State of Decay 3 Map, Locations and Vehicles

How big the map is

The playable space is about four times one State of Decay 2 map, and none of it is locked behind progress: the whole map is open as soon as a player joins. It is the largest map Undead Labs has built, and that size is the reason the untethered co-op needed a closed beta to stress-test it.

The setting is a much larger open world against a harsh wilderness, with many more communities and survivors living in it than in State of Decay 2. Years have passed since the last game, and it shows. Zombies look more decayed, and brain-like pink infestation tendrils spread across buildings and bridges.

A full region list has not been revealed yet. The known landmarks give a sense of the mix: industrial sites such as the chemical factory, small towns like Caroline and Wyatt, roadside stops like Dumpy's Diner and the Juno gas station, and wild country such as swamps in between.

Named places so far

Seven locations are known so far, from a settlement with free wind power to a diner lot overrun by zombies.

Smaller landmarks include a derailed train engine, the Entropy container yard with a muscle car parked among its containers, and a rooftop town settlement.

Weather and time of day

State of Decay 3 has dynamic weather and a full day-night cycle. Rain, mist and sunsets roll across the map, from a downpour at the Juno gas station to Windy City silhouetted at dusk.

Weather is built as a system rather than a backdrop. It can interact with other systems and may affect gameplay at launch or after it, so treat a storm as something that could change a supply run, not just the lighting. Lighting, sound effects, weather and visuals are all a clear step up from State of Decay 2.

For now, the safest assumption is the one the series has always rewarded: plan longer trips with daylight and fuel in mind, especially in a cargo van with terrible fuel economy, and keep a fallback stop between your settlements and any distant objective.

Vehicles: sedan, SUV and cargo van

Players spent about 20 to 30 percent of their State of Decay 2 time in a car, and a map four times larger only raises that share. Vehicles now have clearly different jobs. A sedan is fast and gets good mileage. An SUV handles off-road ground and has storage room, at the cost of worse mileage. A cargo van carries huge loads but has terrible fuel economy.

Pick the vehicle for the trip. Scouting a distant Plague Heart favours the sedan's speed and range; a long scavenging run into rough country suits the SUV; hauling supplies between your three settlements is what the van is for, as long as you have the fuel. On longer expeditions a vehicle works like a mobile base.

Driving itself feels better than in State of Decay 2, which matters when so much of a session happens on the road.

Upgrades and skins

Cars can be converted into heavier survival machines. Known upgrades are gas filters, expanded cargo space, extra fuel tanks and reinforced wheels, and vehicles can be repainted. The final list may still change before launch.

Cosmetic skins are planned for vehicles as well as characters and backpacks. One SUV look carries a nod to Red Talon, the private military company from State of Decay 2.