Undead Labs dropped a trailer this past weekend, announcing that a State of Decay 3 closed alpha test is now open to sign up for.
This past weekend had an Easter egg with a little extra sweetness, specifically for State of Decay fans. On April 4, 2026, Undead Labs released a State of Decay 3 closed alpha sign-up video—updating players that this will be a first-look. The closed alpha was said to be coming next month, after years of very little information on the third installment of the game. A recent interview provided some new insight into why the next game in the series took so long to receive an update.
State of Decay 2 was released back in 2018, which was almost eight years ago. While fans have been waiting for years, they have continued to play the sequel game and voice their opinions on how to improve game mechanics and such for the third game. It did not do Undead Labs any justice when they announced a pre-rendered concept video for State of Decay 3 so early in development. In a recent YouTube interview with Sunny Games, Undead Labs’ leader, Philip Holt, admitted that State of Decay 3 was revealed a little earlier than it should have been.
Six years ago, we all saw this conceptual trailer, showcasing survivors in a snowy environment hunting infected animals—which would have been a first for the series. Unfortunately, infected animals were not necessarily promised to be in this upcoming game. Holt explained that the first trailer dropped when the game’s development was just in a Word document. “The trailer was done by Blur, it was all pre-rendered, it represented, I think, a concept—our thoughts at the time of what might be cool to explore in State of Decay 3. And as we’ve had a chance to build a team and get going on the game, some of those elements I think are gonna persist in the game that we deliver, and some of those things are just, like, we’re not doing zombie animals.”
Holt went as far as saying that during that initial trailer drop, only four or five people were working on the game. This latest trailer confirmed that most of the team was providing support for State of Decay 2 since that game’s release, and now only a small portion continues to do so. Co-creator of the franchise, Brant Fitzgerald talked about how the majority of the team has been more focused on the third game in the last couple of years.
A lot of the community feedback from the second game was how they wanted to have untethered co-op and better base-building mechanics. In the latest trailer, Fitzgerald addressed this issue but did not show how it was addressed—saying that they added more combat elements as well. Ideally, this video was just a small update announcement, leaving first impressions on those in the closed alpha test to spread the details when they are allowed. Fitzgerald also talked about how Undead Labs continues to monitor community feedback and encourages feedback on the official Discord channel.
Is this the State of Decay game that fans have always wanted from an open-world zombie survival game? The closed alpha should provide an answer. Sign up for the playtests on the official website, and watch the trailer above.
