PAYDAY 3

Intense overall intensity

Highest flag: Crime & lawlessness — rewarded for crime against innocents

AdventureModern/RealisticShooter

What's in it

Crime & lawlessness rewarded for crime against innocents

High

The entire game is built around planning and executing armed heists, and progression rewards the player for committing robbery, theft, and related crimes.

Language strong

High

Strong profanity from the heist crew and enemies during firefights and dialogue.

Violence realistic

Moderate

Realistic first-person gunfire against police, security guards, and civilians, with blood effects but no dismemberment or gore.

Substances depicted

Moderate

Alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs appear in a lighthearted way, including a heist centered on a drug operation.

Dark themes mild

Low

Premise centers on armed robbery, betrayal, and criminal conspiracy.

Spending cosmetic purchases

Low

Optional real-money cosmetic and DLC purchases are offered.

Spending pressure optional

Low

Purchases are optional and not required to progress.

Who can reach your kid

Voice chatChat with strangersStranger friend requestsReal-money spending

What it is

PAYDAY 3 is an online, four-player cooperative first-person shooter built around pulling off armed heists in and around New York City. Players rob banks, armored transports, and jewelry stores, choosing between quiet stealth (blending in, hacking cameras, cracking safes) or a loud approach that turns into sustained gun battles with waves of police. Combat is realistic-styled with blood but no gore or dismemberment, and heists routinely involve shooting law-enforcement officers as well as unarmed civilians and taking hostages. The crew's dialogue carries frequent strong profanity, and alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs like cocaine turn up as loot and background detail. The game is online-only with voice and text chat among strangers in matchmaking, and it offers optional real-money cosmetic purchases and paid DLC.

How it's framed

The game frames organized crime as a stylish 'crime fantasy': the player is a career thief and the loop rewards successful robbery, hostage-taking, and killing guards, police, and civilians with cash and progression. There is no in-game moral judgment or consequence for harming bystanders; the tone toward its violence and drug references is casual and action-movie cool rather than cautionary.

Details

Developer: Starbreeze Studios
Publisher: Starbreeze Entertainment
Released: Sep 21, 2023

Metacritic 66critic score (third-party) · out of 100

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