Grounded 2 hotfix 0.5.0.2 fixes crash and memory leak

Grounded 2 has received hotfix 0.5.0.2, a small maintenance patch focused entirely on bugs. The developers thanked players for their patience while the fix was being prepared, which suggests the issues involved were noticeable enough to warrant an out-of-cycle release.

There are three entries in the changelog, and none of them touch content or balance. No new mechanics, no new items — this is repair work aimed at stability, which matters both to people already playing and to anyone still deciding whether to buy.

What the patch fixes

The first fix concerns the PTS system: pressing the wrong key twice could lock it up. In other words, an accidental input was enough to cut off access to that part of the interface. That behaviour should no longer occur.

The second addresses a crash on Windows that happened when a blocked user was present in the player’s friends list. It’s a mundane scenario — most players have a friends list, and having a blocked contact in it shouldn’t take the game down. That crash cause has now been removed.

The third fix is arguably the most impactful day to day: a memory leak in the UI related to Status Effects has been eliminated. According to the developers, it caused significant hitching on lower-end specs. Memory leaks tend to build up over time rather than appear instantly, so the longer a session ran, the worse smoothness got. On machines with limited memory headroom, that kind of problem is exactly what ruins the experience, which makes this the standout item in the patch.

If other issues come up after updating, the team asks players to report them through its Issue Tracker — that feedback shapes what gets prioritised next.

What it means if you’re planning to buy

Hotfixes like this one are a useful signal for a buyer: the game is being actively supported and reported problems are being worked through. The memory leak fix is especially relevant if you play on a laptop or a PC closer to the minimum requirements, since it affects real-world comfort during long sessions rather than benchmark numbers.

No manual action is needed on your side. The Steam client pulls hotfixes automatically, so launching the game after the download completes is enough. If the game is already installed and hitching persists, first confirm your build actually updated, then file a report through the tracker.

If Grounded 2 isn’t in your library yet, purchase options are listed on the Grounded 2 — Steam gift page, where you can check the seller offers, region coverage and the current price. More PC releases are gathered in the PC Games section if you’re comparing several titles at once.