Last updated on January 23, 2026
State of Decay 3 has been “coming” for so long that it’s started to blur into the background of Xbox showcases. You remember the name, you remember the trailers and you probably remember telling yourself it had to be close. Now 2026 is here and we still don’t have an release window or something.
That doesn’t automatically mean the game is in trouble. It just means the wait is doing what long waits always do, it makes every silence feel louder than it should.
2020 Was a tease, not a promise
State of Decay 3 first turned up at the 2020 Xbox Games Showcase, and the trailer didn’t really “explain” anything. It just showed one survivor in deep snow with a knife and a crossbow, moving like the cold was as dangerous as the dead.
After that, the game went into the kind of quiet stretch that turns fans into detectives. No steady stream of updates, no clear “here’s the plan,” just occasional mentions and the hope that the next event would be the one.
2024 It came back, but without any answer
State of Decay 3 resurfaced in June 2024 with another trailer at the Xbox Games Showcase, basically the first real “we’re still here” moment in years. After so much dead air between 2020 and 2024, even a short trailer was enough to get people talking again.
What the trailer didn’t bring along was just as important: no release window. It was more of a pulse check than a launch signal, the kind of appearance that says “still in production” rather than “nearly finished.”
Why people got nervous in 2025
A lot of players expected the game to show up again in 2025. It didn’t, and then the broader Xbox news cycle turned rough: layoffs, cancellations, projects being cut. When those things happens, people will get angry without any new news about the game.
So here is where things stand going into 2026: there is still no official statement saying State of Decay 3 has been cancelled.
Platforms and what we actually know
At least the platform side hasn’t been a mystery: State of Decay 3 is slated for Xbox Series X and PC, and it’s expected to land on Game Pass the day it launches.
The timeline is what keeps tripping people up. It was reported in 2022 that the game was still in pre-production at the time, which makes the slow drip of updates make a lot more sense. Since then, Undead Labs has talked about growth—new logo, bigger team—so the next step shouldn’t be another tease. Just show the game properly.
The waiting game continues
Right now, State of Decay 3 is stuck in the most annoying phase of anticipation: confirmed, visible just enough to keep interest alive, but still missing the one detail everyone wants. A release window would help, but extended gameplay would do even more.
Until Xbox makes that next move, we’re left with the same reality going into 2026: State of Decay 3 is coming… just not anytime soon in a way anyone can confidently point to.
I write for Need4Games, mostly keeping track of what’s coming next. I cover showcases and release updates, put together quick lists when you just want the highlights, and I’ll post Steam deal roundups when the sales get wild. I play a lot of games, so I tend to look at games through that lens. No overthinking, just: what it is, why it’s interesting, and if it’s actually worth your time. I also stream now and then on Twitch.
