State of Decay 2 can be a very tough game, especially if you’re new to the survival genre. Zombies inflict a ton of damage and if a survivor dies then they are gone for good. However, you don’t have to take on these horrors alone, as developer Undead Labs have added online co-op to the game. Currently available for Windows 10 and Xbox One, State of Decay 2 supports up to four players and no competitive PvP mode.
Here’s how to play State of Decay 2 online with both your friends and random players.
Playing With Friends
For those looking to play online with their friends, you’ll need to simply go through your Xbox One’s friend list. State of Decay 2 allows players to set their game to Offline, Invite Only, or Friends Only. Make sure you are set to either Invite or Friends Only, otherwise you won’t be able to play with others. Then either open your Xbox One’s friends list or hit the start button. If you choose the latter there will be an option to “Invite Guests” with three slots open. Select a slot and then pick which player you want to bring into your game.
As for PC players, currently we can only use the Windows 10 version through the Microsoft Store. While there have been rumblings of a Steam version, there is no hard confirmation from Undead Labs. Because of this, you will need to have an Xbox One app on your PC. Once you have this you can use the same methods to invite players to your game. You can have up to three additional players which can be a mix of friends or random users.
Playing With Randoms
Playing online with random players is a bit different than friends as you’ll need to use State of Decay 2’s matchmaking. To bring up the matchmaking hit up on the D-Pad to open up the Radio menu. While this feature is used for a variety of different things, you’ll want to select the Volunteer option. This won’t cost you any Influence and you will instantly begin looking for someone to join. Keep in mind you can still play while State of Decay 2 is searching, but we recommend making sure you’re not in the middle of a mission.
If you want to open your game up to other players instead, select the Call for Help option. Your character will fire a flare into the air and begin looking for assistance. Remember, the flare will attract the attention of any zombies in your vicinity, so do it in a safe location.
Remember, you will be playing the survivor that you’re using if you join someone’s game. If you die in someone’s game then that death will be permanent. Because of this, we recommend you go into games with survivors you are willing to lose or need to level up. The last thing you want is to have a character die because of another user’s actions.