State of Decay 3 has been missing in action from several Xbox livestreams and game showcases for years now, but at long last, the threequel has resurfaced, and developer Undead Labs has announced that it’ll be hosting an alpha test for the zombie apocalypse survival game. Sign-ups are now live for the State of Decay 3 alpha, and Undead Labs also posted a new video showing off teasing the long-in-development title.
The alpha playtest will kick off in May, and participants can expect four-player co-op, new base-building and resource strategies, and plenty of combat. “If scavenging supplies in the middle of a zombie outbreak sounds fun to you, then grab your ruck, pack some mags, and register for a chance to be included in the alpha,” State of Decay co-creator Brant Fitzgerald said, while adding that there will be more opportunities throughout the year to test out the game.
State of Decay 3 was first announced in 2020, and updates on the game have been sporadic over the last six years. Earlier this year, head of Xbox Game Studios Craig Duncan said that the game is “coming on really well,” and that he’d made several visits to Undead Labs recently. This new look at State of Decay 3 comes at a time when Xbox is undergoing big changes behind the scenes, which began with the departure of Phil Spencer and the announcement that Asha Sharma would take over his role as Microsoft Gaming CEO.
Since then, several Xbox livestreams have been held, while Sharma has outlined a “return to Xbox” initiative as one of her key priorities. This new direction is making 2026 a big year for the brand, as it’ll see the release of Kiln, Forza Horizon 6, and Fable. The Xbox Games Showcase will also be held in June, and following it, will be a deep dive into another highly anticipated game, Gears of War: E-Day.
