It’s no secret to anyone who attempted to play Payday 3 near its launch that it had more than a few issues. This co-op shooter is built on the idea of you and three friends teaming up to pull off various heists to collect money, level up, and unlock new skills — and then repeat it all on higher difficulty levels. However, due to some major server issues, the majority of people haven’t been able to find matches at all, leading to a major outcry for an offline mode since there’s no way to interact with the game otherwise. As of now, the game remains an always-online experience. Fortunately, developer Starbreeze Studios has been quick to respond to player feedback, but do its plans include an offline mode?
Is Payday 3 getting an offline mode?
At a developer live stream on September 25, Almir Listo, global brand director for Starbreeze, said there are currently no plans to create an offline mode for Payday 3. Listo further explained the server issues that had been occurring so far, stating that “Payday 3 matchmaking infrastructure has not performed as tested and expected. Matchmaking software encountered an unforeseen error which made it unable to handle the massive influx of players. The issue caused an unrecoverable situation for Starbreeze’s matchmaking partners.” The team is evaluating all solutions in both the short and long term, including seeking out new matchmaking partners.
When responding directly to a commenter’s question about an offline mode, Listo stated: “We cannot give, right now, a clear yes or no answer on this topic because it’s four days since launch. We did not foresee the incredible difficulties you had logging into the game. And we will address that, and answer that properly, as soon as we can.”
While it is possible an offline mode could come somewhere down the line, it appears that the current plan is to simply fix the server and matchmaking issues as they stand, but the team is aware of the demand for such a mode.
