I’m not going to tell you that Payday 3 is now a great game. Starbreeze still has a long way to go in fixing and improving its flagship heist FPS, and if we’re ever going to talk about Payday 3 in the same breath as we discuss Cyberpunk 2077, No Man’s Sky, and the other great gaming comebacks, well, it’s probably going to take another couple of years. But things are getting better – and the community is responding. The new Payday 3 DLC, which follows Syntax Error, adds a fresh and much-needed extra heist. At the same time, Starbreeze is offering price cuts and free trials, and making forensic improvements to the shooter’s most contentious systems.
Let’s start with the new Payday 3 DLC, Boys in Blue. Following directly from the first chapter, Syntax Error, it introduces an additional heist wherein you storm a police station occupied by crooked cops and steal their ill-gotten gold bars. There are three new weapons, 26 mods, two cosmetics, four suits, four masks, and four new glove sets. Clover returns from Payday 2 alongside a new LMG and the solo mode – one of the most-wanted features for the FPS game, this allows you to play heists alone, but since it’s still in beta, at the moment, you still need to be online. Like I said, we’re not there yet, but change is happening.
On which note, after the reception to Syntax Error, Starbreeze is cutting the price of Payday 3 DLC. The first chapter cost you $17.99, but Boys in Blue is $9.99 / £9.49. If you already paid top dollar for Syntax Error, or bought the Payday 3 Silver or Gold editions, you’ll be compensated with free weapons and outfits.
Speaking of Syntax Error, if you own the Payday 3 base game, between Thursday June 27 and Monday July 11 that first DLC chapter is now available to try completely free. Otherwise, as part of the summer Steam sale, all editions of Payday 3 are now 50% off – you can get the standard, Silver, or Gold editions of Payday 3 for half price until Monday July 11.
So, as a recap, there’s a new DLC, it’s half the price of the last one, solo mode is in the works, the first chapter of Payday 3 is currently free to try, and the game itself is 50% off. Those are a lot of reasons to give Starbreeze’s sequel another shot – and fans are responding.
On Thursday June 27, the Payday 3 concurrent Steam player count dipped as low as 45. In the last 24 hours, it’s exploded back up to 3,286, the highest it’s been since December 2023. There’s a lot more to do, but it feels like Starbreeze is starting to turn Payday 3 around.
You can try some of the other best crime games, or maybe, if you enjoy heisting with friends, the best multiplayer games on PC.
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