Softonic reported this week that Undead Labs is leaving Xbox and going independent again after the round of layoffs across Xbox Game Studios. Whatever that means for the future of the State of Decay series, the near-term reality is that the fanbase now has a longer wait for a new entry than it thought a month ago.
The original State of Decay’s magic was never the shooting. It was the fragile permadeath community, the base you built out of a farmhouse, and the way a routine supply run turned into a disaster when your fatigued survivor sprained an ankle a mile from home. Those loops exist elsewhere. We tested 7 State of Decay alternatives on desktop that hit at least one of those beats, sometimes all of them, so you have a playlist while Undead Labs sorts itself out. Every pick below runs on Windows; several also run on macOS or Linux (native or via Proton on the Steam Deck).
Quick comparison
| Game | Best for | Solo | Co-op | Perma-death survivors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Zomboid | Deep survival simulation | Yes | Yes (dedicated server) | Yes |
| 7 Days to Die | Base building against horde nights | Yes | Yes (up to 8) | Optional |
| DayZ | Open-world survival with real player tension | Yes | Yes (up to 60 on public) | Yes |
| Sons of the Forest | Cinematic survival with base building | Yes | Yes (up to 8) | Optional |
| Kenshi | Community management and squad survival | Yes | No | Yes |
| Dying Light 2 Stay Human | Parkour zombie action-RPG | Yes | Yes (up to 4) | No |
| The Long Dark | Slow-burn wilderness survival | Yes | No | Yes |
Why people leave State of Decay for something else
The original State of Decay is a 2013 game held together by charm and a very specific fragile-survivor loop that has aged well but not perfectly. The controls feel dated on a modern controller, the combat is loose, and the AI companions occasionally walk into fights they cannot win. State of Decay 2 fixed some of these and added multiplayer, but doubled down on repetition; State of Decay 3 is still on the horizon while Undead Labs restructures.
The other reason people bounce is that a lot of the tension came from technical constraints on Xbox 360 hardware. Modern survival games do the same beats with more polish and more variety.
The third reason: the community management loop is genuinely unusual, and most people looking for something similar do not know that Kenshi and Project Zomboid both nail it in their own way.
The 7 best State of Decay alternatives for desktop
Project Zomboid, best community-management survival
Project Zomboid is what State of Decay would be if the developers cared more about simulation than shooting. Isometric perspective, a permadeath character with weight, morale, wounds, and skills, a Kentucky county rendered in detail, and multiplayer for a dedicated-server community. Base building is here, base defense against a scripted horde is here, and the death of a well-fed carpenter feels exactly the way losing a State of Decay survivor did.
Where it falls short: Isometric graphics ask for a leap the first hour. Combat is deliberately clumsy.
Pricing:
- Free: Demo.
- Paid: One-time purchase on Steam.
- vs State of Decay: Slower, deeper, and multiplayer works better.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: The closest thing to State of Decay’s spirit. Different camera, same tension.
7 Days to Die, best base-defense loop
7 Days to Die stretches State of Decay’s supply-run-into-base-defense loop across a full week cycle: six days to scavenge and fortify, one night when a horde tries to break in. Voxel destruction means you build your own base wall by wall, and the multiplayer server ecosystem is deep. The 1.0 release polished the systems that were rough for years.
Where it falls short: UI is dense. Balance shifts release to release; some updates are aggressive.
Pricing:
- Free: Demo.
- Paid: One-time purchase on Steam.
- vs State of Decay: More base building, less narrative community management.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: Pick this if the base defense was the part of State of Decay that kept you playing.
DayZ, best open-world survival with real players
DayZ is the survival game where the scariest thing is not the infected. It is the player on the ridge across the field. A permadeath character, hand-crafted map (Chernarus or Livonia), and a community that has been playing continuously for over a decade. Solo mode exists but the point is the shared world.
Where it falls short: Public servers vary wildly in balance. Base building is present but is not the main draw.
Pricing:
- Paid: One-time purchase on Steam plus optional DLC maps.
- vs State of Decay: Multiplayer-first, harder, unforgiving in a different direction.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: Pick this if you want the fragility of State of Decay but with human threats instead of NPC ones.
Sons of the Forest, best cinematic survival
Sons of the Forest is Endnight’s follow-up to The Forest, with a much bigger island, better base-building tools, and a story that pushes you forward if survival alone gets stale. Co-op up to eight makes it a natural drop-in for a group that used to run State of Decay 2 lobbies.
Where it falls short: Cannibal AI is more predictable than State of Decay’s zombie hordes once you learn the patterns. Story is thin compared to the sandbox.
Pricing:
- Paid: One-time purchase on Steam.
- vs State of Decay: More cinematic, less community management.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: Best pick for a group of four to eight friends who want a co-op night without a training curve.
Kenshi, best squad survival with permadeath
Kenshi looks like nothing else on this list. Real-time sandbox in a post-apocalyptic desert, no story, no quests, and a squad of characters you build up from a starving nobody to a warlord with a fortress. Recruit survivors, build a base, hunt bandits, lose limbs, buy prosthetics. Death is permanent; a wiped squad restarts from a fresh character.
Where it falls short: UI is from another decade. Steep learning curve. Not for anyone who wants clear guidance.
Pricing:
- Paid: One-time purchase on Steam.
- vs State of Decay: Same “your survivors matter” feeling, entirely different setting.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: Pick this if the community management was the part of State of Decay that hooked you.
Dying Light 2 Stay Human, best action-first zombie game
Dying Light 2 trades the community-survival angle for parkour and combat. Vast open cities, day-night cycle where infected explode out of buildings at dusk, four-player co-op, and a full action-RPG loop. Not really a survival game, more a zombie action-RPG, but scratches the same “clear a supply run while it’s still light” itch.
Where it falls short: Not a management game. Base building is missing. Difficulty leans easier than State of Decay’s.
Pricing:
- Paid: One-time purchase on Steam.
- vs State of Decay: More action, less strategy.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: Pick this if you want to feel powerful in a zombie world, not vulnerable.
The Long Dark, best slow-burn survival
The Long Dark is Hinterland’s cold-weather solo survivor game. No zombies, no combat outside occasional wildlife, and no multiplayer. What it shares with State of Decay is the moment-to-moment tension of a routine trip becoming a fight for survival. Story mode covers a full campaign; Survival mode is open-ended.
Where it falls short: Slow. Zero PvP, zero base defense. Not the tempo everyone wants.
Pricing:
- Paid: One-time purchase on Steam.
- vs State of Decay: Solo, slower, cleaner.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: Pick this when you want a quiet, thoughtful survival game after State of Decay’s chaos.
How to choose
Pick Project Zomboid if you want the closest match to State of Decay’s community-management loop.
Pick 7 Days to Die if you keep thinking about the base defense nights.
Pick DayZ if the tension you loved was really about vulnerability, and you want that to come from real players.
Pick Sons of the Forest if you want a co-op night with friends and no wiki reading.
Pick Kenshi if you want a squad game with the deepest permadeath consequence.
Stay on the State of Decay games if the specific pacing of your XB1 Year One playthrough is still the thing you want; nothing else feels quite the same because nothing else is.
FAQ
Is Undead Labs done making State of Decay?
Undead Labs is going independent again after leaving Xbox Game Studios per Softonic’s reporting. What that means for State of Decay 3 is not confirmed at time of writing.
Which State of Decay alternative works on Steam Deck?
Project Zomboid, The Long Dark, Sons of the Forest, and Dying Light 2 all run well on Steam Deck via Proton. DayZ and 7 Days to Die work but need per-title tuning.
Are any of these games free?
None are free-to-play. Several have Steam demos. All are one-time purchases with no subscription.
What is the best co-op alternative to State of Decay?
Sons of the Forest for up to 8 players and 7 Days to Die for up to 8 are the closest co-op experiences. Project Zomboid on a dedicated server hits a smaller but deeper co-op tone.
Do any of these have State of Decay’s specific “permadeath community” feature?
Project Zomboid and Kenshi both track individual permadeath survivors as the core of the loop. DayZ does it too but skews more toward player-vs-player tension than base management.
