Payday 2 was such a gigantic success, the sequel was always going to suffer by comparison. In the sophomore entry, Starbreeze got it everything right – Payday 2 was precisely what fans of the original heist FPS wanted, and over a decade of incremental updates, community sentiment only became more glowing. Payday 3, as Starbreeze told us directly, was a disaster at launch. But more than a year down the road, and with recent Steam reviews now 'mostly positive' on aggregate, the opportunity for redemption is bigger than ever. Enter the latest Payday 3 update. Marking the shooter's anniversary, it fixes some of the most severe problems players have encountered so far and adds features like server browsing, cross-platform voice chat, and a reimagined interface.
Speaking to PCGamesN, FPS game unplayable during its launch period. Those problems, in combination with some badly received new gameplay iterations and missing core functionality, threatened to kill Payday 3 for good.
But Starbreeze has persevered. Between Houston Breakout, Syntax Error, Boys In Blue, and Fear and Greed, the developer has also launched Operation Medic Bag, whereby regular fixes are deployed for some of Payday 3's most troublesome issues and bugs. After 12 months, the game is beginning to turn around, and the new anniversary update marks perhaps the biggest single rescue attempt so far.
Available free for all players, Payday 3 Anniversary Update Part Two finally introduces the server browser feature that we've been waiting for since day one. You can also manage your lobby now by kicking unwanted co-heisters, and run operations more smoothly thanks to the new cross-platform voice chat which allows you to talk to anyone. The Payday 3 UI has been revamped to better incorporate new features added to the shooter since launch and you will now be able to earn new Twitch drops by watching Payday 3 streams.
Another legacy heist is on its way, too, and will also be available for free for all players later this year. A paid character pack is coming, and if you're returning to Payday 3 after a year away, the new Payday 3 Year One Edition includes the base game and every bit of DLC released since launch. Alternatively, if you're a long-time player who hasn't tried any of the expansions so far, you can get the new Year One , which bundles Syntax Error, Boys in Blue, Houston Breakout, and Fear and Greed in a single purchase.
The Payday 3 Anniversary Update Part Two arrives on PC on Wednesday October 30. If you want to get ahead of launch, you can find Payday 3 on Steam right here.
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