Highlights
- Payday 3’s early access launch has been plagued by technical issues, including account server crashes and an older version on PlayStation 5.
- Players who pre-ordered on PS5 are not able to access in-game rewards and bonuses, as the game isn’t synced with other platforms.
- Starbreeze Studios is actively working on fixing these issues and has resolved some problems, such as the intro screen bug on the Epic Games Store.
Payday 3 is now available in early access and, unfortunately, is dealing with a variety of technical issues. As players flock to try out Payday 3 for the first time, the FPS heist game’s account servers have struggled to stay online. Not only that, but PlayStation 5 players have discovered that they’re currently playing an older version of Payday 3 instead of the launch day version. Developer Starbreeze Studios is already hard at work on getting things fixed.
The highly anticipated third entry in the Payday franchise was first confirmed to be in development all the way back in 2016. It has been a long seven-year wait since then. Now Payday 3 is just a few days away from its full launch on September 21. Those wanting to gain access to Payday 3 early can purchase access to the game’s early access. It’s included with pre-orders of Payday 3‘s Silver and Gold Editions, which are $69.99 and $89.99 respectively.
It might be prudent to wait for Payday 3‘s full launch before purchasing the game, however, as the early access launch hasn’t gone perfectly smoothly. Upon launch, Payday 3‘s account server crashed. The Starbreeze Nebula, which players are required to log into across all platforms in order to play Payday 3, delivered an error denoting that the servers were inaccessible. The website appears to be back online now, though some players continue to report issues logging in.
Another issue impacting Payday 3‘s early access is a problem with the game’s current version on PlayStation 5. Those who pre-ordered on PS5 are said to be playing on an older version of the game that isn’t synced with other platforms, meaning Payday 3‘s crossplay isn’t enabled. Part of the issue is that these players do not have access to their in-game rewards and bonuses from pre-ordering the game. Starbreeze developers say the reason for this is “out of our control” and that Sony is currently working on a patch.
To Starbreeze’s credit, it’s being communicative about these ongoing Payday 3 early access issues and is working on fixes as it is able. For example, Payday 3 players on the Epic Games Store were having issues getting past the game’s intro screen. This issue is said to have been resolved, according to the Payday 3 Twitter account.
Early access is historically an opportunity for game developers to stress test servers and address technical issues that crop up before thousands of launch players arrive. That’s certainly the case for Payday 3. It still doesn’t feel quite right, considering Payday 3 players had to pay for this early access, and every hour of inaccessibility is an hour of lessened value for buyers. Still, warnings about pre-ordering games are everpresent anymore. Payday 3 players will hopefully still get their money’s worth from early access.
Payday 3 launches September 21 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.