The Epic Games Store has announced that PAYDAY 2 is free to claim until June 15, 2023, as part of Starbreeze Entertainment’s ongoing “Year of PAYDAY” celebrations. PAYDAY 2 isn’t exactly new for fans of four-player, co-op shooters, having released nearly a decade ago in August 2013, but those who haven’t enjoyed the thrill of committing crimes with a tightly knit squad yet may want to jump on this deal, as the release of the next mainline installment, PAYDAY 3, is imminent. PAYDAY 3 will be released this year, according to the threequel’s Epic Games Store and Steam listings, although Windows leaker Aggiornamenti Lumia appears to have the specifics, having tweeted a September 21, 2023 release date earlier this week.
“Joining up with Epic Games, we’re celebrating the ‘Year of PAYDAY’ by offering the world’s premier heisting experience for free on the Epic Games Store ahead of the simultaneous release of PAYDAY 3 on major platforms, later this year. We are excited to be able to award more players the opportunity to enjoy the PAYDAY-experience and welcome even more players to join our great community.”, says Staffan Nyström, VP Publishing, Starbreeze.
PAYDAY 2 Key Features
- Rob Banks, Get Paid – Players must choose their crew carefully, because when the job goes down they will need the right mix of skills on their side.
- CRIMENET – The dynamic contract database lets gamers pick and choose from available jobs by connecting with local contacts such as Vlad the Ukrainian, shady politician “The Elephant”, and South American drug trafficker Hector, all with their own agenda and best interests in mind.
- PAYDAY Gunplay and Mechanics on a New Level
- Firing weapons and zip tying civilians never felt so good.
- Dynamic Scenarios
- No heist ever plays out the same way twice. Every single scenario has random geometry or even rare events.
- Choose Your Skills
- As players progress they can invest in any of five special Skill Trees: Mastermind, Enforcer, Ghost, Technician and Fugitive. Each features a deep customization tree of associated skills and equipment to master, and they can be mixed and matched to create the ultimate heister.
- More Masks than Ever
- PAYDAY 2 features a completely new mask system, giving players the ability to craft their own unique mask with a pattern and color of their choice, resulting in millions of different combinations.
From an Epic Games Store listing:
PAYDAY 2 is an action-packed, four-player co-op shooter that once again lets gamers don the masks of the original PAYDAY crew – Dallas, Hoxton, Wolf and Chains – as they descend on Washington DC for an epic crime spree.
The CRIMENET network offers a huge range of dynamic contracts, and players are free to choose anything from small-time convenience store hits or kidnappings, to big league cyber-crime or emptying out major bank vaults for that epic PAYDAY. While in DC, why not participate in the local community, and run a few political errands?