Grounded – Arachnophobia Mode Explained

In Obsidian’s new survival game Grounded, you play as shrunken down kids lost in their own backyard. Because you’re so small, everything else seems way bigger by comparison. The lawn becomes a dense forest of grass, ladybugs become mounts, and dewdrops become life-saving care packages of water. Spiders are no exception to this rule, and people with arachnophobia might not want to play Grounded because of that. Obsidian thought ahead though, because Grounded features an arachnophobia safe mode in its settings that allows you to customize the appearance of the giant spiders to make the experience more enjoyable.

What is the Arachnophobia Safe Mode Setting in Grounded?

Grounded’s arachnophobia safe mode alters the appearance of the giant spiders to make the game more palatable for those with a deep fear of spiders. It operates on a scale from one to five, with the lowest setting hardly changing the spiders’ models at all and the maximum setting basically transforming them into nondescript orbs. The arachnophobia mode does not affect gameplay in any way; the spiders will still be just as deadly. It also only affects your game, so your friends will still see the spiders in all their horrific glory if you play Grounded multiplayer with friends.

How to Use Arachnophobia Safe Mode

To turn on Grounded’s arachnophobia mode, pause the game and enter the options menu. Navigate to the Accessibility tab on the far right and the arachnophobia safe mode slider should be the first option on the list. It operates on a scale from one to five, and you can even see a visual representation of what the spiders will look like on the right-hand side of the screen. I know what you’re thinking. If you have arachnophobia then why would you even want to see a preview of what the spiders look like when you’re adjusting the arachnophobia setting? Thankfully, Obsidian thought this through, so you don’t have to look at the preview spider until you press a specific button to see it. You never have to lay your eyes on a single spider if you’re not comfortable doing so.