Underrated 2023 FPS announces free weekend, here's why now is the perfect time to try it out

Payday 3 has announced a free weekend, where all players will be able to try out the heist shooter’s content without paying a dime.

Back in 2023, Payday 3 came and went without making much of a splash on the action co-op genre. It had some pretty fundamental flaws, which resulted in a poor offering compared to other games on the market, as well as its predecessor.

However, Starbreeze Studios has worked hard at fixing the game’s biggest problems over the past three years, introducing a massive number of major overhauls, fixes, and quality of life features to drastically improve it.

To give new players a chance to play the game with these new features, or to convince older players to come back after dropping it, Starbreeze is now giving Payday 3 a free weekend across all platforms, as well as a deep discount for those who fancy purchasing.

Payday 3’s free weekend runs from November 5 to November 9, and will be available across all platforms: PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. This includes the full game, as well as every free update that has hit the game since release.

If you fancy buying it, you’ll also be able to grab the full game for a large discount.

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Payday 3 is really worth your time now after three years of updates

Like a lot of critics, when Payday 3 launched, I was pretty mixed on how I felt about the game. I was disappointed with the various issues it had, but enjoyed some of the changes it made to stealth and overall mission flow. The blueprint was there for a great co-op heist shooter.

Over the next few years, Starbreeze Studios has introduced a load of new patches and overhauls to the various systems, to the point where we now have a Ship of Theseus situation where almost every aspect of the game is completely new.

The most dramatic changes include revamp updates like Skills 2.0 and Armour 2.0 which dramatically changed how you approach weapon builds, with changes to progression in how you level up also being streamlined.

Starbreeze also added a server browser, allowing players to have greater control over where they want to play, as well as new modes like Solo Mode and Campaign, the latter of which has been overhauled to include a new storyline that has been better received than the one at launch.

You also don’t need to make a Starbreeze account in order to play anymore, and the game also had an Unreal Engine 5 update that brought a load more technical improvements.

Payday 3 was also overhauled earlier this year to make all previous paid DLC heists available for free, making over half a dozen new missions available as part of the base game and giving players without the DLC a lot of new things to do.

Starbreeze didn’t stop there, as it’s also been taking the time to overhaul the aesthetics and objectives of all the launch heists, fixing major problems that players had with the way certain missions played (those hated Wi-Fi circles are gone, for example).

It seems like future updates will be funded using a new system called Crimebonds, similar to Helldivers 2’s Warbonds which feature new weapons, cosmetic items, and other bonuses at a small price.

Altogether, Payday 3 is a pretty good game now. I’d say it’s still struggling against its predecessor, but given that Payday 2 had 10 years of support prior to the release of Payday 3, you’re never going to truly live up to that.

But hey, free is free, so the upcoming free weekend might be a good chance for you to see if you like it. And for what it’s worth, with so many live service co-op games shutting down these days due to underperforming, it’s nice to see how much Payday 3 has turned around.