After six long years, Xbox has finally decided it's time to share more on State of Decay 3, the long-awaited next game in Undead Labs' open-world survival zombie series.
When footage of a zombie apocalypse game emerged during June's Xbox Games Showcase 2026, showing all manner of freaks like juggernauts and bloaters getting blown up and run over by players, I was sure we were getting the State of Decay 3 release date. I mean, again, it's been six years since the game was announced.
Alas, we got something ever so slightly less exciting: a 2027 release window. No exact date, but we know the game is coming out next year, which is cool! It would just be slightly more cool if we knew exactly when. Regardless, check out the new trailer and first gameplay reveal:
As far as the big gameplay reveal, well, it didn't actually reveal a whole lot. We see gangs of zombies lumbering around, we see abandoned towns being reclaimed by nature, we see player characters running around base camps and slamming into zombies with trucks, we see freaks get their heads popped, and lots of stuff on fire.
That's pretty much what every self-respecting State of Decay fan would want in a sequel, but nothing groundbreaking was revealed... with the exception of what appears to be both a jump and a dodge mechanic, which in hindsight is pretty revolutionary for this series. We also get a very limited sneak peek at the new Plague Nest areas, which Xbox calls "tough, dungeon-like" zones.
State of Decay 3 hits Xbox, PC, and PS5 in 2027.
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