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. Quarter to Three
    May 24, 2018
    100
    Besides, polish is overrated. Consider Dawn of the Dead. Both of them. Zack “Justice League” Snyder’s update is polished, contemporary, and appropriately dumb. But Romero’s original is raw, uneven, and still powerful. They each have their place, but only one of them is timeless. If you want the fullest and most thorough expression of zombie mythology in a movie, you watch Romero’s Dawn of the Dead. If you want the fullest and most thorough expression of zombie mythology in a game, you play Undead Labs’ State of Decay 2.
  2. GameSpace
    May 22, 2018
    90
    SoD2 will give you hours of enjoyment and you will not want to put it down. The game provides you with more than one way to have fun - will you embrace your inner zombie killer?
  3. Multiplayer.it
    May 30, 2018
    85
    State of Decay 2 has some technical issues, but apart from these you will find a game bigger than its predecessor in almost every aspect.
  5. Vgames
    May 17, 2018
    85
    Microsoft and Undead Studios succeeded in delivering a good Xbox-exclusive game. The coop and loot elements are well done with smooth gameplay and upgrading mechanic. Unfortunately, the huge amount of bugs sometimes cause it to be unplayable. Apparently, due to the latest game patches, the bugs are being fixed quickly.
  6. LevelUp
    May 18, 2018
    80
    State of Decay 2 fulfills its premise without being too pretentious as an entry point to the misunderstood zombie survival genre. It is best enjoyed when you step out the safety of your comfort zone to face the horrors of the zombie apocalypse, at least until the experience becomes repetitive.
  7. 3DJuegos
    May 17, 2018
    80
    State of Decay 2 is a great game for fans of the survival genre. There are three vast maps to explore and a nice mix of open world exploration, action and survival horror.
  8. SpazioGames
    May 17, 2018
    80
    State of Decay 2 is a "bigger, better and more badass" sequel, with plenty of missions and activities to engage. Playing it in co-op is a good addition, but in the long run the game loses part of its charm. The graphics are outdated and far from modern game standards.
  9. Destructoid
    May 17, 2018
    80
    State of Decay 2's unique approach to survival and management might not appeal to everyone, but it certainly feels like an instant cult classic.
  10. Ragequit.gr
    May 22, 2018
    78
    State of Decay 2 is enough of an improvement upon the first game of the series so as to appeal to its core fans, but we'll probably have to wait for future DLC in order to see more innovative additions to its gameplay.
  11. PC Games
    May 17, 2018
    78
    But for 15 hours I still had a lot of fun with State of Decay 2.
  12. New Game Network
    May 23, 2018
    76
    State of Decay 2 refines and builds upon the formula of managing the survival of a group during a zombie apocalypse, with mostly well balanced difficulty and smooth co-op integration making up for plain visuals and some rough edges.
  13. Wccftech
    May 17, 2018
    75
    State of Decay 2 is every bit as fun and rough as the first game was in 2013. It feels like a game that would have massively benefited from additional resources during development given its numerous technical shortcomings, but even so, its core (improved in this sequel) remains unique and fun to play, especially with friends. It's one of those titles that can be described as being more than the sum of its parts.
  14. IGN
    May 17, 2018
    75
    To be very clear: State of Decay 2 bugs out early and bugs out often.
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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