Summary
- Payday 3's recent Steam reviews climb to mostly positive, while its overall review rating remains mixed.
- The highly-anticipated shooter had a disastrous launch in 2023 with server issues, negative reviews, and low player count.
- Consistent quality-of-life improvements and updates based on fan feedback result in a positive uptick for Payday 3.
Payday 3, the controversial sequel that had a disastrous launch in 2023, has clawed its way back to a mostly positive Steam review rating after countless updates based on fan feedback. The shooter's overall rating still sits at 'mixed' on the platform, but 71% of Payday 3's recent 1,000+ reviews are positive, a clear sign that this once-doomed title is making its way to what it should have been at release.
Released ten years after its predecessor, Payday 3 was a highly-anticipated sequel that ultimately failed to deliver. While Payday 2 is considered one of the greatest heist games around, and still even remains one of the most popular games on Steam, its sequel was not the smash hit that developer Starbreeze Studios was hoping it would be. Many were disappointed that the 2023 sequel removed many of Payday 2's best features, as well as the game's new progression system and its always-online requirement. The latter of which proved to be a huge issue at launch as Payday 3 was plagued with server issues, preventing many from even playing.
After a year of improvements and new content updates for Payday 3, the shooter now has a mostly positive review rating on Steam, at least for its recent ratings. Many of the game's biggest complaints are now being praised by the recent reviews, with Steam user Rawroon stating that the new solo mode beta "fully skips the matchmaking queue" and lets players get right into the action, while the new progression system "is actually fun and rewards you for playing heists instead of doing obscure challenges." Other users, such as Korneel, say that Starbreeze is listening to the community and that "each update is a step [in] a better direction."
Payday 3 Claws Its Way to Mostly Positive Review Score
Over on the game's official Twitter account, which very often pokes fun at itself for Payday 3's low player count and poor reviews, Starbreeze responded to a fan criticizing the studio for celebrating the mostly positive reviews. "We're listening to the community, we're making progress with the game and we celebrate the small wins," the studio said. While there's still plenty of work to be done, the progress is reflected in the game's uptick in concurrent players. Just a few months ago, Payday 3 averaged less than 1,000 players at peak times, while SteamDB now shows that the game peaks between 1,000 and 3,500 concurrent players consistently.
It's also possible that the game's continued growth could be attributed to a recent change in leadership. Back in September, Payday 3 confirmed its game director would be stepping down. Miodrag Kovacevic, the ex-game director for Payday 3, remains as a developer for the studio, but is no longer in a position of leadership. Instead, the game's lead producer, Andreas Penninger, and global brand director, Almir Listo, were appointed as the creative force behind any upcoming updates.
Payday 3
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 63 /100 Critics Rec: 25%
- Released
- September 21, 2023
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Overkill Software
- Publisher(s)
- Starbreeze Studios, Prime Matter
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, PS5 & Xbox Series X|S
WHERE TO PLAY
Step out of retirement back into the life of crime in the shoes of the Payday Gang, the envy of their peers and the nightmare of law-enforcement wherever they go. Several years after the crew’s reign of terror over Washington DC has ended, they assemble once again to deal with the threat that roused them out of early retirement.
The legendary Payday Crew, dreaded by the law and underworld alike, is back. Ripped from their peaceful retirement to rejoin the criminal world by a new threat, one born from the chaos the Crew left in their wake. In order to identify and crush this new threat, the Crew is leaving their Washington DC roots behind them and moving to New York City. A new location will bring with it new challenges, but also new opportunities for a heister with a plan.
A professional heister knows it takes planning, hard work and a good amount of luck in order to execute a successful heist. In PAYDAY 3 the choice is put in the hands of the players, deciding how to tackle the heist, whether you sneak or go in guns blazing, whether you let your hostages go or keep them around as pawns, whether you go at it alone or bring friends. The choices are endless and in your hands, they will vastly change how the game plays.
- Franchise
- Payday
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- FPS
- How Long To Beat
- 7 Hours
- OpenCritic Rating
- Weak
