State of Decay 3's inspired open-world change makes it one of Xbox Game Pass' strongest additions

After sleeping on the series since its debut in 2013, State of Decay 3 has opened my eyes to what this series could be, as long as Undead Labs survives its departure from Xbox.

It was devastating to hear that Undead Labs was one of the many Xbox cut ties with amidst the latest round of layoffs, but after hearing from the team at Gamescom it’s clear there are no hard feelings.

State of Decay 3 will launch as a day-one Xbox Game Pass game but after going hands-on for around half an hour I’m vowing to buy it at full-price. This feels like the most comprehensive State of Decay game yet and an excellent starting point if you’re new to the series.

State of Decay 3 makes the world itself the enemy - proper Walking Dead vibes

Several years have passed since the outbreak began, and while returning players will have gotten good at building a community of survivors the rules have officially changed.

It doesn’t matter where you set up shop, danger won’t be far behind. The infection now has bases of its own and it’s always looking to expand. Over the course of several in-game days it’ll reach out and gobble up more territory. What was once a fight for survival is now a war of attrition, and it doesn’t matter how sturdy your settlement is, when you’re surrounded on all sides by undead outposts it’s only a matter of time before you get overwhelmed.

My preview session gave me a first-hand look of this, and my hands-on time was spent raiding one of the hives that controls the spread of infection. Successfully destroying one makes the surrounding area more inhabitable, but it’s like a hydra. Sever one head and more will spout elsewhere.

I love this mechanic. It’s reminiscent of the early seasons of The Walking Dead. You think you’ve found a safe haven now, but in time it’ll fall just like all the rest.

Now if any of that sounds too overwhelming there are difficulty modifiers to tailor the experience to your liking, effectively making the hordes more or less egregious with their hostile takeovers.

I think the way to go for a lot of players however is to crank that difficulty up as high as it goes. The worst feeling you can get in a survival game is feeling like you’ve ‘beaten’ it. If there doesn’t feel like there’s anything left to do, what’s going to keep you playing?

Having a dynamic back-and-forth with the main antagonist though should hopefully keep the survival experience fresh and constantly progressing. With your supplies thinning and the pressure from outside mounting, you’re going to be forced into some tough decisions. It sounds great.

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How survivors work in State of Decay 3

The survivors have had a bit of an overhaul. When building your community you’ll have more to think about in regards to who gets welcomed in and who’s left to the horde.

One funny example given was a guy who’s of great help to your homestead, but he takes very long showers, which is bound to rub people the wrong way when water is at a premium.

Other survivors might be well-equipped to deal with enemies at range, but lose all hope and sensibility when caught in a crowd, so choosing the right survivor for the job is going to be essential when taking on your own missions.

I’m liking the dynamics so far, and of course you’ll be able to team-up with several players so you can survive together.

After my hands-on session, and in light of the Xbox severances, I’m convinced that State of Decay 3 is too good for Xbox Game Pass. I sincerely hope the playercount is there when the game launches, as I’d love to see this series continue. It’s still got heaps of potential and the war of attrition mechanic feels inspired for a game like this.

At the time of writing State of Decay 3 doesn’t have a release date, but it’s said to be launching sometime in 2027.

More playtests have also been confirmed and you can mark your interest to take part via the official website.