Metascore
67

Mixed or average reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 12
  2. Negative: 2 out of 12
  1. Sep 22, 2023
    85
    If it doesn't reinvent the wheel, Payday 3 modernizes its four-player heist formula with accuracy and intelligence, and that's all we ask of it. The eight missions available to date are well done - and make excellent use of the few new mechanics. All in all, the life of a “controller in hand” thug is still just as demanding. Even if we can criticize a slight lack of content, especially for the arsenal, this third part already sticks to the skin with a system of skills, difficulty modes which always make you want to start again and achieve the ideal run. A superb foundation for the future.
  2. Sep 21, 2023
    85
    Starbreeze Studios returns with PayDay 3, the new chapter of the most recognized heist saga that proposes greater freedom when facing each robbery and a higher level of customization.
  3. Jan 29, 2024
    80
    PAYDAY 3 is sadly a classic case of style over substance. It’s a “by the numbers” FPS whose uninspiring offer struggles to distinguish it from the competition.
  4. Oct 3, 2023
    78
    Payday 3 is a cooperative action game that gives us the chance to experience thrilling heists with our friends, but that also has room for improvement. The game has impressive graphics, a challenging AI and different game modes that will make us enjoy each mission, but it also loses some of the essence of the franchise by trying to be bigger and more ambitious. Payday 3 is a game that is conceived as a live service, so we will have to see how it evolves over time, considering that Payday 2 has been active for a decade.
  5. Sep 24, 2023
    75
    If you're hoping for a decent single-player experience, you're shit out of luck. Payday 3 is a resolutely co-op affair, but then, you'll need people you can trust to pull of the perfect heist. Either way, this is a first-person shooter that's criminally good fun.
  6. Nov 27, 2023
    70
    I'm not saying Payday 3 should have the same amount of content as Payday 2, but with the low amount of heists and guns and the sloppy progression system, the game in its current form is mediocre when compared to the previous entry. With that being said, if it gets the same treatment as Payday 2 with post-launch content, Payday 3 could live up to be something really good that surpasses its predecessor. Right now, though it's not much, but I do think the future can be bright for this game.
  7. Sep 22, 2023
    70
    Despite leaning a little too heavily on fan-servicing familiarity, Payday 3 proves there's still fun to be squeezed from its well-honed heisting template yet.
  8. Sep 21, 2023
    70
    Payday 3 doesn't shake up its predecessor's formula much, but a strong batch of initial heists sets the live service shooter up for success.
  9. Oct 10, 2023
    56
    After a decade away, it’s disappointing that Payday 3 feels so insubstantial and unwilling to evolve from its excellent predecessor. The heist variety and enemy types are cool, but the predictably rote objective-following and the continuing practise of shooting bullets into police is tiresome and without change-ups to make them entertaining. For seasoned veterans and newcomers, Payday 3 should grant you a worthwhile exhibition of heists across a smorgasbord of locations, but for everybody else, this’ll be an eye-rolling exercise of the familiar and the banal. If you can band together with three mates then there’s some valuable loot to steal here, but what maybe most apparent is how Payday 3 ironically steals your time without the valuable substance to go along with it.
  10. Sep 29, 2023
    50
    Starbreeze Studios' Payday 3 improves the series' base gameplay but falls behind on progression, matchmaking, quality of life and more. The lack of social options makes it an even lesser co-op experience.
  11. Oct 17, 2023
    40
    I think most of us of a certain age has seen the movie Heat, robbing banks man; paper chasing. Well, the video game Payday is a lot like that movie, in its players take on various heists of money, diamonds, and more dangerous things. If they prepare correctly these crimes can go off without a hitch and so much as a roach being stepped on. However, in my experience in Payday things devolve into shootouts with the cops, exchanging hostages for more time oh and like a week of not being able to play due to the servers not working.
  12. Sep 21, 2023
    40
    With future updates, Payday 3 may even be a game that surpasses its predecessor, but it has a seriously long way to go.
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  1. Sep 26, 2023
    Hopefully, with time and consideration, Payday 3 can usurp its predecessor, but for now, that predecessor looms large over the new game’s launch. Even if the moment-to-moment gameplay has been improved, the soul of Payday is clearly in the systems that surround it, which is where this threequel is sorely lacking.
  2. Sep 27, 2023
    With Payday 3, we thought that the Swedish studio Starbreeze would have learned from its past mistakes, but apparently not. As soon as we launched the game, we discovered that we had to register on the official website to be able to play. Of course, we were stuck with the synchronisation problems, and then the matchmaking errors finally put an end to our desire to play. Despite this, the game’s qualitative gameplay, the number of skills, the mission objects’ random changes and the polished graphics are convincing enough, especially if the game switches to the Unreal Engine 5 in the near future. All in all, considering what Starbreeze has done with Payday 2, it might be better to wait a little before taking full advantage of this game. Everyone is free to make their own choices, but ours has already been made.