Since its Early Access launch on July 29, 2025,
Grounded 2 has offered players a thrilling micro-world adventure in Brookhollow Park. However, a recurring issue has been frustrating players across both PC and Xbox: significant frame rate drops and low FPS, even on high-end systems. Reports from Reddit and the Steam community highlight a range of performance problems, from unstable frame rates to sudden drops in demanding scenes.This article explores the reported low FPS issues, identifies the likely causes, and provides a series of steps you can take to improve your game's performance.
Fix Grounded 2 Low FPS Issues
Reported Grounded 2 Low FPS Issues
- PC Performance: Players running the game at high resolutions (e.g., 3440x1440) are seeing average FPS of only 60–70. Many also report sudden and jarring frame drops in certain areas.
- Console Performance: On Xbox, the game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate, often averaging around 20 FPS, which can lead to a choppy and unresponsive experience.
- High-End Systems: Even powerful setups with Epic settings (9600x/9070XT) are experiencing wild FPS fluctuations between 45 and 120, placing excessive strain on the CPU.
- Missing Optimization: A major contributing factor is the lack of support for performance-boosting technologies like DLSS and FSR, which would normally use AI upscaling to improve frame rates.
Why Are Players Experiencing Low FPS?
The root causes of these performance issues can be divided into two main categories: developer-side and player-side.
Developer-Side Causes:- Lack of Optimization: As an Early Access title, Grounded 2 has yet to receive full graphics and performance optimization from Obsidian Entertainment.
- Missing Performance Tools: The game currently lacks support for DLSS and FSR, which are critical plugins for boosting FPS on modern hardware.
Player-Side Causes:- Insufficient Hardware: Your PC's CPU, GPU, and RAM might not meet the game's demands, especially on higher graphics settings.
- Overly High Graphics Settings: Maxing out graphical options can push even powerful hardware past its limits, causing significant performance dips.
- Background Applications: Unnecessary programs like web browsers (Chrome), chat apps (Discord), or other resource-heavy software can consume valuable system resources.
- Outdated Drivers: Your graphics card drivers are essential for smooth performance. If they are not up to date, you will likely experience stutters and low FPS.
- Overheating: Excessive heat can cause your CPU or GPU to "throttle" its performance to prevent damage, leading to a noticeable drop in frame rate.
- Corrupted Game Files: Damaged or improperly installed game files can lead to instability and performance issues.
- Internet Connection: For co-op play, an unstable or high-latency internet connection can cause lag and stuttering that may be mistaken for low FPS.
How to Fix Low FPS in Grounded 2
While some issues will require a patch from Obsidian Entertainment, there are several steps you can take to improve your in-game performance now.
1. Lower In-Game Graphics Settings
Adjusting your graphics settings is often the most effective way to boost FPS.
- Resolution: Lowering your resolution to 1920x1080 or even 1280x720 can drastically reduce the strain on your GPU.
- Dynamic Resolution: Turn this setting Off. It can cause inconsistent frame pacing and a blurry image.
- Lumen Lighting: Disable this. Ray tracing and advanced lighting are major FPS killers.
- Population Density: Set this to Low. Reducing the number of insects can significantly improve performance in crowded areas.
- Shadow Quality: Set this to Medium. High-quality shadows are a major drain on your GPU.
- V-Sync: Turn this Off. V-Sync can introduce input lag. Instead, use your monitor's G-Sync or FreeSync technology if available.
2. Update Your Graphics Drivers
Outdated drivers are a common cause of poor game performance.
- Device Manager: Press Win + X and select Device Manager. Expand the Display Adapters section, right-click your GPU, and select Update Driver. Choose "Search automatically for drivers."
- Official Websites: For the most recent drivers, visit the official websites for NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel. Download and install the latest version, then restart your PC.
3. Close Background Applications
Free up your system's resources by closing any unnecessary programs.
- Task Manager: Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open the Task Manager. Look for applications that are consuming a lot of CPU and RAM, and end the tasks you don't need while playing.
4. Enable Game Mode (Windows)
Windows Game Mode can help prioritize your system's resources for gaming.13
- Settings: Go to Settings > Gaming > Game Mode and ensure it is turned On.
5. Adjust Power Settings
For both laptops and desktops, setting your power plan to "High Performance" can prevent your system from underclocking itself.
- Control Panel: Go to Control Panel > Power Options and select High Performance or Ultimate Performance.
6. Verify Integrity of Game Files
Corrupted or missing files can cause instability.
- Steam: Open your Steam Library, right-click It Takes Two (the text provided incorrectly references this game, but the process is the same for Grounded 2), and go to Properties.
- Installed Files: Navigate to the Installed Files tab and click Verify integrity of game files. Steam will automatically check and repair any issues.
By following these steps, you can help mitigate the performance issues in Grounded 2 and enjoy a smoother experience while you await further optimizations from the developers.
Platform(s): Windows PC, Xbox Series X/S
Developer(s): Obsidian Entertainment , Eidos-Montréal
Publisher(s): Xbox Game Studios
Mode: Single-player, multiplayer
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