Grounded 2 Join Game Failure: Crossplay and Version Fixes
Short version: most failed joins come down to two things: the two players are on different game versions, or crossplay isn't set up on one side. Get both games on the same build (Hotfix 0.5.1.1, released Oct 1, 2026, was the latest as of Oct 5), then check that each player has turned on Enable Crossplay and sees their Xbox Gamertag in the main menu. If one of you is on an older build, a join bug Obsidian has already fixed may be the real cause.
1. Put both players on the same game version
Destructoid’s fix list says to “double-check to make sure you’re both playing Grounded 2’s latest version”. FinalBoss.io is stricter: “Grounded 2 refuses crossplay if versions don’t match exactly, down to hotfix digits.” So 0.5.1 and 0.5.1.1 count as different versions.
- Compare version numbers with your friend before you try anything else.
- Hotfixes don’t always reach everyone at the same moment. In the 0.4.0.1 notes, Obsidian’s advice for a missing update was: “please try restarting Steam or verifying your game files.”
The latest version in Obsidian’s Steam announcements is Hotfix 0.5.1.1, released on Oct 1, 2026 (checked Oct 5, 2026). It fixes one Steam connection bug, listed in section 4. The patch before it, 0.5.1 (Sep 24, 2026), says the same thing about a missing update: “try restarting.”
Newer notes (Oct 20, 2026): after that check, Obsidian posted the Rot and Ruin 0.6.0 patch notes. One multiplayer line in them: “Fixed an issue where the player couldn’t log in with the same Xbox Live account after signing out during a multiplayer session.” The post doesn’t say in so many words that 0.6.0 is live on Steam, so the list below still stops at 0.5.1.1.
Newer notes (Oct 28, 2026): Patch 0.6.0.4 “has released on all available platforms” (checked Oct 29, 2026). Its notes have no multiplayer, crossplay or connection fix; they are world, quest, combat, building, Playgrounds and stability fixes.
Newer notes (Nov 4, 2026): Patch 0.6.0.5 says “Patch 0.6.0.5 is now available!”, so the version to match with your friend is now 0.6.0.5 (from our copy of Obsidian’s Steam news saved Nov 5, 2026). It has no join, crossplay or connection fix either. Two lines are about co-op clients once they are in a game: “Fixed a client’s buggy interactions disappearing after the client dies and the host saves and loads.” and “Fixed saving while using a PTS interrupting the teleport or sending players back to their transit origin, including for co-op clients.”
2. Link an Xbox account and turn on crossplay
Grounded 2’s multiplayer runs through Xbox accounts, not just your Steam friends list. Obsidian’s support page says you need “a free Xbox Live account” for cross-platform multiplayer, Shared Worlds and Playgrounds downloads. The FAQ says “Steam players must link their Microsoft accounts to successfully access cross-platform capabilities.”
The steps, from Obsidian’s support page (Game Rant describes the same ones):
- Open Options and scroll down to Enable Crossplay. Turn it on.
- Accept the prompt and follow the on-screen steps to link your Microsoft/Xbox account.
- Check the top-right corner of the main menu. When your Xbox Gamertag shows there, you’re linked.
Two things to know before you link:
- Obsidian says you can only link one Microsoft/Xbox account to the game, “so make sure it’s the correct one.”
- Both players need to go through this. If only one of you sees a Gamertag, the other side isn’t set up yet.
On PC, F1 (or X on a controller) is a menu shortcut for crossplay. The two guides we checked describe it differently: Destructoid says you can reach it “by pressing F1 and following the game’s steps to log in to your account”, while Game Rant says it “can also disable Grounded crossplay”. Either way, it’s the shortcut to the crossplay setting.
3. Add each other as friends on the right platform
Destructoid’s advice is to “add each other as friends if you’re on the same platform”. Game Rant says crossplay needs a Microsoft account because “adding friends happens mainly through Microsoft services”, so for Steam and Xbox players, add each other through the Xbox friends list after linking.
Grounded 2 only has online co-op. Obsidian’s FAQ says “Local or offline multiplayer and co-op is not supported”, so there’s no LAN or split-screen way round a failed join.
4. Join bugs Obsidian has already fixed
This is our own list, taken from Obsidian’s Steam patch notes. If a friend is on an old build, or you’re reading an old forum thread, one of these may explain the problem. None of them should happen on 0.5.1.1.
| Patch | Date | What Obsidian fixed (quoted) | What it meant for joining |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.4.0.1 | Apr 15, 2026 | “the host would be forced to re-select a teen after a client joining a session” | Every time someone joined, the host was sent back to character select. |
| 0.4.1 | May 27, 2026 | “Steam players sometimes were unable to see hosted games” | A game that was hosted didn’t show up in the list for Steam players, so they couldn’t pick it. |
| 0.4.1 | May 27, 2026 | “Player on Steam Deck was always joining first Multiplayer lobby listed instead of the selected one” | On Steam Deck you joined the first lobby in the list, not the one you picked. |
| 0.4.1 | May 27, 2026 | “Steam Deck Users can now link a Microsoft account and play online with their friends/use crossplay functionality” | Before 0.4.1, Steam Deck players couldn’t use step 2 at all. |
| 0.5.0 | Aug 11, 2026 | “after closing the Xbox account login prompt the crossplay button would become broken” | If you closed the login prompt once, the crossplay button stopped working. |
| 0.5.0 | Aug 11, 2026 | “a player in a Playgrounds game could crash after joining a survival game via invite” | Accepting an invite straight from Playgrounds could crash you. |
| 0.5.0.2 | Aug 12, 2026 | “a crash that would occur on Windows when you have a blocked user in your friends list” | A blocked user on your friends list could crash the game on Windows. |
| 0.5.1 | Sep 24, 2026 | “PS5 players could not see Steam players’ online status” | PS5 players couldn’t tell whether a Steam friend was online. |
| 0.5.1.1 | Oct 1, 2026 | “players on Steam could not connect to other players based on their Steam Download Region” | Some Steam players couldn’t connect to others because of their Steam Download Region. |
What the list shows: between April and October 2026, Obsidian fixed join or crossplay problems in six separate patches. The latest, 0.5.1.1, came a week after 0.5.1 and fixes only this one connection bug. Some failed joins are game bugs, not your network, and updating is the first fix to try. If you still hit a join bug on 0.5.1.1, report it on Obsidian’s Grounded 2 issue tracker.
Still can’t join?
FinalBoss.io goes further into Windows networking. It says “NAT type must be Open (or at least Moderate on both ends) for stable joining/hosting”, and that if the Xbox Networking check in Windows flags Teredo, the IP Helper service should be running. We haven’t found a second independent source for these steps yet, so treat them as a lead, not a confirmed fix.