PAYDAY 3

Payday 3 was always going to struggle to steal the show with its predecessor boasting a decade of support but this was a particularly fantastic blunder. Recent updates show a hint of promise but the fundamental issue of the games reliance on servers buggered up its launch and spells certain doom for its future. Why am I searching for servers for my private lobby? Why does my game need to process painting a mask or buying a gun? Why am I being ushered through the pre-game setup, as if I have to get on with it and make room for the next group of heisters? Why am I lagging in my own sodding server? Leave me alone. It's not a terrible foundation, really. But it will need time and effort to reach the level of content and depth of its systems Payday 2 has, the only question is: how many of us are willing to risk investing in this game until that point? After feeling robbed myself here, I don't think I am.

Before the Armor 2.0 update payday3 was decent - it wasnt super bad, just kinda easy, repetitive and a bit boring after some time, But now after the update and the recent balance changes, payday3 finally is enjoyable and actually fun to play. Armor 2.0 is much better than the old armor, providing more variety to builds. They brought back the old payday2 armor (which they also balanced very well) They finally added an option to have different outfits for different builds. Stealth is (and was) much better than in payday2. Loud, after the recent update, is finally great and somewhat challenging - snipers now actually shoot, naders throw their grenades (and actually throw them much better and more often than before), cops finally deal damage etc The OG heists are great, the newer ones aren't much worse And the newest Powder Party heist gives payday2s Shadow raid heist vibes, which in my opinion is great. One thing - please add something like payday2s infamy system, it would really help the game and its progression and maybe rework the shop so the primary weapons and secondaries are in separate categories

If I could refund this I would, idk who thought it was a good idea to remove half the things that made payday 2 fun. even if the game was suppose to be more "realistic" , it should have still kept the quirks that made payday 2 great.

I love not being able to play the game I paid for because the game servers aren't working.

I mean hours say alot more then i can with words, but payday 2 and payday 3 are their own games people comparing them should remember this fact, yes they're in the same series, but solely basing your view by comparing 10 years of updates with 2 years of updates will always make the 10 year old game seem better, which isn't always actually the case.

This is not worth 9 dollars. The game is drastically different from the last game in the series and not in a good way. Visuals are nice and updated but that does not make up for the poor game play experience. 1. Whoever the Bain replacement is comments on every single thing you do, whether its bagging 1 of 10 bags of cash you have to move to complete the mission, to reminding you CONSTANTLY that the police will not end their raid. The consistent and perpetual reminders are unnecessary and removes the player from a sense of control in the mission. You are just doing what the voice in your ear commands. 2. Moving past the actual in game experience the Menu and Lobby situation is awful. Selecting a mission and sitting there for 3-5 minutes before the LOBBY is opened is a weird experience. This is likely due to the fact that the game is always online and REQUIRES A THIRD PARTY ACCOUNT. A game about robbing banks and committing crime is asking you to give up your email and info. Wild. Ultimately its just not worth it. This is a major letdown and feels like a game made out of desperation, not a game made to improve upon the series. Remove the always online requirement. Make lobbies the same as the previous game. Change the menus.

game has come along quite well since its poor launch. It has quite a bit less content compared to Payday 2, but that game has been out for a decade. Current (as of June 27, 2025) Payday 3 runs very smoothly on a 5 year old PC, even on Maximum settings, the servers run just fine, and even my buddy who has satelite internet can play with me. It is worth it as it stands, and will only get better. Keep up the wonderful work, and lets see Payday 3 become as successful as payday 2 in the years to come

i was so hype for this game i remember waiting the days just to play it and it sucks sadly i highly recommend just playing payday 2 its way better

Bought this on sale because I was wary about it. Probably the biggest waste of an hour. Don't buy it, just play Payday 2.

The game has big future in front of it if the dev's put away their greed and make a shit ton of content for it or atleast a few bigger free updates.

I can finally recommend this game. It still isn't up to the level of Payday 2 but the potential is here and it's turned out to be a fun game. I'm just gonna talk about the stuff I like that is an improvement since Payday 2. Zip ties are no longer finite. You're carrying around a bottomless Costco bag of zip ties. This is something that annoyed me in Payday 2. Small Safes now have a unique lockpicking mechanic that is fun. The drill is no longer used for everything, it also doesn't take forever. Now smaller safes can be picked in a very satisfying minigame where you turn the dial until it goes green three times. It's pretty nice. Lockpicking is actually a minigame now too. Gone are the days of just staring at an object and holding the pick button. Now there's a minigame that is actually faster than picking in Payday 2. Even messing up only penalizes you by not opening the lock sooner. Really nice change imo Hostages are much easier to deal with. Ordering them around, using them as a human shields, booping them to the ground for a tie down. It's much easier and fluid than it was in Payday 2. Being able to grab them and throw them to the ground in a specific location beats trying to herd them in Payday 2. New enemy types and improved favorites. New guys are grenade cops, hostage rescue is now a unique enemy, there's cops that hide and control drones to mess with you. The tazer cops are cooler, you can shoot their battery pack to shock a bunch of cops around them. The Dozer seems to have had the largest improvement and dealing with them is difficult and satisfying. You can also shoot antenas off of FBI vans to end waves at times too. Side objectives can be found in many of the heists. Like finding specific loot in the safety deposit boxes or going the extra mile to make and employee use a biometric scanner at the jewelry store to get those last four high value items. Now you can just choose your heist. No more waiting for the one you want to pop up or spending in game currency to buy the contracts. Just pick what you want to play. Gun attachments are no longer an RNG gambling hell. Now you level up weapons by using them. As you level up, more parts become available to buy and install. This is a godsend. Killstreak rewards. So now instead of starting with a grenade launcher or minigun as a primary weapon, they're now killstreak rewards you can call in during a mission. I like this option more because it doesn't tie up your primary slot. The ECM Jammers are now tools and seperate from health/ammo deployments. That means you can have those along with health, ammo, armor, and a sentry. There are also new tools added like motion detectors, EMPs, and a few others. The armor system is pretty cool. Now you choose a base frame that has different pros/cons. Lighter frames have less movement penalties but only hold one armor plate. Bigger frames hold more plates and ammo but has movement penalties. There's a few different plates to choose from too. Each with their own benefits and draw backs. It's really interesting to customize the armor. It also affects how many downs you are allotted as well. All in all, the game is pretty solid and they're about to release a rework of the skills. This game isn't better than Payday 2 or at its level yet. But the improvements I listed are enough QOL improvements for me to really enjoy what it is currently. If you can catch this game on sale, I wouldn't hesitate. One last thing. Payday 3 still supports playing DLC you don't own as long as the host has purchased it. This is a really nice feature I wish more games had. Doesn't lock your buddies out of playing new heists and you're not forced to play them with randos. There still is no offline mode, but they have added a solo mode that is currently in beta. The solo mode is to host your own games so you're not bogging down servers or something. Idk but it's there so I thought I'd mention it.

this game is so fucking bad that its good, i sat down for many hours laughing to death with others. there is no need for any explanation, just buy it on the summer sale discount while its 10 dollars, and youll be happy. before i tried this game, i used to see people who enjoyed pain as sick, but now i truly relate to it, the levels of incompetence, the lack of content, it hurts my soul to think that this is a sequel of the payday franchise. but this game is so fucking shit that i crave more. Note: DO NOT ASK HOXTON FOR HELP WHEN CUFFED WHILST DOING SILENT buy it

Fun game when someone isnt crying in your ear about payday 2 being better

Great gameplay, and a complete shift from the old gameplay of payday 2 with a more of a serious approach to a genuine bank robbery, which in all honesty is great rather than being another company that makes another game in their franchise thats the exact same slop as the previous game. Although it still needs more missions/things to spend money on though like the old offshore account system, I think its currently in a good place and would recommend this game to anyone with a few bucks to spare.

Halfway through 2025 and the core missions the game launched with still have game-breaking softlocking bugs. That tells you everything you need to know about the state of the game.

I hate the damn Bain replacement. She's so goddamn annoying and the fucking UI sucks ass. The graphics also look elongated. It's also unfamiliar to Payday 2.

Review: Frustrating Account Requirement Ruins the Experience I was excited to dive into this game, but I’ve been completely unable to play it due to an unnecessary and poorly implemented account creation requirement. Forcing players to make an account to access a game—when countless other titles offer seamless, account-free experiences—is baffling and feels like a thinly veiled attempt to track user data. Worse, the account creation process is broken. After three days, I’m still stuck because the verification email never arrives in my inbox, likely due to some issue with their proxy servers or email system. I’ve paid for a game I can’t even play, hitting a brick wall of frustration before the game even starts. This is unacceptable, especially when the account system adds no value to the player experience. It appears to be a common issue with them as it is among the top issues in FAQ section about not receiving verification emails. I have done all the things suggested in the troubleshooting for this issue, yet it still persists. The fact that I would even have to: Clear browser cache/cookies; - Allow Pop-ups and Redirects in your browser settings; - Temporarily disable extensions like Adblock; - If you're using a mobile device, please try to access the website from a PC/Laptop; - Try a different browser. - Alternatively, if the issue persists, we would also highly recommend trying again at a later time. ...just to create an unnecessary "ACCOUNT" to play the game is 7+ steps too far just to play the game. Until they fix this intrusive and dysfunctional account requirement, I can’t recommend this game. Save your money and play one of the thousands of other titles that respect your time and privacy. Rating: 1/5

People look back on PD2 with rose tinted glasses but i genuinely think this game is great but severly lacks in the content/replayability department. Give it a few years and hopefully it will match.

Even if this game wasn't a trove of broken promises and content drought, it would still be the most aggressively mediocre game I've played in a long, long time. This game just flat out isn't good. At all. Editing this review just to say that the one remarkable thing about this game is how genuinely unbelievably atrocious the UI is.

I never played Payday 2, but I've enjoyed Payday 3 so far. However, I bought it on sale and I suggest you do it too. I like the gunplay and weapons in the game. They are really satisfying to use and have a nice feel to them. Many favorites too choose from. The graphics are decent and the effects plays to the sense of chaos when going loud on heists (guns blazing). Going stealth can be very exilirating as well. Also, a decent variety of enemy types and a badass soundtrack makes it easy to recommend this game. However, there are some caveats to be aware off. Mainly, the lack of content (although it is getting better) and a poorly designed skilltree (they recently fixed the armour system). In summary, the game is fun but feels in the end a bit unfinished. Hopefully the developers will continue supporting the game with more content and improvements. As I understand it the game is a lot better now than 12 months ago.

payday 3 is not on abysmal experience and there is good fun to be had especially with friends but in its current state it's the kind of game you pick up on a sale play all the heists maybe replay some for a good few hours and then probably don't touch it again for a while there's not necessarily something wrong with that but it does mean that 3 is living in the shadow of its cooler older brother

Almost 2 years after launch, and I'm genuinely struggling to find any reason to recommend Payday 3 over Payday 2. Could be fun if you have a friend or two to play with, but that's the same with most games. At time of review its $9 and as the game is, I would still feel i didn't get my moneys worth. Other then the way the guns feel, the better gun play and the mask off activities, everything feels a step backwards. Still has server issues. Customization is still garbage. Yes, you now have more suit and glove options, but practically no guns compared to even the base Payday 2. Finally grind money for a new gun? Hope you weren't expecting to be able to put anything on it. Nope, its COD style weapon leveling for attachments. Now you've got hardly any incentive to try a new weapon without more grind. Game has alot more maps then when i put it down a week after launch, but server issues make it a hassle to even get a solo match going. After waiting for the game to boot, then load shaders, then finally log into a server for the main menu, I checked a loadout, and picked a, new to me, early mission to try out. Spent a several minutes loading for what was apparently an offline solo mission. Ended up just ALT+F4 the game. Loading times are still a joke. 4/10, game would be a solid 6/10 if not for the long load times and servers.

Game at launch got shafted by some bad decisions, however the dedication of the developers are helping the game claw its way back out of the pit it was kicked into.

[warning; hot take ((someone needs this warning))] It's not a BAD game. I'd not necessarily say that its the greatest game of the year and you're all stupid, but its a good game when it comes to what people play it up to be. I think the main problem everyone has is going in expecting just... more Payday 2. Payday 3 is not in any complete condition. But the devs of PD3 are showing they are capable of making something worthwhile. HOWEVER. I think some features should come back from PD2. Snipers should shoot faster and be punishing on every difficulty. Bulldozers shouldn't just stop shooting. DLC heists should be free to play online, but not free to host. Some of the things people mention could be worked on. All i'm saying is; don't just take PD3 at face value. If its on sale, give it a shot. DO NOT think its gonna be Payday 2 again. Expect a different product where you can FEEL the Payday essence, but a product of different scale. also jacket is 5 dollars compared to 20 for HM2 DD edition LETS GO!!! UPDATE; My take on Smash And Grab Oh my god. They fixed Payday 3. I didn't know you could do that. They take away all the fat of "oh, go disable power and get 20 QR codes to go along with your 4 keycards to open the first door to the vault" No. Its just "Get to cash. Get to van with cash. Get out." This game is finally moving towards being at the same level as Payday 2. Its not there yet. Maybe never will be. But I can finally confidently say; Payday 3 is a GREAT game.

Absolutely terrible, the game has basically no content even after 2 years, UI is terrible, there are pretty much no guns in the game and worst of all the online matchmaking is completely broken, couldn't even get into a lobby with my friend kept getting matchmaking errors, gonna refund the game. Payday 2 is far better than this game in everything but the stealth mode, if you like loud like most people do, stick to Payday 2.

despite what apparently everyone says, it's actually pretty good i would say if you're looking to buy, buy it when it's on sale hate to say it but this game is not worth the full $30 at the moment

i enjoy bad games but this takes 'bad game' to a new level. do people actually enjoy this? it fucking blows and feels more like im playing some generic triple a goyslop tacticool that has nothing to do with any of the other games

hard lag spikes and long loading times when the game has an issue where you are stuck in a loading screen for 5 minutes.

I used to play pd2 a lot and I get it. The skill tree and everything is better, the amount of heists is abundant, the overall gun customization and stat is really cool. But deep down I believe pd3 is fun to play, everything feel smoother, with time I think they can get it back the old pd2 fun to pd3. But like I said, they needed time to listen to the reviews of fellow heisters and work on the game. Just hoping they can fix the game in the 2nd year of pd3. For now? the game is worth it if you can get it on sale. For full price? I would wait a bit longer for more content.

I can't even play the game all my hours are just me waiting to get into a game for the very first time.

I can definitely understand the massive backlash from the community, but I also really like this game. Maybe just because I wasn't expecting Payday 2 2 ? The stealth system feels very good (tho some missions are impossible in Stealth on higher difficulties and that's stupid.) and I really like the changes made to most enemies (only exception being the bulldozer having a very annoying stun). Furthermore, I really like what they did with the Overskill weapons ! Great burst damage that needs work to be "loaded" and that allows for a small time of pure fun. Now for the bad part: I do not like the new weapons system, nor do I like the new skills system. The weapons are unbearably grindy and the skills are all over the place; with none really being fully build defining. Unlike Payday 2, you can't really make a niche stupid but fun build like melee or dodge; although the new temporary bonuses do compliment your equipment pretty well. You get actively penalized by the skill tree for using a type of armor, even tho it's the only one similar to previous games. Another pretty big criticism is the inconsistency of the performances. Massive lag spikes, frame drops and random blurry textures are a big issue in this game and I really hope they get fixed. Overall, I'd say this game is a lot better than when it released; and I'm glad it decided to stray away from Payday 2. The game needed to stand on its own without just being the same as the previous one and I'd say it did this pretty well ! If you are looking for a better Payday 2, this is NOT the game for you. If you are looking for a completely different Payday experience ? I highly recommend giving this a try when it goes on sale. (PS: The characters are pretty cool too, I especially like the new Jacket !)

This game is amazing i don't understand the people who says its bad don't trust them. BAD THINGS 40 dollars but you can wait till the summer sales, no story. GOOD THINGS the visuals are great, love the creative way we rob the first world bank,cool guns,masks,skins. That's it for me this game would be always a legend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

game optimized so well it crashed my pc twice and crashed steam 3 times

outdated gameplay mechanic, confusing (barely any tutorial), and plain boring, was looking for a decent heist game with amazing gun customization and ended up dissapointed by picking up this game, crimeboss are much better in every way.

Game has been out for almost two years and still has most of the same problems as it did at launch. The fact that playing solo is considered a "beta" option right now is beyond laughable. Payday 3 had big shoes to fill but aside from a extremely rocky launch, the only thing that has been improved in almost two years is the armor system. You know a game is destined to die when the developers are begging players to purchase their game and DLC so they can "hopefully" make it a better game in the future. If a game isn't good I'm not paying for it even at it's current 70% off price tag. Players will purchase a game if it's good, players will purchase a game if they want to support the developers or the development of the game. To publicly come out and beg your player base to try to talk people into buying copies of the game so you can continue to attempt to fix things at a snails pace is hardly worth being called a joke. This game is destined to die. It's been a complete floop and I cannot see this game recovering in the future. The actions Starbreeze Studios have done will now have me forever skeptical of any projects they have a hand with in the future. To release a "full" game and treat it like a early access title is a complete kick in the face of the community.

Payday 3 launched rougher than a smash-and-grab with a blind getaway driver—buggy, barebones, and shackled to always-online BS. But since then, it’s gotten a few solid updates: more heists, better progression, and some much-needed polish. Gunplay is tight, stealth actually works now, and when the stars align (or your squad isn't brain-dead), it feels like classic Payday chaos. Still, it’s not fully out of the shit yet. Still janky, but finally starting to feel like a real heist and not a scam.

this build is better, but lord oh mighty the fucking publisher need a reality check, i brought this game to see. its good. but not as good as payday2. man we really need more heisting games then his depressing shit. hell i bet making your own game is better then this shit (i spend 10 hours in one day playing game, pls send help)

Really on par for Payday tbh. When Payday 2 started it had the same complaints. The games not gonna release with 10 years of content. I mainly play solo so the always online is weird but good info if you care. Solid game and I can tell theyre working to make the game better and better.

For someone who doesn't have much Payday 2 experience this game was okay. I completed all the non-DLC missions in 9 hours, I enjoyed shooting the guns, and thought the improved graphics looked great. The problem with this game is the content, like everybody else's reviews the lack of content is a major turn off if you want to continue playing this game. Their is overall less customization and freedom than in Payday 2 but without comparing Payday 3 to Payday 2, this game is fun for anybody who wants a less complicated and maybe overall better entry to the Payday series experience if you don't like how overwhelming Payday 2 can be. BUT once again while writing this review I don't have many hours on Payday 2 AT ALL so my mentions of Payday 2 should be taken with a grain of salt.

Overall 8.5/10 Watching the evolution of PAYDAY 2 and how the story ended was definitely gonna set the bar high for PAYDAY 3. This game had a VERY rough start. Literally unplayable during the day due to the amount of people and the fact they made it online only. It's taken a little bit but I haven't had any issues lately and the game isn't super buggy. My only real negative about the game is that sometimes objectives are kinda obscure when they should be right in front of you. It took me like 20 minutes to find the box to lower the bollards (i forgot which mission) when it should've been fairly obvious with the amount of action taking away from being able to search for it. But the game is super fun, not quite up to par with what we expected of a PAYDAY 2 successor but the heists are engaging, the game feels good, everyone misses Bain but he had a good send off and Shade seems like a good stand in. AND THEY BROUGHT BACK WOLF

good game, but not so much better than payday 2. refunded because of summer sale, but i may get it again once theres more content

Honestly, Payday 3 is making a comeback, and I'm happy I can say I actually enjoy it a bit more

I'm sorry, I really waited a while to let this game cook and improve. I saw it on sale and thought now is the time to try. This game is not good at all. It feels like it could have been made in Roblox. It feels tacky, the difficulty is incredibly easy no matter what you change it to, the gunplay feels very empty, the maps look so bleak and void of detail, the character voice lines are very half done, the fact that solo mode has only just come out for this game and is still in beta is also very odd to me. the lack of normal missions that are included in the game is minimal, and I personally feel that it is mental that they have already brought out DLC missions. The weapon selection (again without paying for DLC) is abysmal. This game has been out for more than long enough to have had the above things ironed out. Payday 2 was always going to be a hard card to trump, but this is not even close at all. it feels rushed, empty of character, and simply a money grab attempt as a follow on from it's predecessor. Even at the low price it is currently at, do not buy it. Get Payday 2 for half the price, double the content, and triple the enjoyment.

Game is definitely not as bad as people are making it out to be in the reviews. At least not anymore. Gunplay is more satisfying than Payday 2, skill trees and perks are perfectly fine, I haven't crashed or had any performance issues, and all of the heists are fun. My biggest criticism is that there isn't enough content in here compared to payday 2.. but like.. duh? I DO wish there were more guns and more customization options for guns and masks but what we do have is fun.

sale 70% worth at least a try. yet my experience still found Bug related to Online to Offline. some stealth were neat but some feature are missing from PD2 might be nice to return. bug to bug i still waiting for fix. it's doesn't worth buying in Full price or 50% sale for this, i tried on 70% and i will keep it at least.

they have tremendously improved the game since launch. can i recommend the game at full price? No. but i also wouldn't recommend payday 2 at full price. i think payday 2 is still more worth it than 3 wit the backlog of content it has, however the gunplay in 3 feels a lot better and the game is overall much cleaner. if you can pick up the year 1 edition for sub $20 i'd say it's worth

If you're looking for a PAYDAY 2 copy, play PAYDAY 2. Definitely has some aspects that are improved from the last game, some aspects I wish still felt more like the last one. It's great, on its own accord, maybe wait until there's a discount if you're unsure. I enjoy it :)

I played a lot when the game first came out, and was disappointed by all the crashes. Now with all of the updates and changes to armor, it genuinely feels good to heist again.

[h1]5/10[/h1] In the end it's a decent Co-op game. The combat feels better than 2. I enjoyed it at the beginning. But there's not that many heists though which is disappointing. Thus can get repetitive. It's not a giant leap from Payday 2. At least not from a casual perspective.

Game's quite good now imo. Really feels like Payday much more than it did before. Obviously they can make more improvements but they are definitely doing many things right!