<strong>Everything we know about Payday 3’s 2023 release date</strong>

The 2023 release date for Payday 3 is more difficult to crack than a bank vault, but there are still a few hints on when it will come out.

Thanks to constant DLC, expansions, and cosmetic updates, Payday 2 remains one of the most content-filled cooperative shooters on the market. Creating a worthy follow-up to the arcadey bank robbery game is no small task, but developer Overkill Software has already given itself a tight timeline for its sequel. Payday 3 has already been confirmed to have an intended release date of 2023.

When will Payday 3’s release date be in 2023?

Despite the vague announcement, a Payday 3 Steam page post from the developer has revealed key details that could point to a later release date.

In the post, a Starbreeze community manager named Elisabeth assembled a list of frequently asked questions regarding the game. The most prominent answer was for the game’s release date. She clarified that there is no official confirmed information about the release date of Payday 2 outside of it being in 2023. This information was already shown during the reveal trailer from early January.

However, the other questions and answers on the list may indicate a release schedule for later in the year. Starbreeze’s representative did not clarify any information other than confirming that the core four robber identities would return. It also made several notes regarding the game engine, which will be Unity on both PC and consoles.

The nature of the trailer also indicates that the game is reasonably early in development. The shot didn’t include any gameplay and only showed a cinematic of the gang looking out across a river. The location of the game was confirmed to be New York in the Steam page FAQ. 

With all that in mind, a date in August 2023 would be a serendipitous release day for Payday 3. It would be the tenth anniversary of Payday 2, with that game being released on August 13, 2013. However, it’s possible that unexpected delays could push the release back into 2024. With so little official information, it could come out in March for all we know.

Will Payday 3 get delayed?

With so little confirmed for the game, it’s possible that Payday 3 will get a delayed release date after 2023.

Overkill has previously delayed new content for Payday 2, including as recently as late 2022. The developer has shown a willingness to take time with its content, which, combined with the utter lack of gameplay or in-game cinematics shown, could lead to a delay. 2023 is a tight timeline for a game that wasn’t trailer-ready, though planning and development of the game likely began multiple years ago. 

Payday 2 also appears to be getting new content right up to the release of its sequel. This is great news for fans of the franchise who aren’t eager to see that game’s massive pool of cosmetics go away. However, it will take resources from the same developer working on the third game. If the release date of Payday 3 is pushed back further into next year, franchise fans will get even more time to enjoy their skin collections.