If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably felt that disconnect. You want to introduce your kids to gaming, but you’re stuck trying to figure out what to play—or if you can even play with them. I know I’ve hit that wall.
Instead, you end up parallel playing two completely different games on separate screens, or sitting on the couch quarterbacking your kid’s session. It’s frustrating. For a lot of us, gaming was always meant to be social. We grew up squeezed together in front of a heavy CRT TV, mashing buttons in Mortal Kombat on the Sega or passing the controller in Star Fox on the N64.
Sadly, the days of local couch co-op are more or less gone, and the industry has shifted almost entirely to online multiplayer. So we make do with what we have.
That’s why I think it’s time to talk about Grounded. Released back in September of 2022 by Obsidian Entertainment, this survival-crafter is a pure “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” meets childhood backyard fantasies mashup.
Let me tell you why this game is still worth bringing up in 2026. This isn’t a traditional game review—this is an Avg Dad review.
Grounded hits the spot: the art style is cartoonish, the “violence” is minimal, and despite battling spiders and ants, the tone stays light. Crafting isn’t overly complicated, and the world looks like a familiar family yard. If your kid is already into Minecraft, this is a great next step into survival crafting.
Best of all, setup is painless. Grounded is available on Xbox Game Pass (Console and PC) and for purchase on PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. Crucially, it features full cross-play. So if Dad is on an Xbox or PC and the kid is on a Switch, you can actually hop into the same yard and play together in co-op.
Because it solves that “how do we play together?” problem so well, we’re featuring more on Grounded throughout the month of August to promote actual co-op gaming with our kids.
Stay tuned!
