- Games
- PAYDAY 2
PAYDAY 2
Up to four players pull off heists together, either sneaking in quietly or fighting the police head on.
Online co-op for up to 4 players.
- 4 online
Where to buy
Playing together
- Online co-op4 players
- Local co-opNot confirmed
- Not confirmedFriends on different platforms, such as PC and PlayStation, can play together.
- YesA friend can join or leave while you are already playing, without starting over.
- Not confirmedFriends play free with a Friend's Pass or similar.
- Steam DeckVerifiedValve's own rating
About the game
You and up to three friends play a crew of bank robbers. Before each job you pick a heist from a list, such as a bank, a casino or a jewelry store, and set up your weapons, skills and gear. Then you decide how to pull it off.
You can sneak in and keep the guards and cameras quiet, or you can go in loud and shoot it out with the police. You can split the work, for example by keeping one person on each exit to control civilians while the others grab the loot. You can play alone with computer-controlled crew, but the game is made for a group.
Talking matters. A crew that calls out what it sees does better than four people who each do their own thing, and a single mistake can change a quiet job into a loud fight. Between heists you level up and unlock new skills and weapons.
How it feels
Kind of game
A team takes on missions or runs full of enemies. You pick gear, cover each other and pick each other up.
- At its heart
- A big part
- Now and then
- Story
- Puzzles and figuring out
- Sessions
- Repeatable runs
- About
- Crime
Rated on our own feel scale. 4 sources back these ratings.
Screenshots
From the Steam store page. Open one to see it full size.
If you liked PAYDAY 2
You will probably enjoy these too. Each one says why.
PAYDAY: The Heist
Why it scores 91%
What they share
- Kind of game
- Squad shooter
- About
- Crime
- Core to both
- Fighting
- Notable in both
- Working in sync, Tension and danger, Planning ahead, Getting better, Unlocks and progress
- Sessions
- Repeatable runs
- Co-op
- Online co-op for up to 4 players
How PAYDAY: The Heist differs
- Calmer and less chaotic than PAYDAY 2
- 4 online
Both send your squad into fights where you watch each other's backs. Both are about crime and revenge. Both have a lot of fighting side by side.
But calmer and less chaotic than PAYDAY 2.
Den of Wolves
Why it scores 84%
What they share
- Kind of game
- Squad shooter
- About
- Crime
- Core to both
- Fighting
- Notable in both
- Working in sync, Tension and danger, Planning ahead, Getting better
- Sessions
- Repeatable runs
- Co-op
- Online co-op for up to 4 players
How Den of Wolves differs
- Calmer and less chaotic than PAYDAY 2
- Not out yet
- 4 online
Both send your squad into fights where you watch each other's backs. Both play in runs or missions you repeat. Both are about crime and revenge.
But calmer and less chaotic than PAYDAY 2.
4:LOOP
Why it scores 83%
What they share
- Kind of game
- Squad shooter
- Core to both
- Fighting
- Notable in both
- Working in sync, Tension and danger, Planning ahead, Getting better, Unlocks and progress
- Sessions
- Repeatable runs
- Co-op
- Online co-op for up to 4 players
How 4:LOOP differs
- A roguelike, so every run starts over
- Not out yet
- 4 online
- Crossplay
Both send your squad into fights where you watch each other's backs. Both have a lot of fighting side by side. Both play in runs or missions you repeat.
But a roguelike, so every run starts over.
All co-op facts
Last checked 28 October 2026. The small numbers link to the page that states each fact.
Co-op
- Fewest players online
- Not confirmed
- Local co-op
- Not confirmed
- Most players on one screen
- Not confirmed
- Split or shared screen
- Not confirmed
- Separate-device co-op
- Not confirmed
- Most players on separate devices
- Not confirmed
- Free base co-op
- No
The checked console edition is sold with an Add to Cart button. Temporary free offers would not count as ongoing free co-op.
- 3457
- Confirmed free setups
- Does not apply
- Crossplay
- Not confirmed
- Crossplay between
- Not confirmed
- Only one of you needs to buy it
- Not confirmed
- Voice chat by distance
- Not confirmed
Sources
13 pages
paydaythegame.comOfficial site, read 28 October 2026
Backs Online co-op, Most players online, Kind of game, Sessions, About, Fighting, Planning ahead, Unlocks and progress, Story, Getting better.
- Online co-op: Page says up to four players can play together cooperatively online, or you can play alone offline with computer-controlled teammates.
- Most players online: The same sentence gives four as the most players.
- Kind of game: Page presents a crew of up to four robbing banks, casinos and hideouts and facing waves of police.
- Sessions: Page offers dozens of heist locations chosen from a contract list, so a sitting is a few separate jobs.
- About: Page casts you as a villain who robs banks and casinos.
- Fighting: Page says you can go in loud against waves of police, as an alternative to a quiet approach.
- Planning ahead: Page says you choose your approach per heist, pick weapons and skills, and save loadouts to switch between.
- Unlocks and progress: Page lists levelling up to gain skills, perks, weapons and armor, plus perk decks.
- Story: Page has a short storyline note about the Payday Gang, one selling point among several.
- Getting better: Page lets you filter jobs by difficulty and offers many skills, perk decks and gear choices to learn.
paydaythegame.comOfficial site, read 28 October 2026
Backs Platforms.
- Platforms: Lists Steam, Epic Store, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 as the places to buy PAYDAY 2. The Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 entries on this page belong to PAYDAY 3.
store.playstation.comStore page, read 28 October 2026
Backs Platforms, Most players online, Free base co-op.
- Platforms: The console edition is the PS4 Crimewave Edition. The page says it is playable on PS5, so PS5 is listed through backward compatibility.
- Most players online: Console page also says up to four online players with PlayStation Plus.
- Free base co-op: The checked console edition is sold with an Add to Cart button. Temporary free offers would not count as ongoing free co-op.
xbox.comStore page, read 28 October 2026
Backs Platforms, Most players online, Free base co-op.
- Platforms: Lists Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S for this one product, so Series X|S plays the Xbox One edition.
- Most players online: Page text says four-player co-op while its feature data says online co-op 2 to 2. The maker says four, so four is used.
- Free base co-op: The checked Xbox edition is sold at a list price. Temporary free offers would not count as ongoing free co-op.
store.epicgames.comStore page, read 28 October 2026
Backs Free base co-op.
- Free base co-op: The checked computer base game is sold with a Buy Now button. Temporary free claims would not count as ongoing free co-op.
store.steampowered.comStore page, read 28 October 2026
Backs Kind of game, Fighting, Planning ahead, Laughter and chaos.
- Kind of game: User tags include Co-op, Team-Based and Looter Shooter.
- Fighting: User tags include FPS, Shooter and Looter Shooter.
- Planning ahead: User tags include Tactical and Strategy.
- Laughter and chaos: User tags include Funny, which gives limited support.
store.steampowered.comStore data, read 28 October 2026
Backs Steam app ID, Online co-op, Free base co-op, Platforms, Release status, Release date.
- Online co-op: Categories include Co-op and Online Co-op.
- Free base co-op: Steam sells the base game for a price and does not mark it free.
- Platforms: Backs windows only. Steam lists no Mac or Linux build.
- Release status: Steam lists the game as available.
- Release date: Steam shows 13 Aug 2013.
store.steampowered.comStore data, read 28 October 2026
Backs Steam Deck.
- Steam Deck: Valve rates the game Verified on Steam Deck.
wikidata.orgWikidata, read 28 October 2026
Backs Wikidata item, Genres, Release date.
- Genres: P136 is first-person shooter and stealth game. Only shooter has a matching genre id.
- Release date: P577 is 2013-08-13.
overkill-archive.starbreeze.comOfficial news, read 28 October 2026
Backs Friends can join mid-game.
- Friends can join mid-game: The 2017 post adds a host option to choose when a drop in client may spawn, so players can join a heist already under way.
paydaythegame.comOfficial news, read 28 October 2026
Backs Friends can join mid-game.
- Friends can join mid-game: The 2026 update notes still list a fix for drop-ins, so the feature is current. Neither post uses the words join a running session.
gamesradar.comPress, read 28 October 2026
Backs Tension and danger, Working in sync, Puzzles and figuring out, Fighting.
- Tension and danger: Review talks of nail-biting tension when a quiet job holds together to the escape.
- Working in sync: Review says good mic communication and a balanced team are what you need, and describes keeping a person on each exit for crowd control so civilians stay quiet.
- Puzzles and figuring out: Review singles out a heist where the team cooks a product from directions given over a walkie talkie.
- Fighting: Review says many jobs turn into a horde-style fight.
expertreviews.co.ukPress, read 28 October 2026
Backs Laughter and chaos, Working in sync, Tension and danger.
- Laughter and chaos: Review says one wrong move can send a careful plan into a wild gunfight.
- Working in sync: Review says teamwork is crucial to leave with the cash.
- Tension and danger: Review says a slip can end a plan and start a gunfight, so the pressure is real.