After years of waiting, State of Decay 3 is finally getting serious: The closed beta will launch before the end of this year, ahead of the zombie survival game’s 2027 release.
Since its initial announcement in the summer of 2020, things have been almost completely quiet around State of Decay 3. But soon, developers Undead Labs and Microsoft will open the floodgates to a much larger audience: The official closed beta will launch before the end of 2026.
The final release is scheduled for 2027 on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. So for those who don’t want to wait until next year, the coming months will offer the first chance to try the game out for themselves.
What’s in the Closed Beta
According to Creative Director Kevin Patzelt, the upcoming beta phase builds on the insights gained from an initial, highly limited alpha test conducted in April. At that time, the focus was primarily on gathering basic feedback on animations, weather and lighting effects, as well as the expanded character editor featuring beards, glasses, and clothing.
For the closed beta, everything will be significantly larger, and two important new features in particular will be tested:
- The Largest Open World in the Series’ History:The game world is significantly more expansive than in the two previous installments and features a rugged wilderness where you’ll need to claim and manage multiple settlements.
- Co-op:Multiplayer finally does away with “tethering.” In co-op with up to four players, you’re no longer tied to the host’s immediate vicinity but can move independently across the map.
- Harsher consequences with permadeath:If a long-time member of your community dies, revised systems will make this significantly more emotionally and gameplay-wise impactful than before.
- Battles against mutated freak zombies:The special infected return in a revamped form and require more coordination in combat.
“This is our biggest map yet, and with the open-ended multiplayer, we need to take every opportunity to put the game through its paces and fine-tune it,” explains Patzelt.
Here’s how you can sign up for the test phases
Participation in the playtests is free. If you want to try your luck, you can sign up directly on theofficial playtest websitesitewith your email address and your preferred platform. According to the developers, anyone who already signed up for the alpha this spring will automatically remain in the drawing.
While there isn’t an exact start date for the first beta day yet, invitations are expected to be sent out gradually in several waves through the end of the year.
After a six-year wait, are you still really excited about State of Decay 3, or has the zombie survival genre lost its appeal for you in the meantime? And which feature are you most looking forward to? Feel free to let us know in the comments.
