State of Decay 3 to open closed betas before the end of 2026

Undead Labs unveiled State of Decay 3 on July 23, 2020, with a trailer and nothing else. It took until the Xbox Games Showcase in June 2026 to see the very first gameplay footage. The studio is now opening closed beta tests before the end of 2026, via sign-up.

The program isn't new: sign-ups for the alpha tests had opened in April 2026, with a deliberately limited scope. Undead Labs is gathering feedback from it on combat against special zombies (the “Freaks”), lighting, sound effects, weather, and survivor customization. The beta expands this circle without making the game public.

“This is our biggest map to date, and with unrestricted multiplayer, we really need these opportunities to test the game at scale and refine it,” explains Kevin Patzelt, Creative Director at Undead Labs.

What remains unclear

Sign-up is free, at playtest.stateofdecay.com — but the page is in English. Xbox only states that the tests will open up to “more players and platforms”: neither which ones nor when. At launch, planned for 2027, the game will be on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC and cloud, included in Game Pass, and also on Steam and PlayStation 5. Nothing indicates, however, that the closed betas will extend that far.