PAYDAY 2
Released Aug 2013
PAYDAY 2 is an action-packed, four-player co-op shooter that once again lets gamers don the masks of the original PAYDAY crew - Dallas, Hoxton, Wolf and Chains - as they descend on Washington DC for an epic crime spree.
89% positive · 675K reviews
Not yet
Released, but still in active development
High confidence
Active Development
Not yet
Released, but still in active development
High confidence
Active Development
Where to buy
Steam $9.99 Green Man Gaming Steam key $9.99
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Evaluation
PAYDAY 2 launched on August 13, 2013 and has been receiving content and updates for over a decade. On October 21, 2025, Starbreeze announced a formal partnership with Sidetrack Games (formerly the M.U.G. Team, a community modding group with deep knowledge of the PAYDAY 2 engine) to handle ongoing PC support — quality-of-life improvements, fixes, and continued updates — while Starbreeze itself focuses on PAYDAY 3. This arrangement has produced a steady stream of meaningful updates.
Since the handoff, Sidetrack has shipped paid DLC (the Espionage Weapon Pack on April 30, 2026), free content additions (a PUBG crossover weapons pack on May 19, 2026), and a landmark technical upgrade: Update 247 on August 13, 2026 — just five days before today's assessment date — which migrated the game's engine to 64-bit and DirectX 11 (a long-requested change), reduced game file size significantly, improved load times, and added various quality-of-life improvements. A follow-up bug-fix patch (Update 247.1) shipped on August 14, 2026.
The developer explicitly stated on April 30, 2026: "we will continue to work on the game with you all." The sustained cadence of updates — multiple major releases across 2025 and 2026 — and the sheer scale of the August 2026 engine upgrade make clear that development is actively ongoing. All 81 listed DLC items are released, but that reflects the game's long history rather than any signal of conclusion.
Evidence
Update 247 ships the Diesel 3.0 engine upgrade: 64-bit support, DirectX 11, smaller file size, faster load times, and numerous quality-of-life improvements. The legacy Linux branch is retired.
Update 246 ships a free PUBG crossover content drop including the Flare Gun and Frying Pan weapons, along with balance changes and heist fixes.
Content
82 of 82 released · no outstanding content
Media
Details
Developer
Publisher
Starbreeze Entertainment
Achievements
1342
Platform
Windows
Controller
full support
Steam Deck
Verified
Players
Single-player · Multiplayer · Co-op
About this game
PAYDAY 2 is an action-packed, four-player co-op shooter that once again lets gamers don the masks of the original PAYDAY crew - Dallas, Hoxton, Wolf and Chains - as they descend on Washington DC for an epic crime spree.
The CRIMENET network offers a huge range of dynamic contracts, and players are free to choose anything from small-time convenience store hits or kidnappings, to big league cyber-crime or emptying out major bank vaults for that epic PAYDAY. While in DC, why not participate in the local community, and run a few political errands?
Up to four friends co-operate on the hits, and as the crew progresses the jobs become bigger, better and more rewarding. Along with earning more money and becoming a legendary criminal comes a character customization and crafting system that lets crews build and customize their own guns and gear.
The CRIMENET network offers a huge range of dynamic contracts, and players are free to choose anything from small-time convenience store hits or kidnappings, to big league cyber-crime or emptying out major bank vaults for that epic PAYDAY. While in DC, why not participate in the local community, and run a few political errands?
Up to four friends co-operate on the hits, and as the crew progresses the jobs become bigger, better and more rewarding. Along with earning more money and becoming a legendary criminal comes a character customization and crafting system that lets crews build and customize their own guns and gear.
Key Features
- Rob Banks, Get Paid – Players must choose their crew carefully, because when the job goes down they will need the right mix of skills on their side.
- CRIMENET – The dynamic contract database lets gamers pick and choose from available jobs by connecting with local contacts such as Vlad the Ukrainian, shady politician "The Elephant", and South American drug trafficker Hector, all with their own agenda and best interests in mind.
- PAYDAY Gunplay and Mechanics on a New Level – Firing weapons and zip tying civilians never felt so good.
- Dynamic Scenarios – No heist ever plays out the same way twice. Every single scenario has random geometry or even rare events.
- Choose Your Skills – As players progress they can invest in any of five special Skill Trees: Mastermind, Enforcer, Ghost, Technician and Fugitive. Each features a deep customization tree of associated skills and equipment to master, and they can be mixed and matched to create the ultimate heister.
- More Masks than Ever – PAYDAY 2 features a completely new mask system, giving players the ability to craft their own unique mask with a pattern and color of their choice, resulting in millions of different combinations.
- Weapons and Modifications – A brand new arsenal for the serious heister, covering everything from sniper and assault rifles to compact PDWs and SMGs. Once you've settled for a favorite, you can modify it with optics, suppressors, fore grips, reticles, barrels, frames, stocks and more, all of which will affect the performance of your weapon. There are also purely aesthetic enhancements - why not go for the drug lord look with polished walnut grips for your nine?
- Play It Your Way – Each job allows for multiple approaches, such as slow and stealthy ambushes or running in guns blazing. Hit the target any way you want, each approach will provide a different experience.
- A Long History of Additional Content – More than 70 updates since release, including new heists, characters, weapons and other gameplay features like driving cars and forklifts.
Last evaluated Aug 18, 2026
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