State of Decay 3 is Undead Labs’ open-world zombie survival game, coming to Xbox Series X|S, the Xbox PC app and cloud, and included with Game Pass. Here is everything confirmed so far about its release, publisher situation and gameplay.
Last updated: 7 November 2026.
Our State of Decay 3 game hub collects the essentials.
What is State of Decay 3?
Years after an outbreak that nearly wiped out humanity, you carve out a life in a world gripped by blood plague while a new zombie evolution threatens to take over. You play as a whole community of survivors, building settlements, scavenging, recruiting and fighting back. Permadeath is ever-present, so every risk has to be weighed against the reward.
When is State of Decay 3 coming out?
Undead Labs is aiming for 2027. No exact release date has been announced. Creative Director Kevin Patzelt told Xbox Wire in June 2026 that players were already in an Alpha, with Alpha and Beta access expanding over time through sign-ups on the official State of Decay website.
Is State of Decay 3 on Game Pass?
Yes. Xbox confirmed in September 2026 that State of Decay 3 will release day one on Game Pass.
Which Xbox platforms is it on?
Xbox Wire lists Xbox Series X|S, the Xbox PC app and cloud. It supports Xbox Play Anywhere, so you can play on console and PC at no additional cost.
Who owns State of Decay now, and who is publishing State of Decay 3?
Undead Labs has left Xbox Game Studios. On 22 September 2026, Matt Booty confirmed on Xbox Wire that the studio had transitioned on terms similar to studios returning to management with their IP, back catalogues and runway funding, and that it would release State of Decay 3 with a new publisher.
Studio head Philip Holt confirmed to SabiansLastWatch in an interview published on 4 November 2026 that Undead Labs owns the State of Decay IP, including State of Decay 3 and the back catalogue. The new publisher has not been named yet; Holt said the announcement would come “soon”. Our news story on the IP and publisher update has the details.
What did the gameplay trailer show?
The first gameplay trailer debuted at the Xbox Games Showcase 2026 in June. Patzelt said everything shown is from the game, with no CGI. It is built in Unreal Engine 5.
What are the main gameplay features?
- Solo or shared-world co-op: play alone or with up to four players online in a shared world, where friends can progress the same save at different times.
- Multiple settlements: claim up to three bases and build a community network.
- Plague Nests: dynamic, dungeon-like enemy hubs that grow and behave differently from save to save, guarding some of the best loot.
- Combat: a quick attack and a power attack replace State of Decay 2’s single attack button, and zombie types have more distinct behaviours.
- Bigger map: about four times the size of a single State of Decay 2 map, fully open from the start.
- Enclaves: groups of survivors you can build trust with, ally with and recruit.
- Maker culture: home-made, modified weapons such as serrated or rebar-backed machetes.
Will it get updates after launch?
Holt said the plan includes “pretty robust live support”, but that its length depends on how the game performs: “our intent is to support State of Decay 3 for as long as we can afford to.” Undead Labs has not said whether ongoing support will include paid content.
Where else is State of Decay 3 covered on Cloudy Games?
See our list of every game coming to Xbox Game Pass.
Sources: Xbox Wire (June 2026), Xbox Wire (September 2026), SabiansLastWatch interview with Philip Holt.
