap on long-term progression. The game also restricts cooperative multiplayer, which plays a crucial role in the full July release. For now, you’re going in solo.

Grounded demo release date and launch time

The Grounded demo releases on June 16, staying online for six days through the Xbox Insider Program for Xbox One and PC, or Steam. The demo closes on June 22, 2020, when you’ll need to wait for the full release next month. While the demo was formerly scheduled for June 9, the date was moved back one week.

The upcoming demo is scheduled to go live on at 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT / 6 PM BST / 7 PM CET for all platforms. Once live, the Grounded demo will be available to download on your system. While the download size remains clear, we’re expecting just a few GB.

How to play the Grounded demo on Xbox One and PC

The Grounded demo goes live on Xbox One and Windows PCs via the Xbox Insider Program, alongside a simultaneous release via Steam. While Xbox Insider versions of the demo are exclusive to Xbox One and Windows 10, the Steam release requires Windows 7 or newer.

While Grounded isn’t available for download ahead of launch, those downloading the game outside of Steam will require some additional preparation. Console users will need the Xbox Insider Hub app for Xbox One, while PC users should install the Xbox Insider Hub app for Windows 10. Microsoft’s dedicated program for early games and updates hosts Grounded throughout the week, available as a free download via the app. For Steam, Grounded will be available for download via the official Steam store page.

PC folks will need to meet system requirements, mandating at least an Intel Core i3-3225, 4GB RAM, and an NVIDIA GTX 650 Ti. Modern systems shouldn’t encounter any issues running the game, with relatively lightweight specifications listed.

We’ll update this guide with additional steps, once Grounded’s demo goes live.