State of Decay 3 has finally shown signs of life after staying quiet for years, and Undead Labs has now confirmed that players can sign up for upcoming alpha playtests that will run throughout the year, which gives fans their first real chance to experience the long-awaited zombie survival sequel in action.
Undead Labs shared the update through a developer vlog, where the team explained that while a large part of the studio continued supporting State of Decay 2, another group worked steadily on building the foundation for State of Decay 3, and that work now reaches a stage where early testing becomes possible for the community.
“If scavenging supplies in the middle of a zombie outbreak sounds fun to you, then grab your ruck, pack some mags, and head over to our website to register for a chance to be included in the alpha,” said Brant Fitzgerald, co-creator of the franchise.
This early version will introduce four-player cooperative gameplay along with new base building systems and deeper resource management mechanics, which together aim to expand the survival experience beyond what earlier entries offered, while keeping the core tension of scavenging and combat intact.
What to expect from the alpha
Players who join the playtests will step into a world set years after the previous games, where the infection has evolved further and even animals now carry the virus, which creates more unpredictable threats and forces players to adapt their strategies in real time.
At the same time, Undead Labs continues to receive support from other Xbox studios, which shows a stronger push to deliver a more refined and ambitious sequel, even though the developers have not confirmed a release date yet and are likely saving that reveal for a future showcase.
With a Steam page now live for wishlisting, State of Decay 3 moves closer to release, and these playtests mark the first real step toward that launch.
