Payday 3 Beta Impressions – The thought that you could walk into a bank and walk out with all the money in the vault has crossed many minds over the years, and of course some people do actually try it.
Starbreeze however isn’t trying to advocate for people to go out and rob banks, but instead give them an outlet for that same kind of adrenaline rush, and has been doing so with the Payday franchise for years now.
It’s been a decade since Payday 2 hit shelves, and Starbreeze has kept a consistent flow of content and upgrades to keep the community strong, and that virtual adrenaline rush alive.
Now Payday 3 is on the horizon, and while Starbreeze doesn’t seem to be slowing down, the pace of Payday does. Which isn’t by any means a bad thing, and even though my thoughts are only founded on a weekend of beta access, I’m already excited for this new-era of Payday.
Payday 3 Beta Impressions – It’s Payday Heyday
Payday Is Payday Is Payday (That’s Three Paydays)
Now this is hopefully clear to veteran players, but if you didn’t get a chance to play the beta, you shouldn’t be concerned about the game at it’s core.
Everything still very much feels like Payday, plays like Payday, and remains at the high quality bar players can expect from the series. Also for clarification, I played this beta on PC, so I won’t be talking about how Payday 3 is looking on PS5 just yet.
Continuing on, Payday 3 still feels like Payday 2 in all the ways that count. The excellent FPS gameplay hasn’t changed, and mowing down waves of cops in Payday’s heaviest moments still feels as fun and as intense as ever.
There was only the one heist available in the beta, in a level called No Rest For The Wicked, which supported either a stealthy approach or, as it more often was the case in my time with the beta, go loud and try to burn a hole through to the vault and get away while the cops were closing in.
While it was just the one heist, it already began to feel both new and familiar in the way it effected the pace of every time I jumped back in. Which is what made me happy and excited to see more from Payday 3, as it already feels like Starbreeze isn’t trying to fix something that’s not broken, but instead improving on what’s already there.
Sneaky Payday
It’s that change of pacing in the heists, the more options now granted to you as a player that may Payday 3’s heist pacing a bit slower than it was in Payday 2, and that’s exactly why I like it.
Of course those that don’t care about any other playstyle beyond going loud are always welcome to do so, but taking the time to shut down the security system and run away bags of money in No Rest For The Wicked after a more stealth-focused approach felt so gratifying.
You also have to be more on top of every aspect of the heist, civilians in particular as they are now more than just bargaining chips, and each have a greater impact on how your heist can turn out.
Again, this is a small change for anyone who never bothers with any of this, shooting first and forgetting to ask questions later, but it shows a greater depth to Payday 3’s gameplay for those that want to take the dive.
Part of these options come from the difficulty modifiers in Payday 3, which can make your bank-robbing life a whole lot more difficult, and enticing to players that want to team up and take on the challenge.
More Than Optimistic
To reiterate, these thoughts are compiled just after a weekend of playing one heist again and again during a closed beta session. It’s not at all a complete opinion, but for now it looks like Payday 3 might be the beginning of the franchises heyday.
Suffice to say, I’m already more than optimistic for Payday 3, and what’s to come when it releases on September 21, 2023, even with sticking points like the fact that the game requires you to always be online.
Of course even that might change in time. Starbreeze could always choose to surprise us.
Payday 3 is due to release on PS5 on September 21, 2023.
Beta code generously provided by publisher.