Many gamers were eager for the release of Payday 3 to experience its exciting heist gameplay. However, the game has faced backlash from the community due to a disastrous launch. Here’s what went wrong.

Payday 3 Broken Launch

Even before the game’s launch, many were disappointed with the Starbreeze Studio’s decision to shift to an Always-Online model. This meant that players must always stay connected to their servers. So, once the full release date finally arrived, Payday 3 was plagued with connectivity and networking issues. Some players were outright unable to run even a single heist. The connectivity issue wasn’t limited to the people who bought the game but also affected the Xbox Game Pass subscribers.

Meanwhile, others found themselves waiting in long queues for these heists, only to get into a match alone. For those unaware, Payday 3 is an online co-op title which allows up to 4 players to get together to perform elaborate robberies and other crimes. Due to the broken launch, players have review-bombed the game on Steam. So, the game’s overall rating currently sits at “Mostly Negative” on the popular gaming platform. This could deter anyone from trying out the game.

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Starbreeze CEO Apologizes

Taking accountability for the disappointing launch, the CEO of Starbreeze, Tobias Sjögren, took to social media to apologize. The CEO shared a tweet on X (formerly Twitter) that apologized for the broken launch. He recognized that the infrastructure did not “hold up” and stated that the team was working tirelessly to restore their services. Starbreeze needs to be quick, considering the terrible reviews on Steam (over 16,000 reviews). A game’s initial launch is a crucial period that could make or break a title, especially if it’s live service.