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11 Overview
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33 State of Decay 3 is an open-world zombie survival game in development at Undead Labs and published by Xbox Game Studios. The game continues the studio's signature blend of scavenging, combat, and survivor community management, with a tagline of "Together We Survive." As of May 2026 the game is in pre-launch development with no confirmed release date, and a closed alpha playtest is scheduled to begin in May 2026.
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55 The studio has been transparent that the original 2020 reveal trailer was a pre-rendered concept piece produced before the game team was fully assembled. Co-creator Brant Fitzgerald has clarified, in announcing the May 2026 alpha, that elements such as zombie wildlife shown in the early concept will not appear in the final game.
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77 Quick Facts
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99 DetailConfirmed InfoDeveloperUndead LabsPublisherXbox Game StudiosEngineUnreal Engine 5PlatformsPC (Steam, Epic Games Store), Xbox Series X|SRelease DateTo be announcedGenresAction, Adventure, Open-World SurvivalModesSingle-player, Online Co-op (up to 4 players)Cross-PlatformYes, cross-play and Xbox Play AnywhereSteam AchievementsYesTaglineTogether We Survive
1010 Setting and Theme
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1212 State of Decay 3 is set years after a zombie apocalypse, and the player's choices affect in-game events and the lives of survivors in their community. The world is described as picked-over and deeply scarred by the plague, with the infestation visibly evolving across structures in the form of pink, brain-like tendrils that spread throughout the environment. Survivors craft and modify their own gear from salvaged components, since clean factory weapons and fresh supplies have largely been used up in the years since the outbreak.
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1414 Headline Features
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1616 Open-world survival on a single shared map, with multiple starting locations for different player characters.Four-player online co-op with untethered movement, so each player can roam the world independently.Rebuilt combat in Unreal Engine 5 with reactive enemy responses, dismemberment, and vehicle-based attacks.Permadeath survivors with new narrative reactions when a community member dies.Base building and resource strategy systems redesigned for the third entry.Cross-play between Xbox Series X|S, Steam, and Epic, with Xbox Play Anywhere support.
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1818 Development Partners
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2020 Undead Labs is the lead developer. The Coalition (the Gears of War studio) is consulting on Unreal Engine 5, combat, animations, and enemy AI. The shared-world and shared-save technology builds on work from Grounded, with help from Obsidian Entertainment. Co-development support is also coming from Blind Squirrel Entertainment and Wushu Studios.
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2222 Where to Start
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2424 Read the Closed Alpha Playtest page for the May 2026 sign-up details and what is being tested. For confirmed mechanics, see Gameplay Basics, Combat, Base Building, and Survivor Community. For multiplayer, see Online Co-op and Cross-Platform Play.
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2626 Status
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28-This article reflects publicly confirmed information as of May 2, 2026. Many systems described by Undead Labs in interviews and the alpha announcement remain high-level, and exact numbers, recipes, and rosters will be filled in as the closed alpha and subsequent reveals confirm specifics in the playable build.
28+This article reflects publicly confirmed information as of May 2, 2026. Many systems described by Undead Labs publicly so far remain high-level, and exact numbers, recipes, and rosters will be filled in as the closed alpha and subsequent reveals confirm specifics in the playable build.