‘State Of Decay 3’ Alpha: Release Date, Features, How to Sign Up – & What Happened To The Zombie Deer

State of Decay 3 has resurfaced after six years of silence. Playtests are coming in May, per an announcement from Undead Labs on April 3, 2026. Sign-ips are now available through the official State of Decay website. This is the biggest update for fans since the game’s 2020 reveal.

Series co-creator Brant Fitzgerald announced the news in a video, confirming what the May alpha will contain. “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,” Fitzgerald said. Initial slots are limited for now, but additional testing rounds will be planned throughout 2026 for those who can’t get a spot in the first round.

Undead Labs studio head Phillip Holt spoke on how early the 2020 trailer really was. Holt explained that when the initial trailer dropped, only four or five people were working on the game, and the game itself “was in a Word document.” The trailer was entirely pre-rendered and represented early concepts rather than a game in active development.

The zombie deer from the 2020 trailer will not be making it into the final game, Holt told Sunny Games: “No zombie deer. No zombie deer. No zombie deer.” This was just another idea that wouldn’t make the cut.

Holt said the trilogy would take the strong elements from each of the two previous titles, State of Decay and State of Decay 2, and blend them to create the most effective aspects of both. Years have passed since the original zombie outbreak; thus, the player will no longer be dealing with the immediate aftermath and chaos but instead face the harsher realities of long-term survival. The emphasis in this game will be on making do, crafting and implementing creative solutions to keep your community alive through the many challenges of living in a world that has been severely damaged for an extended period.

Players can sign up for the alpha at stateofdecay.com. A Discord account is required to register. The game is currently confirmed for Xbox Series X|S and PC, with no release date yet.