Quick answers
State of Decay 3 FAQ
16 questions players ask before launch
Short, direct answers to the questions that come up most about State of Decay 3 before release: when it launches, which platforms and subscriptions you need, whether you can play alone or with friends, what the playtest involves and what is still unknown, from PC specs to the name of the new publisher.
The short version: 2027 on Xbox, PC and PlayStation 5, day one on Game Pass, up to four players in co-op, and a free playtest waitlist you can join today.
A survivor in a knit beanie takes aim by firelight.
Release, price and platforms
When does State of Decay 3 come out?
State of Decay 3 is due in 2027. No day or month has been announced on any platform. The year has stayed the same since the June 7, 2026 gameplay reveal and through the studio's split from Xbox, so 2027 is the only window you can plan around for now.
Is February 2027 the confirmed release month?
No. Some guides mention February 2027, but no month has been announced for any platform. The launch is still set only for 2027, with the exact date to be decided, so treat any specific month as a guess until Undead Labs announces one.
Is State of Decay 3 coming to PS5?
Yes. The PlayStation 5 version was announced at the June 2026 Xbox Games Showcase. It supports up to four online players with PS Plus required, plus Remote Play and PS5 Pro Enhanced. It will be the first State of Decay game on a PlayStation console.
Will it be on Game Pass?
Yes, on day one. The Game Pass commitment was part of the 2026 reveal, and it still stands after Undead Labs became an independent studio with a new publisher in September 2026. Game Pass members on console and PC get the game at launch, and Xbox Cloud lets them stream it without a download.
Can I pre-order it?
Not yet. You can only wishlist the game on Steam, the Microsoft Store and the PlayStation Store, and there is no price or edition to choose. Wishlisting costs nothing; on Steam it also sends you an email when the game releases. Pre-orders usually open once a date and price are set, which has not happened.
How much will it cost?
No price has been announced for any platform yet, and no standard, deluxe or collector's edition has been announced. The change of publisher after the studio left Xbox makes comparisons with earlier Xbox releases unreliable. If you have Game Pass, the game is included at launch, which is the one cost question with a firm answer.
Playing solo, co-op and crossplay
Can I play alone?
Yes, completely. Every part of the game works in single-player, and most people are expected to play that way. Solo players run the same three settlements, switch between survivors at will and take on Plague Nests, with difficulty sliders to tune combat, plague aggression and resources.
How many players can play together?
Up to four in an online shared world. Co-op is untethered, so friends can split up anywhere on the map, and anyone invited to your save can keep playing it while you are offline, building facilities and moving the story forward. Survivors are shared too, so permadeath losses affect everyone in the group.
Does it have crossplay?
Partly confirmed. On PC, the Steam version has cross-platform multiplayer, and Xbox consoles and PC play together through Xbox cross-platform co-op. Whether PlayStation 5 players can join Xbox or PC players has not been confirmed, so hold off on buying the PS5 version for crossplay with friends on other platforms until it is.
Are there zombie animals like the deer in the first trailer?
No. The game has no zombie animals, and none are planned. The infected deer appeared in the 2020 announcement trailer, which was a pre-rendered concept made when only a handful of people worked on the project. The confirmed enemies are three kinds of zombie and four freaks.
Do zombies respawn?
The plague certainly does. Plague Hearts return over time after you destroy them, and a Plague Nest only stays down for a while before it recovers and sends enemies toward your settlements again. How ordinary zombie populations refill an area you have cleared has not been explained, so expect pressure to keep coming either way.
PC, Steam Deck and languages
What are the PC system requirements?
Only the operating system is known: Windows 10 for both minimum and recommended settings. Processor, graphics, memory and storage requirements are still unknown. The game runs on Unreal Engine 5, so expect higher demands than State of Decay 2, but wait for real numbers before buying new hardware.
Will it run on Steam Deck?
Nobody knows yet, because Valve rates games for Steam Deck closer to release and the sequel has no rating. State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition is rated Playable, which shows the series has worked on the handheld before but says nothing certain about the new game's Unreal Engine 5 build.
Which languages are supported?
Eight. English has full audio, and French, Italian, German, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese and Latin American Spanish have the interface and subtitles. Turkish is one of the additions players request most but is not supported, and Polish, Japanese and Korean are missing too.
Playtest and the studio
How do I join the playtest?
Register for free at playtest.stateofdecay.com, which runs on Firstlook.gg. Signing up puts you on a waitlist; invites go out by email in waves, and only the link in that email gives you access. If you registered during the alpha you stay eligible for the closed beta planned before the end of 2026.
Did the split from Xbox change the release?
No. When Undead Labs became an independent, employee-owned studio on September 22, 2026, the game kept its day-one Game Pass launch and gained a new publisher. The 2027 target, the closed beta plan and the platform list of Xbox, PC and PlayStation 5 all stayed in place.