The Notorious Payday Gang Returns: Dive into Payday 3

Gearing Up for the Ultimate Heist in Payday 3

After a decade of anticipation, Payday 3 is finally here. As players ready themselves to come out of retirement along with the notorious Payday Gang, lying low after their last spree terrorizing Washington DC, Almir Listo, Global Brand Director and Head of Community at Starbreeze Entertainment, gives us the inside scoop on this latest installment of the legendary shooter.

Greed is Good, Again

Payday 3 fully immerses players in the ultimate heist fantasy. “It’s a glimpse into a world where you are unapologetically the bad guy,” Listo explains. “Where you are feared and respected in equal measure, and nothing can stand between you and your ill-gotten goals.” Long-time fans will be delighted to see the return of many of Payday 2’s most beloved features, including extensive customization of characters’ skills and weapons loadouts, and a wide variety of heart-pounding heists to take on—from tense bank robberies to explosive armored car hijackings.

Building on a Bank-Busting Legacy

While Payday 3 goes back to the franchise’s roots, it also looks to expand the successful blueprint of Payday 2 in ambitious new ways. As Listo confirms, “We wanted to try to evolve all the things that made Payday 2 such a success. The deep customization of both characters and weapons, the variety in heists, and of course the many evolutions over time brought by continued support over many years.”

Starbreeze plans to support the new game for years post-release, just as they did with Payday 2. “For Payday 3, release is only the beginning,” Listo says. “We want to keep delivering on the best heisting possible for years to come, to all our players.” This emphasis on long-term support demonstrates Starbreeze’s commitment to keeping Payday 3 fresh and exciting, with new content updates built on community feedback.

When it comes to influences, Listo reveals that the gritty heist films Heat, Point Break, and The Score served as core inspiration for the vibe of their high-stakes crime fantasy. As the game evolves over its lengthy lifespan, the development team looks forward to exploring further themes from other heist films down the line as well.

Strategic Handling

Payday 3, like its predecessor, is a co-op game, and effective teamwork is key to your success. Listo highlights clever use of hostages as an example of the team taking on different, but interconnected roles. Having one player focus on corralling hostages can prove invaluable, as they can be used to buy more time negotiating with police, and prevent special enemies, like Bulldozers (members of the authorities bulked up in body armor and with outsize weapons), from utilizing their most devastating abilities. “You can keep a few hostages around to prevent the special enemies from using their AOE abilities, such as Nader’s gas grenades, or even the Bulldozer’s shotgun,” Listo advises.

Making Smooth Criminals

To enable Payday’s unique brand of cooperative heisting on a wide range of hardware, Starbreeze partnered with Intel to optimize performance. Payday 3 takes full advantage of the latest Intel processors and graphics technology to deliver smooth frame-rates and responsive controls, even in massively chaotic firefights. Advanced features such as Intel(R) Hyper-Threading Technology (Intel(R) HT Technology) enable the game to juggle complex physics, detailed environments, and squads of enemies, without missing a beat.

Listo says Intel’s deep optimization expertise assisted the developers in making sure Payday 3 runs seamlessly across the spectrum of Intel integrated and discrete graphics. This allows players to assemble a crew and pull off elaborate heists together regardless of their system specifications.

Let the Heists Begin

With its adrenaline-fueled cooperative gameplay, extensive customization, and long-term content roadmap, Payday 3 is ready to steal the hearts of series veterans and newcomers alike. This experience has been nearly a decade in the making; Starbreeze now invites players to assemble their crew, choose their loadouts, and set off on the ultimate criminal power fantasy.

Whether you’re a long-time fan eager to reunite with the Payday Gang, or completely new to the franchise, Payday 3 promises to let you live out your bank-busting dreams. Don your mask, grab your favorite gun, and get ready to take down the biggest scores yet.

Find Payday 3 on Steam.