Microsoft’s Grounded ditches third-party Steam demands as PSN backlash rages

You no longer need to link a Microsoft and Steam account to play Grounded‘s multiplayer on Valve’s platform. If you’ve already linked these accounts to play the game, you can now delink them and choose to just play with others on Steam instead. While features like crossplay still require both accounts to be linked, Microsoft’s decision to give players the choice comes in stark contrast to PlayStation’s Steam strategy. This comes as games like Helldivers 2 and God of War Ragnarok have come under fire this year for their PSN links, with only the former removing the requirement.

As of Monday September 30, you no longer need a Microsoft account to play Grounded on Steam. You can log in to the Valve storefront and play multiplayer sessions of the survival game with anyone on your friend list, without any extra account linking. You still need a Microsoft account for crossplay, shared worlds, and playgrounds, but Obsidian is giving you more control over how you play. In fact, you can even unlink your Microsoft and Steam accounts in Grounded if you’ve been playing since 2022. If you don’t do this, there’s a crossplay and Steam native toggle in the main menu, so you can play with friends who have decided to unlink their accounts.

While it might seem innocuous, Microsoft and Obsidian’s decision to delink now feels like a direct response to PlayStation. Throughout the year PlayStation has come under fire, on multiple occasions, for forcing players to link their PSN and Steam accounts to play games.

Players review bombed Helldivers 2 into oblivion after account linking was brought up post-launch, and it took PlayStation’s complete reversal to resolve the problem. Ghost of Tsushima’s PC port only requires PSN for online play, but the more recent God of War Ragnarok (which is completely single-player) requires a PSN account.

So while Grounded initially required a Microsoft account since launch, the player disdain for third-party linking only really kicked off with Helldivers 2. Many other games had it beforehand but it was PlayStation’s insistence, after the game had launched, that PSN was required on Steam that tipped people over the edge.

Other Xbox-published games like Halo Infinite’s free multiplayer, the 2023 Forza Motorsport, Forza Horizon 5, and Minecraft Legends all still require a Microsoft account in some form. Some of the games just need them for online multiplayer, while others, according to Steam, can’t be played without first having a free Microsoft account. Either way, Grounded is now free of third-party account linking.

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