Payday 2 Vs Payday 3 - Which Is Better

Intro

I hope you guys are doing all right. I'd really appreciate it, but without further ado, one of the very first differences When comparing both titles, there is obviously a vast upgrade in graphics.

Graphics

if we were to compare both games side by side based on graphics alone. Payday 3 would win but that's obvious because the gap between both games has been over 10 years allowing the developers to utilize new graphics engines and software like Unreal Engine 4 and 5 to give the new payday Universe a much more crisp and immersive look now with that being said there are still a lot of players that have been pointing out that the graphics of payday, 3 aren't even that good and in my honest opinion they really aren't at least not in comparison to some of these other games out there like Grand Theft Auto 5 or Spider-Man or even Starfield but, in payday's defense the title itself has never been praised for its Graphics it's always been about the gameplay the action and his tactical approach to the heisting genre Another comparison that might be made when looking at both games side by side is the character selection.

Character selection

In Payday 2, you were given the ability to choose between 22 different characters, each with their own backstory, signature weapons, and perk sets, but in Payday 3, on launch, there has only been a confirmed sixth heister to choose from, and four of them are already from the original series. But, in payday's defense again, every Mortal Kombat drops with the same characters in every street fighter and Spider-Man game you play as well.

You get the idea that one heist that's not from the original payday series has already been featured in Payday 2 as a promotion for the switch release of the game, and that leaves just one brand new heist after 10 years, and you only created one new character and backstory. Come On Son. But if you want to learn more about this brand new mystery, you can check out the details in one of my previous articles.

Obviously, as the game moves forward and progresses in time, we will see new characters introduced, but as it stands, if we compare the two games on character selection alone. Payday 2 definitely takes this one.

Gun customization

Moving forward, we have gun customization. I honestly think payday 3 takes it. In the beta, we only had to select a few guns to choose from and play with, but the customization was very deep, much like Call of Duty. The payday 3 gun customization allows players to level up specific weapons in order to unlock and attach various weapon modifiers like sights, grips, barrels, lasers, stocks, and more.

While Payday 2 did have a ton of modifiers that could be equipped as well as unlocking them, it was a matter of cash and Continental coins, while the weapon upgrading mechanic of Payday 3 makes adding attachments to your weapon much more rewarding and challenging. customization payday 3, No question GG easy with all the new implementations to Payday 3, like season passes and microtransactions, another category the games could be compared on is price.

Price

When Payday 2 was officially released, its standard edition only cost 30 dollars, while the standard price at launch was 40. boo, but in payday's defense again, creating a game with a higher engine and next-gen capabilities surely cost more than whatever budget went into creating payday 2. But if we're just comparing prices with no excuses, Payday 2 definitely takes it.

Payday 2 was not only released for cheaper, but it also supplied more highs on launch, and it had no microtransactions and no season passes. Although the game did have a ton of DLCs released over the years, they were purchased on release and not pre-bundled into a season pass pricing, and that leaves us with the actual gameplay of both games.

Stealth

If you're familiar with the payday franchise The game is played in one of two ways: either stealthy or loud.

According to stealth gameplay from my experience on Payday 2 and the paid A3 beta 100, Payday 3 has a much more tactical and enjoyable stealth option. If you haven't played the beta yet, I'm about to spoil some things for you. When attempting a stealthy approach, the game gives you a lot more freedom than Payday 2 allows.

In casing mode, you can open and unlock doors, interact with objects without putting your mask on, and you have an unlimited amount of zip ties you're giving. By being warned by security guards and being escorted back to public areas instead of being shot at instantly and ending your stealth attempt, you can even trade hostages to buy your crew more time before an assault wave.

By far, Payday 3 has much more complex and strategic stealth gameplay, but —what about loud heists?.

Loud heist

on Payday 2 The art of going loud was pure chaos, but not in a bad way. Going loud on Payday 2 was fun and enjoyable. It was a bullet hell horde shooter where the creativity of your builds and weapon choices could really shine on payday 3.

When going loud, the game still feels strategic and tactical, regardless of your build and skills. Your gameplay choices need to be highly thought through, including taking cover suppressive measures, fire shielding, and healing manually. I personally enjoyed the chaos of Payday 2's loud heist more—the freedom to run and gun—because the hours of grinding that you put in earned you skill points that allowed you to go crazy in the open that allowed you to be a bullet sponge and allowed you to be in a Kimball SMG, speed freak.

It kind of felt fair; the higher level you were, the tankier you were, and the more damage you dealt, but in Payday 3, it kind of felt like even 10 to 20 levels up. I'm still as squishy as I was at level one, so I'd say overall loud heist I would give to Payday 2. It's hard to compare the gameplay between the two games, and honestly, I'd have to call it raw, with Payday 3 taking the stealth heist and Payday 2 winning with the loud.

So if we look at both games in comparison on all categories, payday, 3 takes graphics. Payday 2 wins in character selection, payday, 3 takes gun customization. Payday 2 wins in pricing, and both games have their own pros and cons when it comes to stealth and loud heists, so I guess it's a draw, but that's just my opinion, but I will say this to me: payday 3 is tied in comparison to Payday 2, but that was just a beta, just saying I can only imagine how the full release will compare.

Outro

Maybe we'll remake another article like this a few months from now, comparing both games on full release. I'd really appreciate it. As always, don't sweat the small stuff.