PAYDAY 2 Got a New Engine in 2026. PAYDAY 3 Finally Got Its Act Together.
PAYDAY 2 remains my pick for the better all-round heist game in 2026. Its massive 64-bit engine upgrade has made it more suitable for modern PCs, while thirteen years of heists, weapons, builds and criminal stupidity remain remarkably difficult to beat. But PAYDAY 3 has finally improved enough to deserve a proper argument rather than being dismissed as the expensive sequel nobody particularly wants to defend.
PAYDAY 2 still wins on content, variety and replayability. PAYDAY 3 offers newer stealth mechanics, modern presentation and, following its September update, a considerably less insulting approach to selling you bank robberies. The competition has become interesting. Which, considering this franchise's recent history, is practically a medical miracle.
Wondering exactly what changed under PAYDAY 2's bonnet? Explore the massive 64-bit engine upgrade, from modern hardware support to the technological surgery required to keep a thirteen-year-old criminal alive.
PAYDAY 2 Has Finally Joined the 64-Bit Century
In August 2026, PAYDAY 2 received Diesel Engine 3.0, bringing 64-bit architecture, DirectX 11, improved CPU utilisation, faster loading and asset compression that reduced its installation size to roughly 32GB. That's substantial for a game released in 2013, back when people still thought Xbox One was a reasonable name for the third Xbox.
For years, PAYDAY 2 accumulated content on increasingly elderly foundations. More heists, more weapons, more mechanics and more opportunities to empty a bank while somebody screams about a drill. Eventually, the developers had to confront the possibility that piling another decade of criminal enterprise onto ageing technology wasn't sustainable.
Imagine a building inspector arriving at a house that's been extended seventeen times. There's a swimming pool in the kitchen, an underground shooting range and a helicopter landing pad on the shed. He asks about the foundations. The owner proudly explains they were excellent in 2013.
Diesel 3.0 addresses those foundations, but the rollout wasn't exactly painless. Players reported stuttering, crashes, performance drops and broken mods. In September, Sidetrack identified faulty Lua garbage collection as one cause of repeated freezing and released a fix. Further performance work followed, although experiences still vary between hardware configurations and mods.
The modernisation is significant. It just hasn't magically transformed PAYDAY 2 into a perfectly optimised technological masterpiece.
The Best Thing About PAYDAY 2 Was Never Its Engine
PAYDAY 2's greatest achievement is the absolutely obscene quantity of criminal possibilities stuffed into it. Bank robberies, casinos, drug laboratories, armoured transports, government facilities and enough weapon configurations to make an international arms dealer consider diversifying into gardening.
One evening, you can approach a robbery carefully, studying guard patrols, timing your movements and avoiding cameras. Another evening, discretion can go straight out the window while your crew arrives with enough firepower to make the local police department request assistance from NATO. Both approaches have their appeal, and the enormous selection of heists, perk decks and weapons gives players room to experiment long after the novelty wears off.
That's why PAYDAY 2 has survived for thirteen years. Its criminal playground remains extraordinarily entertaining, and its accumulated depth is something PAYDAY 3 cannot manufacture overnight. The developers are still adding to it, too. September brought Under the Hammer, another heist for a game that apparently regards retirement as an accusation of treason.
PAYDAY 3 has improved, but which robberies are actually worth your time? See all 19 PAYDAY 3 heists ranked from worst to best. Some are criminal masterpieces. Others make you wonder whether the getaway driver also designed the mission.
PAYDAY 3 Has Finally Remembered It's Supposed to Be a Sequel
When I revisited PAYDAY 2 earlier in 2026, recommending it over PAYDAY 3 was ridiculously easy. The sequel looked better, certainly, but PAYDAY 2 had the content, variety and established systems. PAYDAY 3 was still struggling to justify its existence beside it.
September's Update 3.9 changed that argument. Previously paid heists became part of PAYDAY 3's base game, Campaign Mode arrived, weapon systems expanded and further gameplay improvements followed.
I find the heist decision particularly interesting. PAYDAY 2 has accumulated a DLC catalogue so extensive that buying everything can become an administrative exercise. Before robbing your first bank, you may need a purchasing strategy, a budget and possibly a Belgian accountant specialising in fictional organised crime.
PAYDAY 3 has now gone in the opposite direction by including its heists in the base game. Imagine that. Buying a bank robbery game and receiving the bank robberies. Revolutionary stuff.
More importantly, its newer stealth systems and modern presentation offer a genuinely different experience. Recent Steam reviews have improved to Very Positive, although the overall rating remains Mixed. That's encouraging progress, even if it doesn't erase the game's troubled history or give it thirteen years of accumulated replayability overnight.
Which PAYDAY Should You Actually Buy?
Choose PAYDAY 2 for content, builds, weapons, replayability and sheer criminal freedom. Its 64-bit upgrade makes the PC version more technically suitable for modern hardware, although players using older mods should check compatibility first.
Choose PAYDAY 3 for newer stealth mechanics, modern presentation and a more streamlined heist experience. Its improved content accessibility also makes the purchase considerably easier to justify than it was earlier this year.
I'd still recommend PAYDAY 2 to someone who wants to disappear into a ridiculous mountain of criminal possibilities. There's something glorious about a thirteen-year-old game with enough content to occupy a small criminal organisation indefinitely, still receiving new robberies because apparently nobody knows how to tell it to stop.
PAYDAY 3 has finally earned its place in the conversation. PAYDAY 2 remains the better criminal toybox.
Still haven't satisfied your appetite for armed financial redistribution? Enter CRIMENET's PAYDAY Crime & Heist Hub for rankings, builds, walkthroughs and franchise updates. Because apparently robbing one bank is never enough.
PAYDAY 2 FAQ (2026)
Is PAYDAY 2 still worth playing in 2026?
Absolutely. Its enormous selection of heists, weapons, builds and criminal possibilities still makes it one of the best co-op heist games available.
Is PAYDAY 2 better than PAYDAY 3?
For content, variety and replayability, yes. PAYDAY 3 offers newer stealth mechanics, modern presentation and a more streamlined experience, making the choice considerably closer than before.
What did the PAYDAY 2 64-bit update change?
Diesel Engine 3.0 introduced 64-bit support, DirectX 11, improved CPU utilisation, faster loading and reduced storage requirements. It also caused some technical and mod-compatibility problems that required subsequent fixes.
Does PAYDAY 2 run better after the 64-bit update?
Not necessarily for everyone. Some players report improvements, while others still experience performance issues depending on their hardware, configuration and mods.
Does PAYDAY 2 still receive updates?
Yes. PAYDAY 2 continues receiving updates and new content in 2026, including the Under the Hammer heist released in September. Apparently, retirement isn't in its vocabulary.
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