Starbreeze Entertainment announces an upcoming Offline Mode for Payday 3, launching later this month. However, this new feature requires an internet connection, a point of contention following player backlash over the initial lack of offline play.
The Payday series, known for its cooperative gameplay and focus on elaborate heists, debuted in 2011 with Payday: The Heist. Payday 3 significantly enhanced stealth mechanics, providing players with diverse mission approaches. The upcoming "Boys in Blue" update on June 27th introduces a new heist and the highly anticipated Offline Mode.
This new Offline Mode, initially in beta, necessitates an online connection. While future updates aim for complete offline functionality, this interim solution eliminates the need for matchmaking when playing solo. This addresses a key criticism of Payday 3's launch, which also lacked features like The Safehouse.
The June 27th update includes the beta Offline Mode, a new heist, free items, and improvements. New additions include a light machine gun (LMG), three masks, and the ability to name custom loadouts. Starbreeze's Head of Community and Global Brand Director, Almir Listo, confirmed ongoing improvements to the solo mode.
Payday 3's launch faced challenges, including server issues and criticism over limited content (only eight heists initially). While future updates will add more heists, these will be paid expansions, such as the $10 "Syntax Error" heist. Starbreeze CEO Tobias Sjögren previously apologized for the game's initial state and has since overseen several updates.
