18-minutes of Payday 3 gameplay footage has leaked online

This leaked gameplay footage emerged on the night of July 3, catching the attention of eagle-eyed Reddit users. The video was uploaded by a Vietnamese content creator and presented an uncut, 18-minute segment of the game, depicting a high-stakes bank heist. Although swiftly taken down, the video gave fans a tantalizing glimpse into the newest installment of the popular heist-based franchise.

The footage presented a bank heist unfolding in real-time, showing the game's criminal crew infiltrating the bank and disabling the security systems in an exercise of stealth. The tension ramped up as one of the guards discovered the robbers and the situation devolved into a frantic, all-out firefight with the police.

New features were showcased in the footage, including a system that allows hostages to be taken and used for bargaining as the police close in. Ammunition, though not unlimited, can be collected from specified points on the map, adding a new layer of strategy to the gameplay. A lockpicking mini-game was also featured, an aspect that will likely add an additional level of intensity when being attempted mid-firefight.

Despite some complaints about the quality of the footage, the leak demonstrated how Payday 3 appears to be an evolution of Payday 2, maintaining the established gameplay dynamics that fans have come to know and love while adding a bevy of enhancements. The game seems to offer more emphasis on stealth, with crew members being able to infiltrate without their masks, opening up new gameplay possibilities.

One of the major settings changes in Payday 3 is a shift from Washington D.C. to New York City. This change of scenery is sure to introduce a fresh dynamic to the heist scenarios. The game's graphics, built using Unreal Engine 4, are scheduled for an upgrade after the launch, with a shift to Unreal Engine 5. This upgrade could offer considerable visual enhancements, potentially utilizing features like the real-time global illumination Lumen, similar to what happened with Fortnite two years ago.

However, Payday 3's journey to launch has not been smooth sailing. The project was initially announced in May 2016, with a planned release later than 2020. Various issues, including financial struggles at the Swedish company Starbreeze, led to a delayed release. Despite these setbacks, Starbreeze seems to have overcome its difficulties, finally becoming debt-free, and is now poised to release Payday 3 on September 21.

Fans of the franchise have eagerly awaited this installment for 2,670 days since it was first announced. We'll find out soon if all this time in development has done the game well or if it's as behind the times as it looks.

But, if the leaked footage is anything to go by, Payday 3 will retain the series' gritty tension, high-stakes gameplay, and the strategic mechanics that have defined its predecessors.