Payday 3 Will Require an Always-Online Connection, Even for Solo Play
During a recent Payday 2 livestream, Almir Listo, Starbreeze’s global brand director, confirmed that Payday 3 will require an always-online game connection, even if players are playing alone. Listo addressed this issue while answering questions from fans about the upcoming shooter, and you can watch his response at the 9m 17s mark in the video below:
When asked if Payday 3 will have an offline mode for solo play, Listo responded by saying, “No. You will be able to play it by yourself, but I do believe you will have to have a connection in order to play because it’s made in the Unreal Engine, it’s using cross-progression, [and] cross-play. I do believe we need you to be online.”
Not all fans are happy about this requirement, especially among the Payday modding community. Some have even stated that they will cancel their pre-orders because the game will not be playable offline.
One disgruntled player on the Steam forums expressed their disappointment, saying, “Was very disappointed to find out that Payday 3 will not be playable offline. I will not be buying PD3, nor will I buy any future games from your company.”
Another player added, “Hard pass for me, I was even willing to accept your microtransactions and FOMO bs greed to play this game. I played enough Hitman to accept always online is complete garbage and no reason for it unless you’re making an MMO. I feel bad for people getting home from work just for the servers to be down or under maintenance bEcAUSe OnLiNe OnLy.”
However, not all fans are concerned about the online requirement. One fan stated, “Not gonna lie, I was mad myself but had time to think it over and come to the conclusion that I don’t really care if it’s always online or not. We gain nothing for it being always online, but I want to play Payday 3 since I’m hyped so whatever.”
In other Payday 3 news, Starbreeze has released a new teaser showcasing the game’s stealth gameplay. The teaser can be found through a hidden clue.
You did nothing wrong, but we’ve waited so long.
Were we mistaken? Should another path have been taken?
We have shown you violent, now we try to show you silent
Think not like in a riot but try to be quiet
Start at the page, turn down the gage
or simply drop the burrito and go … https://t.co/k6v09AKuXc— PAYDAY 3 (@PAYDAYGame) July 15, 2023
“On the surface, Payday 3 isn’t a sequel that radically changes the series’ established formula,” wrote Ian in his recent Payday 3 preview. “Instead, it improves on what was already good about Payday 2, and makes the series’ heisting action feel far more believable. Starbreeze has always said it wanted to make the ultimate criminal fantasy game and, from what I played at a recent hands-on event, it definitely feels like Payday 3 takes a big step in the right direction.”