Ah, Payday 3 – there was such excitement for the third installment in the co-op heist game series, but its rocky launch meant that it never really got off the ground. We’re coming up on a year now since it released, and Starbreeze has been working its ass off to revitalize the game with dozens of patches, free legacy heists, and some original new heists as paid DLC. However, in an attempt to really get people invested again, it’s giving players its next new heist, titled Diamond District, for nothing. Ahead of this free update, Payday 3 has also been slashed by 50%, bringing it back down to its lowest ever price on Steam.
To put into context just how rough things are for Payday 3 right now, take one look at Steam player count metrics and you’ll see that its predecessor is being played by substantially more players. At the time of writing, the 24 hour peak for Payday 3 is just 600 players, whereas Payday 2’s is sitting at over 21,000. It’s clear there’s a huge appetite for the co-op game series, but players aren’t willing to commit to the newest model.
However, Diamond District could be the catalyst for some change. After teasing the new heist earlier in the week, Starbreeze has just revealed more details and released some new screenshots, and it’s good news for Payday fans.
While many speculated that this would be a remaster or reimagining of an old Payday heist (an understandable prediction, given two legacy heists have already been added to Payday 3 for free) this is completely new and original from the ground up. However, Starbreeze does say that it takes inspiration from one of the community’s favorite heists, Four Stores, only this time it goes one better as there will be five stores in Diamond District.
It’s also described as a “classic back-to-the-roots heisting experience that players are familiar with” that can be played as a “faster,” “smash-and-grab experience.” However, there are still plenty opportunities to plan strategically and use everything in the world around you to your advantage.
The Diamond District heist is coming to Payday 3 on Monday, August 19.
The heist sounds brilliant, and the good news doesn’t stop there. As mentioned, Payday 3 is currently half price on Steam, bringing it down from $39.99/ £34.99 to $19.99/ $17.49. The same discount applies to its more expensive editions and its paid DLC heist add-ons too. If you want to pick it up, you can do so here.
Could this be the moment Payday 3 finally sees a resurgence and, at the very least, closes the gap to its predecessor? Only time will tell. But while we wait for that moment, here are some of the best sandbox games and best crime games you can check out right now.
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