Payday 3 has an always-online connection, much to fans dismay

The upcoming heist shooter Payday 3 is the latest casualty from the continuing trend of games being always online.

In recent years, more and more games that have a focus on online multiplayer are requiring you constantly have an internet connection just to play the game. It turns out that Payday 3 is the next game to opt for players needing to be always-online, which isn’t entirely unsurprising considering it is an online multiplayer title (thanks, Eurogamer). This comes from a recent Payday 2 livestream hosted by Almir Listo, the global brand director at the game’s developer Starbreeze, which you can check out below.

During the livestream, some viewers asked if it will have “an offline mode, like playing solo,” with Listo responding, “No. You will be able to play it by yourself, but I do believe you will have to have a connection in order to play because it’s made in the Unreal Engine, it’s using cross-progression, [and] cross-play. I do believe we need you to be online.”

At first glance, you might not see the problem with a multiplayer title requiring a constant internet connection, but the concern is less to do with the game itself, and more to do with mods. One player on the Payday subreddit, ShrekDamage, noted how Payday 2 “will live forever [because] of mods, [Payday 3] will live for a few months until Starbreeze goes out of business.”

Other fans on the subreddit are suggesting that those who have pre-ordered the game should cancel their orders to try and get Starbreeze to “listen to the community,” though with the game due out in September, it’s unlikely something as complicated as this could be changed so easily.

Starbreeze shared a look at some Payday 3 gameplay for the first time last month, where it also revealed the game’s September 21 release date. If you’re not too fussed about the always-online thing, you’ll also probably be happy to hear it will be a day one Xbox Game Pass title too.

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