“Payday 2” is a game where you assume the role of a thief and perform outlandish heists across a multitude of objectives, and it’s an absolute blast. The game has a massive player base across all major platforms, and it still plays the game after all this time. If you log into the “Payday 2” servers on PC, you will notice that there is an abundance of multiplayer lobbies to join in on, with both low- and high-level players. But a quick search on Steam will show you that “Payday 3” has already been released, so why do people still flock to “Payday 2”?

   For starters, “Payday 3” changed a lot about Payday, and honestly it lacks a lot of charm. Graphically, it’s phenomenal no doubt, but the music isn’t as good, they knocked down the character roster, removed weapons, and gutted the single player. “Payday 2” just has much more to it, with a full-fledged story mode, more characters, more weapons, more skills, more of just everything that makes Payday fun, and that’s what matters most. 

   “Payday 2” is by no means a perfect game, don’t get me wrong, but it just feels so much more iconic. The soundtrack by Simon Viklund is easily the best music I have ever heard in a video game. While the heists are amazing, from the small bank heists to the grand finale of The White House, each one feels unique and special, especially the nightclub heist which is my personal favorite.

   Honestly, “Payday 3” is still solid, but it took a lot of the solid groundwork “Payday 2” laid out and just kind of ignored it. That is likely why people still play more Payday 2 than 3, and why I personally believe that “Payday 2” is just so much better as a game.