State of Decay 3 survives Xbox's studio cuts, Undead Labs confirms Game Pass launch and closed beta this year

Undead Labs

Undead Labs has confirmed that State of Decay 3 is still coming to Xbox Game Pass despite the studio's recent separation from Xbox, and will host closed beta playtests before the end of 2026. The studio posted the update to Xbox Wire, addressing fears that the game had been derailed by Xbox's sweeping 3,200-person reset earlier this year.

The details:

Undead Labs separated from Xbox following the company's mass cuts but retained independent operational control over State of Decay 3. The Xbox Wire post from community manager Bruce Dugan confirmed the game will still join Game Pass at launch and will support Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Closed beta playtests are opening before the end of 2026, building on an alpha testing programme that kicked off in April. Registration is open now on the official State of Decay website.
The closed beta will be the largest playtest for the game yet, featuring more players than the previous alpha waves and incorporating gameplay improvements based on that earlier feedback.
State of Decay 3 will feature the largest map in the series and untethered multiplayer, letting players band together to scavenge, build settlements, and survive the zombie apocalypse. The game launches in 2027 on Xbox Series X|S and PC.

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