State of Decay 2

 PC
Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 30
  3. Negative: 1 out of 30
  1. PC Gamer
    May 17, 2018
    74
    A solid survival game vastly improved by putting the focus on people, not zombies.
  2. GameCrate
    May 23, 2018
    73
    State of Decay 2 feels like it’s trying too hard to force the player to do too much. There’s no way for the player to really control the way they absorb the experience and more than a few of the mechanics break the careful relationship the rest of the game tries to foster. Overall, it’s the kind of game that you want to love, but that needs a lot of work.
  3. Games.cz
    Jul 13, 2018
    70
    In State of Decay 2 we got additions that we didn’t even need, while the mechanics that called for changes (such as fighting) remained without any major interference. The game shoves in multiplayer too much, which degrades some parts of the single-player into a digital chore. Eventually, you may not even appreciate, that the game is bigger than the first one.
  5. DualShockers
    May 27, 2018
    70
    State of Decay 2’s experience will boil down to how talented you are at surviving. The game challenges you to last for as long as possible. It has its moments where it can drag on, and if you’re after a game where you just want to kill mindlessly, this isn’t for you. Zombie survival simulator though? It does what it set out to achieve.
  6. GRYOnline.pl
    May 17, 2018
    70
    State of Decay 2 has a dozen of bugs, a boring start, bad optimization and a repetitive gameplay. Against all odds, the gameplay offered by the game sucked me into the world of Zombie apocalypse and I want to play it more and more. It has this "spark" that makes you keep playing the game - a cool atmosphere, satisfying combat and sense of accomplishment that comes from every performed action. It is a Zombie-Survival-Gothic.
  7. GameStar
    May 18, 2018
    68
    The purchase is basically only worthwhile if you have not played the predecessor yet...This lack of innovation is all the more disappointing for me because the developers of Undead Labs had originally planned their game as a zombie MMO, where we were to fight with hundreds of players on a map together for survival. And now, instead, they deliver a mediocre co-op mode.
  8. Areajugones
    May 25, 2018
    65
    State of Decay 2 aims to be better than its predecessor, and it is. However,characters´ modeling, bugs and poor optimization on PC are too much for this game. It is still an entertaining game, but its clearly unfinished.
  9. Game Informer
    May 17, 2018
    65
    State of Decay 2 has a lot to love, but it’s overwhelmed by legacy issues and a slew of all-new ones that came along for the co-op ride.
  10. GameOver.gr
    Jun 1, 2018
    60
    The problem with State of Decay 2 is that it fails to go steps beyond what the first game achieved. It is a given that fans of State of Decay will surely have a good time, especially when playing with friends (and when some of the technical issues will be addressed), but overall Undead Labs’ new game fails to impress.
  11. GameGrin
    May 31, 2018
    60
    With hardly any other true zombie survival simulations on the market, Undead Labs present a competent horror game. It’s rough around the edges, with many bugs and features that feel lacklustre, and a multiplayer that doesn’t fully deliver on its promise, but it’s still a fun ride with many other improvements over the original. For all of its faults, it’s an adventure you can rely on if you were a fan of the first.
  12. App Trigger
    May 22, 2018
    60
    State of Decay 2‘s survival mechanics and combat are enjoyable at first, but quickly grow stale after repeating the same actions over and over. It has a few shining moments, but its execution is ultimately rather lackluster and shallow. The only true horror in this zombie survival game is its numerous technical issues.
  13. Game Debate
    Jun 4, 2018
    55
    Ultimately, State of Decay 2 has proven a disappointment. Undead Labs laid the groundwork with the original, but it’s failed to build upon this to any noticeable degree. It’s a much prettier, just as buggy, State of Decay 1.5. To some, just having more may be enough, but it would’ve been nice to see them push the boat out just a little bit more. Perhaps they should’ve done that MMO zombie survival game after all...
  14. Jeuxvideo.com
    May 30, 2018
    55
    State of Decay 2 isn't a failure, it’s a disappointment. Despite some good ideas, the game kind of looks like a copy/paste of the previous game on many points, loaded with glitches and poorly tuned mechanics.
  15. Gamer.no
    May 23, 2018
    50
    Quotation forthcoming.
  16. PC PowerPlay
    May 18, 2018
    50
    A promising sequel that, despite its improvements on the original, still retains as many bugs as it does zombies.
  17. GameSpot
    May 17, 2018
    50
    Perhaps if State of Decay 2 had the kind of depth that drew you in, these technical faults would be easier to overlook. But it’s because of the lack of meaningful motivations that they stick out so predominantly.
This publication does not provide a score for their reviews.
This publication has not posted a final review score yet.
These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation.

In Progress & Unscored

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  1. Eurogamer
    May 17, 2018
    Technically shambolic, obsessed with hoarding, and a waste of a once-promising society simulation. [Avoid]
  2. Eurogamer Italy
    May 17, 2018
    State of Decay 2 does not revolutionize the concept behind the series, but merely refines it. It is still a great title, and State of Decay fans can toast and rejoice. Sadly we couldn't try out the online multiplayer long enough to issue a verdict, we will update the review with the score as soon as possible.
  3. PCGamesN
    May 17, 2018
    State of Decay 2 is a strong sequel that, bugs and odd design decisions aside, expands on the innovative original in all the right places. The larger map might not add much, but the game is deeper and more refined. I found that the best stories in State of Decay 2 were the ones I wrote myself but, while the game can stand on its own in single-player, I look forward to doing that even more with friends.
  5. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    May 17, 2018
    And after all this, there are the bugs. Bugs bugs bugs. Characters vanishing, cameras swiveling, cars becoming lodged in barriers, shotguns becoming lodged in spines, doors that look wide open but are really closed, ambulances flickering in and out of existence like a dying filament. The majority of the bugs are visual hiccups, but a couple are complete blinders, such as the time my onscreen health, stamina, ammo and minimap all vanished in the middle of a fight with a tank-like juggernaut zombie. Or the time I threw a pipe bomb and it simply froze in the air centimetres in front of me, then exploded.

Awards & Rankings

25
#25 Most Discussed PC Game of 2018
41
#41 Most Shared PC Game of 2018

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
5.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 466 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 153 out of 466
  2. Mixed: 111 out of 466
  3. Negative: 202 out of 466
  1. Ocelot113
    Jun 2, 2018
    3
    Honestly, I was waiting on this game a long time. I did like the first one a lot. But like everyone else was a bit disappointed by the lack ofHonestly, I was waiting on this game a long time. I did like the first one a lot. But like everyone else was a bit disappointed by the lack of an endgame and no coop. Interestingly, State of Decay 2 addressed these 2 things... abysmally.

    Their coop in this game is pretty much laughable. Tethering in an open world game is a mega fail. Also, why would anyone coop in this game. There is nothing to gain at all. In 1999 Jet-force Gemini on the N64 allowed for an unlock-able robot that someone else could control. Meaning they could point at this on the screen and shoot at it, not actually move it. This Coop is about on par with that 1999 innovation. Loot is separate, base building is for the host only. So all you do is follow around the host wacking at things on the screen. Other than that there is no story or any good reason to actually join a friend.

    As for the endgame. Its boring. They said, "Our fans want a conclusion.", so they put you on an incredibly boring loop of doing the same thing for 40 hours. But wait, next time pick a new leader and do 1 other incredibly boring task for 40 hours.

    I will not be buying the next one. We asked to take what was good about SOD1 and flesh it out. You took SOD1 and fans ideas and added really terrible execution of those great ideas in attempt to extend the games length. Guys, it's boring and rushed. Enjoy, your profits. You've proven you are a one hit wonder.    … Full Review »
  2. urieaal
    May 27, 2018
    4
    Meh.. in state of decay there was some story, A bit of wonder and excitement and even random over powered items to find..

    Alas i find state    Meh.. in state of decay there was some story, A bit of wonder and excitement and even random over powered items to find..

    Alas i find state of decay 2 lacking.. the game feels rushed. The 5 hours i have put into the game so far following just the games quests... Mind you, not just wandering around... i have been asking what? why?? huh..?

    A character creator even a basic one is a staple in games these days... vary rarely do games not have a character creator and tell a decent story. It is sorely needed and one of very few things i thought was missing from SoD. The base building is almost the same... except more options and mods.. it needs better options not more... reinforce fencing, expand area... herp a derp???

    Larger bases or expandable bases would have been better... more defense options would have been nice.. not even 5 hours in and im getting sieged by zombie hordes every 30 minutes. all i did was build the basics, pharmacy water catch, watch tower oh and removed garbage and fixed the master bedroom. How is that 2 of 3 bars.

    Nothing i/we built makes noise... the lookout tower upgraded to level 2 even..nothing makes noise... its not like we have flood lights thanks to good ol electricity.. one of the mods is a generator adding electricity if you refuel it to an area of your base....

    SoD allows to you just grab a vehicle and go... SoD2 you need gas for cars and repair kits...... its very tedious early and a waste of inventory space later. i did not want to micro manage every single aspect of a human being.... breathing... its to much micro managing... food, medicine, ammo, salvage... that was what you needed in SoD, now you need water and electricity, gas and some other bs.. oh and cars are much fewer all carry 5-6 items/sacks.

    this game just feels really rushed... Haven't they been working on SoD2 for about 4 years now? Wth happened? the blood plague was just a bad **** idea... it gets a bit ridiculous..

    I really really liked SoD but SoD2 is missing too much and is far to buggy. even after the updates i lost a vehicle and got stuck just running on top of a stack of bricks in a truck at the nursery. my character got stuck inside the small (should have been easy to jump over) bricks.

    Did they even play test this game at all..... the problems i've had already and i literally just bought an x1s and this game... tempted to return both.    … Full Review »
  3. alex_dragon
    May 29, 2018
    5
    Pro Tip. You can try this game out for free for 14 days, no credit card needed can use paypal also. Make a Microsoft account, register for 14Pro Tip. You can try this game out for free for 14 days, no credit card needed can use paypal also. Make a Microsoft account, register for 14 days trial free, now go to your Microsoft Xbox App (On your windows, not chrome, or any browser) now search for State of Decay 2 in store and you can now install it.

    You can do that to judge whether you should buy the game or not, it's quite generous on Microsoft part. The sad thing is just that there is no steam release

    the game is below average, worst than the first one, it has bugs, some parts are better than the first some are worst. the game finally has Asians in, not sure about Indians yet but hope so

    Some of the things bother me, melee range, melee have extremely short range, if there are zombies in wooden fences, you cannot hit them, but they can hit you. and if you try to use melee on zombies close to your teammates, you can't hit them behind your friends when it should. since the model is long enough. the Dev decision on these changes made me wonder why. since the first game doesn't have these issues.

    most of the time when you are trying to melee zombies, your attacks will be hitting the sky unless you are extremely close. (The model should have hit but it didn't, it ruined the immersion and breaks the game)

    Also to note, the game will only work on Windows 10 same with the method I posted above

    the fact that there are no official forums around is a big deal, means theres nowhere to provide feedback for the devs, and they don't seem to care for anything    … Full Review »
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