State of Decay 2 system requirements are out

The zombie survival game State of Decay 2 has previously been given a release date, a technical test, and a pleasing degree of character complexity reflected and revealed in the struggles and relationships of its cast of survivors. Courtesy of the State of Decay 2 page on the Microsoft Store, it also now has some system requirements. 

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Need a new PC for State of Decay 2? Check out our build guides: 

Budget gaming PC
(~$750/£750) - A good entry-level system.
Mid-range gaming PC
(~$1,250/£1,250) - Our recommended build for most gamers.
High-end gaming PC
(~$2,000/£2,000) - Everything a gamer could want.
Extreme gaming PC
(>$3,000/£3,000) - You won the lotto and are going all-in on gaming.

Prefer to buy a prebuilt than building it yourself? Check out our guide to the Best Gaming PCs.

There are an awful lot of bad zombie movies out there, so I will arbitrarily select one from my childhood called Shock Waves, a tale of underwater Nazi zombies, as the movie equivalent of a PC game's minimum system requirements. On that note, here are State of Decay 2's:

  • OS: Windows 10
  • Architecture: x64, X64     
  • Keyboard: Integrated Keyboard
  • Mouse: Integrated Mouse
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Memory: 8 GB
  • Video Memory: 2 GB
  • Processor: AMD FX-6300 | Intel i5-2500 @ 2.7GHz
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 | AMD Radeon HD 7870

For the recommended system spec, aka what's actually a good way to experience some zombies, I will recommend Land of the Dead, an underrated George Romero flick starring Simon Baker, John Leguizamo, and Dennis Hopper:

  • OS: Windows 10
  • Architecture: x64, X64
  • Keyboard: Integrated Keyboard
  • Mouse: Integrated Mouse
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Memory: 16 GB
  • Video Memory: 4 GB
  • Processor: AMD FX-8350 | i5 4570 @ 3.2 GHz
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 | AMD Radeon R9 380

State of Decay 2 will only be available from the Microsoft Store (note that Windows 10 requirement), at least at launch. Which is unfortunate, but it will support a number of nice Xbox-exclusive features, including cross-platform multiplayer and Play Anywhere, meaning that saves and achievements will be shared across PC and Xbox One. Barring a last-minute delay (because you never know), it will be out on May 22.

Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

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