Payday 3 players outraged after uncovering hidden value of money bags
Overkill SoftwarePayday 3 players have uncovered what seems to be a flaw with the “hilariously bad” heist payout rewards, leading many to believe that it’s “broken.”
In Payday 3 — a co-op shooter centered around completing heists — players are learning that successfully obtaining money bags has little impact on the final payout rewards, even though they appear to be stacked full with thousands of dollars.
Upon release, players quickly called out that an indicator showing the amount of cash included in each bag was not present in Payday 3, unlike the first two games of the series.
In the latest edition of the game, players are simply unaware of the amount of cash contained in each money bag. However, the sheer size of the bag and the effort required to successfully obtain and transport them led many players to believe that grabbing as many bags as possible would still be a worthwhile endeavor.
The removal of the indicator was already controversial, but the community is now even more outraged after realizing that the developers might be concealing the reduced reward amounts in each bag.
One player, after completing 30 heists, discovered that whether securing the maximum or minimum number of money bags, the final payout reward was nearly identical.
“This game is flawed to its core; there is no motivation to do more than what is necessary,” the player wrote, highlighting the minimal impact of effort on the rewards.
A comparison of heists revealed that a “loud” heist with two money bags stolen resulted in a $588,000 reward, while a “stealth” style heist — involving more effort and all eight money bags — ended with a $598,800 payout. The player tested various heist styles and found there was consistent minimal impact on the reward payout.
The findings left players both outraged and discouraged, with many questioning the game design. “My first thought is that this is broken. There’s no way they designed a system where extra effort results in no extra payoff. What kind of grind-treadmill-nightmare is this?” one player remarked. Another expressed regret at learning about the flaw, finding it “extremely discouraging.”
The community, initially skeptical of these findings, conducted in-game tests and later confirmed the original poster’s claims. The tests revealed consistent bag amounts but “hilariously bad” rewards for the effort, especially on overkill difficulty.
As it turns out, the overall payout figure is almost completely dependent on achieving the primary objective of the heist, with each additional money bag impacting the final payout by a mere $2,550.
This discovery comes after a wave of ‘Mostly Negative’ reviews on Steam and frustration over the game’s new challenge-based progression system, which many find restrictive and unfun. Starbreeze Studios, despite the backlash, has stated they have “no plans” to change how the progression works.
Payday 3 players are finding that the game rewards minimal effort while also restricting playstyles, leaving the community questioning the immersive nature of the co-op shooter.
