Parents' Guide to

State of Decay

By Paul Semel, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Scary, bloody zombie action game shambles into repetition.

Game Windows , Xbox 360 , Xbox One 2015
State of Decay Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • State of Decay Game: Screenshot #1
  • State of Decay Game: Screenshot #2
  • State of Decay Game: Screenshot #3

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Christopher B.
Christopher B. Adult
September 1, 2016
age 14+

Potential but a letdown

I would live to rate this high but the game is a polished turf. Great ideas executed by morons. The open world concept is nice and mixed with a little GTA but other then that the game is a bust. When they base the difficulty of the game on spawning zombies right on top of you or make it pointless to clear the corners because of a broken piss poor spawning system, the game already loses over half its rating. But the trouble doesn't stop there. You take another team member with you for backup and 90% of the time they rush in and either die or you have to go save them. You hit a little bump on the road and your car flips like you're in a Hollywood movie. Just pass on this game, even if it is a $2.00 sale. Never pay for something that insults your intelligence like this game does. They have not earned even $1 with such a shoddy job.
RichardB 3
RichardB 3 Adult
June 30, 2016
age 14+

Great Game but lacks

This game would be great for your kid but it could lead to them getting mad at you for not wanting to stop playing it. Plus the learning curve is difficult because once your character dies you can never use him again

This title has:

Great role models
See all 2 parent reviews

What’s It About?

In STATE OF DECAY, you have to survive when a zombie apocalypse destroys society. Not only do you have to scavenge for supplies and weapons, you also have to help your fellow humans survive, often at your own peril. Set in an open word, this third-person action game has you searching nearby structures, looking for anything helpful, while also taking out throngs of the undead with melee weapons, guns, explosives, and even motor vehicles. Just be aware that life is fleeting -- if you die, you stay dead, and you'll have to then play as another character who, creepily, might run into your zombified past self.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (6 ):

As zombie games go, State of Decay is a bit of a mixed bag. On the plus side, it has a rich, open world, with plenty of areas to explore. It also has tight controls that make it (relatively) easy to protect yourself from zombies. This comes in handy, since there are a lot of the undead, and your supplies are usually limited. The zombies also won't approach you one at a time but instead will swarm you from multiple directions. (Y'know, like they will when the real zombie apocalypse begins.) State of Decay also is a lengthy and deep game, especially if you get the Year-One Survival Edition on Xbox One or PC, which includes all the weapons, characters, and story expansions they added to the Xbox 360 edition.

What State of Decay lacks is variety or a compelling reason to keep playing. Because you're doing the same thing over and over -- killing zombies, looking for things to kill zombies, running away when you've run out of things that will kill zombies -- and often are as outnumbered as you are outgunned, the game loses steam after a while and becomes dull. It also can become frustrating when you find yourself surrounded ... again. It doesn't help that some of the text is so small it's hard to read some of the instructions and button prompts. But potential players also should know that the malaise actually takes a while to set in, so if you're a zombie fan or like testing yourself against seemingly impossible odds, State of Decay could be a fun apocalyptic time for mature players.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the impact of violence in video games. What difference does it make when the violence is committed against monsters instead of humans? Is violence ever justified?

  • Talk about disaster plans. Do you know what to do if a disaster strikes? Do you know how to get out of the house fast, where to go after you're out, and what, if anything, to bring with you?

  • Talk about helping other people. Why is it important to help other people?

  • Discuss conservation and avoiding waste. How can you make things last longer? Instead of throwing something out, how can you reuse it or use it to make something new?

Game Details

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