State of Decay 3 springs back to life to announce alpha tests in May

State of Decay 3 trailer still — (Image credit: Microsoft)

Six years after it was announced, and two years after it last came up for air, we have new proof of life for State of Decay 3, the zombie survival shooter in development at Undead Labs. And this time, it's not just a promise that it's still happening, but a call to the community to sign up for alpha playtests happening in May.

"I'm not going to spoil the surprise for you, but I can say that it will feature four-player co-op, some new base-building and resource strategies, and a whole lot of combat," State of Decay co-creator Brant Fitzgerald said in today's announcement video. "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 find more information and register for a chance to be included in the alpha."

State of Decay 3 Alpha Announce - YouTube

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It's been a long time coming. State of Decay 3 was announced with a short cinematic in July 2020, and that was it until another cinematic dropped in 2024 to remind everyone of its existence—but still without a release date. The only thing that's happened since was an overlong rebranding exercise for developer Undead Labs.

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So this is kind of a big deal then, to the extent that—from the perspective of players, at least—State of Decay 3 is finally moving from talking about it to actually doing it, even if just in a limited sense at this point. But even in a rough, unfinished state, it'll be fun to see what Undead Labs has in mind for the new game.

If you want a shot at access, you can sign up at playtest.stateofdecay.com. If you get in, you'll be contacted (by email, I would assume) with further instructions; if you're not contacted, you didn't get in. But don't give up hope: Fitzgerald said names will be kept on file, and there will be "plenty of other opportunities for you throughout the year."

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

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