Payday 3 still beats its own 13-year-old predecessor

This is stated in a new financial report Payday 3 is still surpassed by its predecessor, Payday 2. Numbers may not bode well Payday 3as Starbreeze Studios tries to turn the game around.

Payday 3 was launched back in 2023, but it hasn't been smooth sailing for the title. on Steam, Payday 3 has an overall rating of Mixed and a 24-hour peak of just 384 concurrent players at the time of publication. The title's all-time peak on Steam was just shy of 78,000, which it reached when it launched in September 2023. That number fell to just over 5,000 in November and hasn't been able to climb higher since.

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Starbreeze Studios reveals its finances

Official promo for Payday 3's Syntax Error Heist DLC

In a note to investors, Starbreeze outlined its wins and losses as well as its specific financial results over the year and the most recent quarter. Payday 3 was able to come out on top for the full year 2025, recording sales of SEK 76.5 million ($8.4 million) versus Payday 2 reaching SEK 50.1 million (US$5.6 million). However, Payday 2 looking at the last quarter alone, it came out on top, seeing SEK 14.8 million ($1.6 million) versus Payday 3 he earned only SEK 8 million ($880,000). Payday 2 also saw year-on-year growth, rising from SEK 41.8 million (US$4.6 million) in 2024 to SEK 50.1 million (US$5.6 million) in 2025, while Payday 3 falling from SEK 82.9 million ($9.1 million) in 2024 to SEK 76.5 million ($8.4 million) in 2025.

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This development seems particularly problematic given that Starbreeze has decided to acquire the publishing rights Payday 3 in mid-2025. The move was made with the intention of speeding up content development, among other things, with the game seeing major releases such as the Party Powder heist in May and the Skills 2.0 overhaul launched in December. Earlier that year, the game also launched on PS Plus, likely introducing new players to the franchise. In terms of the company's overall earnings, net sales increased year-on-year, with Starbreeze recording sales of SEK 221 million ($24.3 million) in 2025 compared to SEK 186 million in 2024 ($20.4 million). However, its net losses also increased, with a net loss of SEK 402.7 million ($44.3 million) in 2025, while in 2024 the losses were only SEK 317.7 million ($34.9 million).

Fans Payday the franchise and Starbreeze may already be aware that there have been unfortunate developments with the company recently. Starbreeze canceled it Dungeons & Dragons game, referred to as Project Baxter, which was announced back in 2023. Starbreeze also saw layoffs following the announcement, with another layoff following in early 2026.

Although anything is possible, it is clear that not yet Payday 2 is preferred over Payday 3. In addition to the disclosure in the financial report, this is reported by SteamDB Payday 2 they still see tens of thousands of concurrent players per day. While the game's player count has dropped significantly since its peak of nearly 250,000 eight years ago, a 24-hour peak of over 25,000 players is nothing to scoff at for a 13-year-old game. Despite Starbreeze's efforts thus far Payday 3 failed to approach Payday 2average numbers since its launch. However, Starbreeze's financial report says the company is making “tangible progress” in improving the player experience. Payday 3and that “building trust with players… is a long-term effort.”

Meanwhile, Starbreeze partnered with Sidetrack Games in late 2025 to support Payday 2 on PC, ensuring that the game will continue to receive quality of life improvements and fixes. A player survey was conducted in early February asking for player opinions and preferences, which may help guide the future of the franchise as a whole. Time will tell if Payday 3 he is able to surpass his predecessor forward but Payday 2he's proven he's got the stamina.