State of Decay 3 Alpha Starts in May With 4 Player Co-op, Base-Building and “Lots” of Combat

Undead Labs, the team behind State of Decay 3, is finally giving players a chance to test the game. After a two-year period of quiet development, they’ve announced alpha playtests will begin next month, and you can already sign up to participate.

I don’t want to give away too much, but the game will let up to four players team up and play together. It will also include new ways to build bases, manage resources, and, of course, a lot of fighting. You’ll need to sign up using your Discord and email, and while spaces are limited, there will be more chances to join later in the year, according to Fitzgerald.

And it doesn’t stop there! The Undead Labs team has promised to keep us in the loop with regular updates as they build the game. They want us to know exactly what’s being added, what they’re figuring out, and most importantly, when we’ll finally get to jump into the alpha and start playing. I’m really excited they’re being so open about the process!

I was so excited when State of Decay 3 was announced way back in 2020! But it turns out they were really just starting to plan things out then. They were going to use Unreal Engine 5, and The Coalition was helping with that, which sounded awesome. There were even whispers about a more story-driven experience and seriously improved graphics. Sadly, things hit a snag. Reports came out about a really negative work environment, and it sounds like Microsoft, who owns the studio, didn’t address the issues fast enough, which put development on hold. It’s a real shame, and I’m hoping they can get things back on track.

Despite some challenges, development of the State of Decay 2 sequel is progressing well, according to Xbox Game Studios head Craig Duncan. While a trailer was shown in 2024, and rumors of a 2023 release proved incorrect, Undead Labs paused updates to the original game to concentrate on the new installment. The studio also experienced layoffs last year, but remains on track.

Keep checking back for more information, including news about a possible release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

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2026-04-03 18:41