State of Decay 3

State of Decay 3 is an upcoming survival game from Undead Labs, the studio behind State of Decay and State of Decay 2. It is being published by Xbox Game Studios, which acquired Undead Labs in 2018. The project was formally revealed during the Xbox Games Showcase in July 2020, when Microsoft presented a cinematic announcement trailer rather than gameplay footage. That first trailer established a much harsher image than the familiar suburban settings associated with the earlier games. A lone survivor travels through a snowy wilderness, carries a bow, and encounters an infected deer feeding on a carcass. The trailer’s final reveal identifies the game as State of Decay 3. The infected animal was a notable detail because the previous games focused principally on human zombies, while the teaser suggested that the third game could expand the effects of the outbreak beyond people. Undead Labs returned to the project after supporting State of Decay 2, which originally launched in 2018 for Xbox One and Windows. State of Decay 2 later received substantial post-launch support, including the Juggernaut Edition update and expansions such as Heartland. That continuing work was relevant to State of Decay 3’s development: in 2022, Undead Labs stated that it had assembled a team dedicated to supporting State of Decay 2 while another team worked on the next game. Microsoft showed a further State of Decay 3 trailer at the Xbox Games Showcase in June 2024. This presentation again emphasized survival, community, and the threat posed by the undead. It showed survivors operating from a fortified settlement, searching abandoned locations, fighting zombies, and confronting enormous hostile creatures. The trailer also presented four survivors together, consistent with the cooperative community-survival identity established by State of Decay 2. The 2024 trailer identified the game as coming to Xbox Series X|S and PC, and Microsoft confirmed that it will be available through Xbox Game Pass. No release date was announced in that presentation. Microsoft has also not publicly provided a complete breakdown of the game’s campaign structure, map, playable characters, progression systems, or final gameplay features. As a result, specific claims about those elements remain unverified until Undead Labs or Xbox supplies further details. State of Decay 3 therefore remains known primarily through its official trailers, platform announcements, and its connection to Undead Labs’ existing series. Its confirmed premise is a continuing zombie-survival setting centered on survivors and their community, while its snowy reveal imagery and infected wildlife distinguish its public presentation from the earlier entries.