Alongside the heist, DLC owners receive a Tailor Pack containing four suits, masks and gloves and a Weapon Pack with the Adelig RG5, ATK-7 and Bullkick 500 with 29 mods. The free update includes the Solo Mode Beta, allowing players to skip matchmaking and heist alone, with a proper offline mode arriving later this year.

Rochelle Maloney, aka Clover (who debuted in DLC for the first Payday), is also available as a new playable character alongside the LMG as a new primary weapon and three new masks. Players can also rename their loadouts and take advantage of Nvidia DLSS 3.0.

Payday 3 is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC, launching last year to much backlash. However, Starbreeze has been addressing its many issues with free updates – head here for more details.

Regarding the change, Chairman Torgny Hellström said, “The company has a clear strategy centred around creating attractive games on our own and licensed IPs. The board’s consolidated assessment is that the execution of strategy needs a different leadership. Juergen Goeldner has been part of the board since 2023 and, with over 40 years of industry experience, is a strong interim solution.

“On behalf of the board of directors, I would like to thank Tobias Sjögren for his achievements during the past three years. Tobias took over the helm of Starbreeze in a challenging phase of its journey, and we wish him well in his future endeavors.”

Goeldner, whose role as a board member and nomination to chairman is unaffected by this development, has been a part of the board since 2023. He previously served as CEO of Focus Home Interactive and has 40 years of experience in the industry.

As for the company’s plans, Goeldner responded, “Starbreeze has a strong history of developing and publishing games globally. After launching Payday 3, the company is well-positioned to leverage the strengths of the organization to monetize and develop the IP portfolio. I am looking forward to assuming an operative position and, together with the management, ensure the execution of this strategy.”

Though neither the board nor Goeldner mentioned Payday 3’s performance since launch, Starbreeze commented last month that it was performing at “significantly lower levels” than expected. The first-person co-op shooter had a troubled launch due to server issues, and fans quickly also took issue with its design, always-online nature, lack of quality-of-life features from Payday 2, and more.

Starbreeze has released the first paid DLC, Syntax Error, and several updates, the most recent being the first patch in Operation Medic Bag with 300 fixes and improvements. Stay tuned for more updates in the meantime.

Unfortunately, PS5 bonus content can’t be redeemed until the patch goes live. With this delay, it’s possible that other patches, including two more planned for October and November, will be pushed back. It remains to be seen if Syntax Error, the first paid DLC for the co-op heist shooter, still arrives in December. Stay tuned in the meantime for more details.

Payday 3 is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC, along with Game Pass. Check out our official review here. Despite significant hype, the shooter faced backlash for its always online nature (which also affects solo play), challenge-focused progression system, lack of content, matchmaking issues, bugs, UI design, and much more. Head here for more details.

Heisters. We're extremely sorry for this, but we've chosen to delay today's planned patch to ensure its stability. The patch needs some changes that would require us to go through console certification again. We hope to be ready to deliver this one for mid-October.

— PAYDAY 3 (@PAYDAYGame) October 5, 2023

And yes, this means that the PS5 bonus content will remain unredeemable until this patch is ready.

— PAYDAY 3 (@PAYDAYGame) October 5, 2023

Penninger said, “This launch did not go as expected. We understand that many of you are extremely frustrated and angry, and we are too.” Regarding an offline mode, Listo said, “We cannot give a clear yes or no answer on this topic because it’s [been] four days since launch. We did not foresee the incredible difficulties you’ve had logging on.”

The studio will confirm whether an offline mode is happening “as soon as we can.” “We are evaluating every possibility going forward on how we can provide the best experience,” said Listo. While it’s “working around the clock” to fix issues, he also asked fans to be patient since they could “only do so much” since it’s early days.

While there are no plans to change the controversial progression system, the developer is working to make it more intuitive within the UI. It’s also looking into features like renaming loadouts, an Unready button (along with text and voice chat in lobbies), mouse and keyboard support on consoles and Quick Play. A new Skill Line called Transporter for carrying two bags is also apparently coming.

Payday 3 is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC. Stay tuned for more details and updates in the coming weeks.

Of course, since it’s also coming to Game Pass on day one, PC and Xbox Series X/S subscribers can upgrade to the Gold Edition and gain early access. Given how successful the initiative was for Starfield (at least at physical retail in the UK), it should be interesting to see if it pays dividends for Starbreeze Studios.

Payday 3 launches with eight heists and six playable characters, with Dallas, Hoxton, Wolf and Chains from the previous games returning and Pearl and Joy joining the roster. There will be more content after launch, with the first of four paid DLCs, Syntax Error, coming in Winter 2023. Players can also expect new enemies, characters, cosmetics, events and an update to Unreal Engine 5.

Starbreeze also confirmed the release date of its Season Pass content, with Year 1 dubbed “The Bad Apple”. DLC 1: Syntax Error arrives in Winter 2023, while DLC 2: Boys in Blue launches in Spring 2024. They’re followed by DLC 3: The Land of the Free in Summer 2024, concluding with DLC 4: Fear and Greed in Fall 2024.

Of course, the names and release windows are subject to change. Additional content that players can expect quality-of-life improvements and new enemies, weapons, playable characters and cosmetics. There will also be an upgrade to Unreal Engine 5 and seasonal events.

Payday 3 launches on September 21st for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC, with an open beta scheduled for September 8th to 11th. Head here for more details on what to expect.

New York City

The gang is going from Washington D.C., where they enjoyed a cushy retirement after Payday 2, to the Big Apple, New York City. While initially touted as a “living, enormous representation of the city,” the team has since clarified that it’s not “faithfully” recreating New York or working with a strict map. “We are building a Payday New York, and it is very different. It looks and feels the same, but when you start looking at the details, it’s not the same,” said lead environment artist Fredrik Larsson in a dev diary. Nevertheless, you can spot numerous details from various ads to civilians taking out cash from ATMs or hailing cabs.

Gameplay

If you never played a Payday game, what can you expect? Firstly, you can’t just go in guns blazing, killing NPCs and enemies left and right (you know who you are). Instead, Payday is about scoping out the scene of a heist, spotting weaknesses in security, patterns for guards and setting things up to skillfully and quickly extract as much money as possible using the tools on hand. The complexity of heists varies, and make no mistake, plenty of running and gunning while escaping the law is present.

Changes

While Payday 3 retains the principles of its core gameplay loop, there are several changes to improve the experience overall. It’s possible before heists to go in without masks and scope out your surroundings. You can complete more objectives and sneak around without using a mask, and enemies now have a phase where they’ll look for you before stuff hits the fan. Other changes include enemies being more strategic and having updated behaviors, while civilians have more uses.

More Civilian Uses

Civilians, particularly hostages, are worth keeping alive since you can use them to reduce the time for allies to exit Police Custody. However, you can also trade them during the Negotiation phase of a heist for more time. Enemies are more cautious when civilians are present, like shotgunners using precise weapons. Technically, you can use them as cover, at the risk of them dying in the crossfire. Some skills also provide more things when trading civilians.

Number of Heists

Payday 3 launches with eight heists, each feeling like a “set piece”, but still slightly lower than Payday 2’s ten heists. Starbreeze hasn’t outlined the full list, but we have seen the Surphaze Art Gallery in Dumbo, Brooklyn, where players must sneak inside and steal some paintings and statues. The twist is that you must distinguish which ones are real and then escape. Other gameplay trailers have showcased hectic shootouts with police, so there will be plenty of action for those who seek it.

Gadgets

In addition to weapons and skills, Payday 3 also offers gadgets. Several of these will be familiar, like the Ammo and Medic Bags, but you also have the Armor Bag. Health no longer regenerates passively, and armor is your main means of negating damage (with more armor making you slower). You need an Armor Bag to restore it, but enemies also have armor-piercing weapons, so you must be careful.

The Sentry Turret also returns and should provide some covering fire when things get too crowded. There’s also hacking, though it’s more focused on dealing with cameras. Starbreeze plans to expand on it down the line as more content is added.

Infamy System

Progression is overhauled in Payday 3, with the Infamy system seeing some changes. It’s now your main leveling mechanic, with 150 levels in total. As you reach different levels, you receive a Skill Point, to unlock Skills. Like Payday 2, you can equip and unequip Skills freely – the Skill Points are more like a resource determining how many can be unlocked and upgraded at a time. There are 21 Skill Points, so choose carefully.

Skill Lines

Another change is that Skill Trees are gone. There are now Skill Lines, with Base Skills and upgrade nodes. Each Skill can have three to five upgrades, but you don’t need to unlock any of them in a particular order. Once the Base Skill is enabled, choose the upgrades that best suit you or save those Skill Points to unlock other noteworthy choices.

Mastery Nodes

There are also Mastery Nodes, which don’t require taking their Base Skills or upgrades. The trade-off is that they’re somewhat weaker. For example, Medic is a Base Skill that revives teammates 20 percent faster and provides two additional charges for Medic Bag. You also gain Grit (more on that later) on reviving teammates, reducing damage taken by 40 percent. The Mastery Node, Field Surgery, allows for restoring an additional 10 percent of max health and restores one “down”, giving you another lease on life. It’s worse than the Base Skill but may be good when speccing into something completely different.

Challenge Book

While weapons have separate progression paths, how do you unlock new ones? That’s where the Challenge Book comes into play, as you gain Infamy Points for completing different Challenges, which increases your Infamy Level. At certain levels, you also unlock new weapons. There are several Challenges to filter through, and more will be added post-launch.

C-Stacks

In addition to money, there are also Crime Net Stacks or C-Stacks. These are like the in-game version of cryptocurrency, obtained by converting cash (and can’t be purchased with real money). You can use these to acquire high-end equipment and weapons, cosmetics, and even the final upgrade for weapons. However, as you trade more cash for C-Stacks, the amount required will increase (though it resets weekly). C-Stacks will have more uses post-launch.

Core Buffs

Three Core Buffs – Edge, Grit and Rush – are present, which increase your outgoing damage, damage reduction and speed. Depending on your build, you want to spec into things providing these buffs, though you can’t have multiple stacks of each. However, when you gain a Core Buff – like a Skill that provides Edge on aiming down sights – it will apply to all of your damage (though whether that includes gadgets like the Sentry Turret remains to be seen).

Difficulty Options and Security Modifiers

Payday 3 features four difficulty options at launch – Normal, Hard, Very Hard and Overkill. Starbreeze has already confirmed that enemy health won’t change between difficulties, but they become more accurate, deal more damage and appear in larger numbers. However, Security Modifiers also exist to “throw a wrench” into the proceedings. These are rotating security firms which change how you approach tasks. Details are sparse, but they offer ways to keep heists challenging while increasing replay value.

New Enemies

Your favorite enemies are getting updates, whether it’s the Bulldozer having a bullrush and tackling players or the Cloaker melting deployables and using two nightstick bracers. However, there are also new threats like the Nader, who throws gas grenades that stop sprinting and deal damage over time. They switch to flashbangs if civilians are near, so there may be a way to use that to your advantage. You also have the Zapper, who can stun players – fight back quickly, or you become incapacitated.

PC Requirements

The PC requirements for Payday 3 are a little…sparse, at this time. What we do know, based on its Steam listing, is that you need Windows 10, an internet connection (with the game always online) and 16 GB RAM minimum. Other minimum requirements include an Intel Core i5-9400F and an Nvidia GTX 1650 (4 GB). Recommended specs include an Intel Core i7-9700K and a GeForce GTX 1080 (8 GB). As for installation space, specific settings for different resolutions and frame rates, we need to wait for more details.

Post-Launch Content

Payday 2 was known for its extensive post-launch support, and Payday 3 is no different. It has two Season Passes – one for six months and the other for a year. The former provides access to two new heists, Tailor Packs and Weapon Packs. The one-year pass offers four heists, Tailor Packs and Weapon Packs. There are also microtransactions for Payday Credits, which the developer states are only for cosmetic items that don’t affect gameplay.

Payday 3 occurs in New York City, with the original gang back together. After a new enemy disrupts their retired life in Washington D.C., they relocate and resume their heisting spree across eight new heists. The sequel is developed on Unreal Engine 4 and focuses on realism to go with over-the-top action.

It also revamps several core mechanics of the series, from the progression of skills and weapons to stealth. There’s even a new currency, C-Stacks, to provide a long-term grind. Payday 3 is out on September 21st for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC, with crossplay and cross-save. However, it’s always online, even if you’re playing solo.

As senior game designer Miodrag Kovačević explains, “Basically how they work is, we have a base node, you have upgrade nodes, and you have a Mastery Node. The upgrade nodes go from 3 to 5 depending on the skill, and then we have Mastery Nodes, which are weaker, but they don’t require you to equip any upgrades or base.”

Interestingly, you don’t need an upgrade to get the next in line. Players only need to unlock the Base Skill and can then choose the upgrades they want.

As for Crime Net Stacks or C-Stacks, they’re the secondary currency that players will use. You’ll still use cash for weapons and whatnot, but by converting them to C-Stacks, you can purchase special weapons, cosmetics and “high-end equipment.” They’re also essential to get the final upgrade for weapons.

It’s worth noting that the more cash is traded for C-Stacks, the more expensive the process becomes, but thankfully the cost resets weekly. Starbreeze clarifies that this isn’t a premium currency, and you can only earn C-Stacks by playing the game.

Payday 3 is out on September 21st for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.

As producer Andreas Häll-Penninger notes in the latest Dev Diary, these are “a way for us to sort of throw in a wrench into the game when you’re stealthing. Depending on what difficulty you play, we have a rotation of security firms and what they do is they change how you have to approach different things. It’s a way to make the heist more challenging and increase replayability.”

Objectives and goals also scale with the number of players, though that doesn’t mean solo players have less stuff to do. Senior game designer Miodrag Kovačević noted, “For example, in one heist, you might need to do a hacking objective on one end, but then you need to go and do something on the other end of the heist, and then that’s something another player can do.”

With the world evolving since Payday 2 and feeling more high-tech, there are more security systems. Players will also have more tools and equipment, but hacking will only feel a “bit more” expanded initially. It’s more of a “foundation” to expand on post-launch.

“So right now, hacking is mostly focused around systemic, non-objective hacking, and the game is more focused on cameras. We have certain plans for down the line to further expand hacking as we add more content to the game,” said Kovačević.

A closed beta is available for Xbox Series X/S and PC, which ends on August 7th. Payday 3 launches for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC on September 21st.