Will Payday 3 get an offline mode?

By Jesse Lennox September 26, 2023

It’s no secret to anyone who attempted to play Payday 3 near its launch that it had more than a few issues. This co-op shooter is built on the idea of you and three friends teaming up to pull off various heists to collect money, level up, and unlock new skills — and then repeat it all on higher difficulty levels. However, due to some major server issues, the majority of people haven’t been able to find matches at all, leading to a major outcry for an offline mode since there’s no way to interact with the game otherwise. As of now, the game remains an always-online experience. Fortunately, developer Starbreeze Studios has been quick to respond to player feedback, but do its plans include an offline mode?

Is Payday 3 getting an offline mode?

Men with masks hold guns in Payday 3. — Deep Silver

At a developer live stream on September 25, Almir Listo, global brand director for Starbreeze, said there are currently no plans to create an offline mode for Payday 3. Listo further explained the server issues that had been occurring so far, stating that “Payday 3 matchmaking infrastructure has not performed as tested and expected. Matchmaking software encountered an unforeseen error which made it unable to handle the massive influx of players. The issue caused an unrecoverable situation for Starbreeze’s matchmaking partners.” The team is evaluating all solutions in both the short and long term, including seeking out new matchmaking partners.

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When responding directly to a commenter’s question about an offline mode, Listo stated: “We cannot give, right now, a clear yes or no answer on this topic because it’s four days since launch. We did not foresee the incredible difficulties you had logging into the game. And we will address that, and answer that properly, as soon as we can.”

While it is possible an offline mode could come somewhere down the line, it appears that the current plan is to simply fix the server and matchmaking issues as they stand, but the team is aware of the demand for such a mode.

Jesse Lennox has been a writer at Digital Trends for over four years and has no plans of stopping. He covers all things…

Gaming

The best co-op games on PC

Tiny Tina's Wonderlands classes.

PC gaming has always been ahead of the curve. It has more classics that are considered some of the best games of all time than any other system, and still outpaces the latest consoles in terms of power and performance. The best PC games tend to focus on multiplayer, but obviously, it is home to just as many great single-player games as well. Co-op games, on the other hand, tend to be associated with consoles more than PC. However, the best co-op games on PS5 and Xbox almost all show up on PC too. Thanks to cross-platform games being the norm, you can even hop on PC with your console buddies in most of these games. Let's partner up and look at the best co-op games on PC.

Tiny Tina's Wonderlands

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The best multiplayer games on Switch

Mario and his friends.

Part of the Nintendo Switch's appeal is its versatility -- you can play it at home on your TV or on the go in portable mode. This versatility also applies to multiplayer and the best co-op games, which can be played with single Joy-Con controllers, in tabletop mode, and wirelessly both online and locally. Better yet, many of the best Switch games are also cross-platform games between other consoles and PCs.

And while the Switch might not be the competitive powerhouse that the best PS5 games and best Xbox Series X games are, it still offers an incredible library of multiplayer games. In fact, the portable console is home to some of the best co-op experiences we've seen in this generation, and new competitive games are being added all the time. Here are our favorites, whether you're a fan of raucous racing games, mellow simulators, or monster-hunting titles of the finest caliber.
The best multiplayer games on Nintendo Switch

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Is Manor Lords multiplayer or co-op?

A medieval market in Manor Lords.

You can easily lose hours designing your village and appeasing your citizens in Manor Lords all by yourself. There are so many different avenues to achieve victory, but the only competition or help you can normally find is in the form of NPCs. Other factions around the map can be helpful or harmful depending on how you play, but what if you wanted to team up with a friend to combine resources, or perhaps compete to see who can crush the other first? Many strategy and city builders thrive on multiplayer components, but does Manor Lords offer those same modes? Make sure you know the answer before making your purchase if that's your intention.
Is there multiplayer or co-op in Manor Lords?
To cut to the chase, the answer is no. Manor Lords is a purely single-player experience through and through. There are no cooperative or competitive modes in the game at all, so there's no way to interact with anyone else either on PC or console. This game was just released out of early access, and there is plenty of content on the way, however, we regret to inform you that multiplayer is not in the plans for the time being.

One developer took to the Steam forums to release an FAQ on the game. One question specifically asked if there is any multiplayer or cooperative gameplay in the game. The response said that "he focus is on a refined single-player experience, with no multiplayer or cooperative modes planned at the moment."