Following the gameplay trailer that debuted at the Xbox Games Showcase 2023, Payday 3 fans can now check out a much longer leaked gameplay video available here (though it may be taken down at any time if Starbreeze issues a DMCA).
While the quality of the capture isn’t great, it still provides the best glimpse yet of how the new game will play. It seems like Starbreeze is going for a relatively safe evolution of Payday 2, which makes sense since a lot of people still play the 10-year-old game to this day.
One of the main advancements will be the increased focus on stealth. Some members of the crew can sneak in without the mask, opening up several new gameplay possibilities. Additionally, once the crew is discovered, Payday 3 allows players to use hostages as body shields against the police. The game also switches the setting from Washington D.C. to New York City.
Powered by Unreal Engine 4, Payday 3 doesn’t look that great compared to most games made with Epic’s toolset. That’s reflected in the very low system requirements for PC.
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- OS: Windows 10
- Processor: Intel Core i5-9400F
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia GTX 1650 (4 GB)
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
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- OS: Windows 10
- Processor: Intel Core i7-9700K
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia GTX 1080 (8GB)
However, Starbreeze announced its intention to shift the game to Unreal Engine 5 at some point after launch. This change could bring significant visual updates thanks to features like the real-time global illumination Lumen.
Payday 3 has had a long road toward launch. It was first announced in late May 2016. However, in 2018 Starbreeze reports already pointed to a release date happening later than 2020.
The situation got much worse later in 2018 when the Swedish company had to file for reconstruction. Starbreeze had to sell the publishing rights of System Shock 3 back to Otherside Entertainment, the publishing rights of 10 Crowns back to Mohawk Games, the publishing rights of Psychonauts 2 to Microsoft (now the owner of developer Double Fine), as well as the art studio Dhruva Interactive to Rockstar Games. Even after all these sales, the reconstruction took a few more years. It was only late last month when Starbreeze CEO Tobias Sjögren could proudly announce that the company was finally debt-free.
Payday 3 is scheduled to launch for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S|X on September 21st. It will feature cross-progression and cross-play functionality across all platforms. Additionally, Game Pass subscribers will see it appearing in their libraries on day one.
