State of Decay 2 is a zombie survival game, with an emphasis on scavenging for items, in which gameplay is experienced from a third-person view.[1] The game is set in an open world environment and features cooperative gameplay with up to three other players.[1] The player can choose from several locations to build a base, then reinforce and improve it with facilities like watchtowers, gardens, sleeping quarters, kitchens, workshops, and medical bays, to help keep survivors safe and healthy.
Part of the game is balancing the use of resources: food, medicine, ammo, construction materials, and fuel. They can be obtained by scavenging or trading with non-player characters. The player can interact with survivors outside of their group: trading with them, helping them or recruiting them. Only one survivor can be controlled at a time, though the player can ask an AI-controlled survivor to accompany them, and in certain missions, one or more AI-controlled survivors will accompany the player. Cooperative multiplayer is also available allowing to players to recruit a friend to temporarily join their game to assist them with objectives.