Payday 3 Review

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Fast Facts

The Payday games passed me by. I don’t know why, but for some reason, they never really found their way into my game collection. So when Payday 3 came across my path, I was all too eager to dive in and see what the series was all about. 

How did my life of crime and wanton destruction play out? Read this rapid review to find out. 

Crime Pays!

For those unaware, it’s worth mentioning early that Payday 3 is an online-only game. There is no single-player or career mode. It is a game with 30 unlockable heists that are played online with up to four other players. I had never really played a game like this before, preferring to avoid having to rely on others in order to enjoy a game. It’s a personal preference, but I also understand it’s good to leave my comfort zone every now and then. 

Payday 3 is a simple game. You are a career criminal and spend the entirety of the game moving from heist to heist, accomplishing mission targets, and shooting any uniformed character that moves. 

Overall, I enjoyed my time with Payday 3, but it doesn’t feel like a new game. It feels like an old title that should be languishing in the bargain bins rather than the new release charts. Everything felt as if it developed with previous-gen consoles in mind rather than anything current. This isn’t necessarily a negative; as I’ve said before, graphics and such do not determine whether a game is good. However, it was a little surprising, and I expected something a little better. 

Better Played With Friends

While this is probably a redundant statement, I feel Payday 3 is a game better played with friends rather than relying on random matchups or, even worse, being saddled with bots as your companions.I felt the intelligence of the AI in this was very weak. The police had a set style depending on which unit they were in and, to be honest, offered no real challenge but were just there as filler to make people who like hearing guns go bang bang bang happy. 

The same for the ‘bot’ partners you could get given. All they do is shoot. They offer no assistance in completing the level, and in my mind, it would be better removed. During my playthrough, I had numerous heists with one or more bot partners – because matchmaking is still a real issue, and they were far more of a hindrance than a help. 

Then, when I was paired with human teammates, they had no interest in actually doing things properly. They started shooting immediately, civilians, police, it didn’t matter. There were the odd few teammates who were good and interested in playing the game, but they were few and far between. By the end of my time with the game, I was convinced that most of those playing were angst-ridden teenagers who had decided Fortnite was dumb and wanted to shoot slightly more realistic-looking figures instead. It grew really tiresome really fast, which is a great shame, as Payday 3 could be a lot of fun. 

Plenty of Different Scenarios

Removing the fact most people playing this game actively ruin it, there is a fun and addictive game to be found. Payday 3 offers thirty – I believe it was – heists right now, and they all offer different things. From stealth missions to loud, all-out-offensive jobs, each one gives you enough to do to keep you occupied. I just wish that more tactics were required. I can’t shake the feeling that everything is surface level, but underneath, you just shoot as much as you can as often as you can and eventually grab the money and run. Figuratively speaking, I mean. 

The game feels as though it lacks any depth despite giving the illusion of something far more complex than it is. Again, this doesn’t make me hate or dislike the game; it merely sets a certain expectation but delivers something else. Both the ideal and the fact are enjoyable but not very closely related. 

Varied Soundtrack

Each heist provided a unique setting and experience, and with that came an equally fitting soundtrack. I enjoyed the music in this game, and while not every level was fantastic, there were more levels with great music than not. I am notoriously bad for not playing games with their original soundtrack. However, with Payday 3, there is a greater need for in-game audio as you receive your instructions through your headset, along with advisements on which units are where.

Good headphones are essential for playing Payday 3 because there are times when tidbits of information are given and easily missed, leading you to run through a cycle before getting another clear chance.

Find the Right Loadout

Oddly enough, the most enjoyable element of Payday 3 was configuring my loadout and having different pre-sets for different heists. Spending my hard-stolen money on bigger and better weapons, armour, and outfits was quite fun. While I am far from a fashion connoisseur, I did enjoy dressing the part for each heist. The range of masks was also cool, and despite only seeing your own mask for half a second as you put it on each time, there was something cool about trying a new one.

I chopped and changed my arsenal with each heist once I got enough money to indulge in some new shooty noisemaker or another. I never spent long enough with any to have a favourite, but I enjoyed having an AR of some description as my primary weapon with a nice simple pistol as my secondary. Switching from one to the other felt natural, and the combination made sense.

The Final Getaway

I enjoyed playing Payday 3, even if it isn’t precisely the next-gen game I was expecting. There is a lot of fun to be had, but only if you go into it expecting something relatively mindless and over the top with how bullets start flying. Personally, I expected a  little more depth to everything, and maybe, had I only played with a group of friends or, at last, a team of people who were interested in playing the game rather than messing around, my experience may have been different. Alas, I fear my approach of online matching with others will ring true with most players. 

Having never played the previous two Payday games, I have nothing to compare them to; however, as a gamer, I would have to think long and hard, should they make a Payday 4, because while this installment is fun, it misses the mark too much for me. 

3 out of 5

3

You can buy your copy of Payday 3 from the Xbox store today or download it from GamePass.