by theygamesI’m not going to oversell it – I’m not saying the work is done or that we’re anywhere close. But after a seriously troubled launch in September of last year, the controversial Payday 3 seems to be on a correctional course, and recent metrics suggest a comeback may actually be possible. Cyberpunk 2077 did it. No Man’s Sky pulled it off. Thanks to the new Payday 3 update, Starbreeze, too, may be able to find some redemption. They may be subtle, but the signs are there – on Steam at least, Payday 3 seems to be slowly recovering.
You couldn’t play solo games, there were server issues, the UI was a pain, and it didn’t feel like there was enough material – new maps or modes – to justify a total sequel. These were the criticisms that Payday 3 faced at launch, and while some still remain, and others have emerged, Starbreeze, it would seem, is making progress. The new Payday 3 update, Houston Breakout, landed on Monday August 19, introducing two new heists (one free, one paid), additional weapons, masks, gadgets, and a slew of quality-of-life changes. In terms of Payday 3’s comeback, it still feels like early days, but updates like Houston Breakout are precisely what the struggling FPS game needs – and it seems to be having a positive effect.
According to both SteamDB and Steam Charts, in the wake of Houston Breakout’s launch, Payday 3 hit its highest concurrent player count for all of 2024. SteamDB records 4,694 simultaneous players in the last 24 hours. Steam Charts is marginally more conservative at 4,648. Either way, this is the highest number of concurrent Payday 3 players since November 2023.
Also noteworthy, on the day of the Houston Breakout’s release, 37 positive user reviews were posted on the Payday 3 Steam page, the highest number for a single day since at least July. On the contrary, there are 26 new negative reviews, also the highest number in the last 30 days, so, based on that metric alone, the response is mixed. Nevertheless, it seems there is a road back for Payday 3. It may be long and difficult, but compared to earlier this year, when the player count dipped as low as 250, there are positive signs.
If you’re a big Payday 3 fan, try some of the other best crime games, or maybe the best co-op games on PC.
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