The State of Decay franchise is a three-line lineage of open-world zombie-survival games from Undead Labs, beginning with 2013 State of Decay (originally titled Class 3) on Xbox 360, continuing through 2018 State of Decay 2 on Xbox One and Windows 10, and reaching 2027 State of Decay 3 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Windows on Steam and Xbox on PC, and Xbox cloud. State of Decay 1 and 2 are legacy references in this article and never used as current-game fact.

The State of Decay franchise timeline (2013, 2018, 2027)

The State of Decay franchise has one release per mainline window, each handled by the same developer and shipped on the engine that fit the era:

  • 2013 — State of Decay (Class Action) launched on Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade on June 5, 2013; a Windows version followed in September–November 2013 and a Year One Survival Edition on PC and Xbox One in April 2015. Built on CryEngine 3, single-player only at launch.
  • 2018 — State of Decay 2 launched on May 22, 2018 for Xbox One and Windows 10. Built on Unreal Engine 4, with shared-world co-op for up to four players from launch and Xbox Play Anywhere between Xbox One and Windows 10. Successor content (Juggernaut Edition, Heartland, Plague Territory, Homecoming) carried the line through 2021.
  • 2027 — State of Decay 3 launches on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Xbox cloud streaming, and Windows on Steam. Built on Unreal Engine 5; first game in the franchise to ship on PlayStation. Xbox Wire Q&A with Creative Director Kevin Patzelt on 2026-06-07 confirmed the engine.

Developer and publisher continuity

Undead Labs has developed every mainline State of Decay game. The studio was founded by Jeff Strain, previously of ArenaNet and a co-creator of World of Warcraft, and was acquired by Microsoft in 2018 ahead of the SoD2 launch. Xbox Game Studios — known as Microsoft Studios for the 2013 original — has been the publisher of record across the franchise. The 2026 ownership transition involving Undead Labs does not change Undead Labs' role as developer of State of Decay 3, which Microsoft has confirmed it will fund through release.

Engine evolution

Each mainline State of Decay game moved to a new engine. State of Decay (2013) used CryEngine 3, State of Decay 2 (2018) shipped on Unreal Engine 4, and State of Decay 3 (2027) uses Unreal Engine 5 — confirmed in the Xbox Wire Q&A on 2026-06-07. The engine jump from CryEngine 3 to Unreal Engine 4 enabled the original shared-world co-op in 2018; the jump to Unreal Engine 5 is what the Xbox Wire Q&A credits for the visual uplift and the larger open world in 2027.

Platform footprint expansion

The franchise has grown from a single console to five platforms across three releases:

  • State of Decay (2013): Xbox 360 at launch, with a Windows port later in 2013 and an Xbox One re-release in 2015. Single ecosystem, single console generation.
  • State of Decay 2 (2018): Xbox One and Windows 10 at launch, with Xbox Play Anywhere between them. First cross-buy for the franchise; co-op ran on both Xbox One and PC from day one.
  • State of Decay 3 (2027): Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Xbox cloud streaming, Steam (Windows), and PlayStation 5. First multi-platform release in the franchise; Xbox Play Anywhere covers Xbox console and Xbox on PC; Steam cross-platform multiplayer is listed as a supported feature.

Side-by-side comparison

EntryReleaseDeveloperPublisherEnginePlatforms at launch
State of Decay2013Undead LabsMicrosoft StudiosCryEngine 3Xbox 360 (Windows port later)
State of Decay 22018Undead LabsXbox Game StudiosUnreal Engine 4Xbox One, Windows 10
State of Decay 32027Undead LabsXbox Game StudiosUnreal Engine 5PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Xbox cloud, Steam

Legacy boundary

State of Decay (2013) and State of Decay 2 (2018) appear in this article only as comparison anchors. Their weapon rosters, facility lists, radio-call mechanics, permadeath tuning, and system requirements are never used as State of Decay 3 facts.

Sources

Where to read next

  • State of Decay 3 vs State of Decay 2: What's Different and What's New -> /vs-sod2 - the side-by-side comparison that bridges lineage and current release.
  • State of Decay 3 release date and platform launch status -> /release - the canonical launch-decision page that closes the lineage arc.

Fact Boundaries

  • State of Decay (2013) and State of Decay 2 (2018) are legacy reference material only; their maps, mechanics, weapon lists, and system values are never used as State of Decay 3 facts.
  • State of Decay 3 launches in 2027 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Windows on Steam, Xbox on PC, and Xbox cloud streaming.
  • State of Decay 3 is built in Unreal Engine 5 per the Xbox Wire Q&A on 2026-06-07.
  • Undead Labs has developed every main entry; Xbox Game Studios (formerly Microsoft Studios) has published the series since State of Decay 2.
  • A specific State of Decay 3 release day, final Steam price, achievement list, and exact facility roster are not announced as of 2026-07-28.
State of Decay 3 vs State of Decay 2: What's Different and What's NewState of Decay 3 vs State of Decay 2 covers the 4x map, 4-player co-op, Plague Nests, Unreal Engine 5, and the new platforms including PS5. See the side-by-side.State of Decay 3 Release Date and Platform Launch StatusState of Decay 3 release date sits inside a 2027 window for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Windows on Steam and Xbox, and cloud. See what's confirmed and what's not.