SteamDB showed 897 Payday 3 players in-game on Steam on October 5, 2026. At launch weekend in September 2023, Starbreeze counted 218,250 concurrent players across all platforms.
This Payday 3 live player count guide covers the live Steam counter, monthly averages, record peaks, Starbreeze’s all-platform user figures, search interest by country and net sales.
Payday 3 Live Player Count
How Many People Are Playing Payday 3 Right Now?
The SteamDB widget below refreshes on its own, the same live chart format used on our Throne and Liberty tracker.
At the October 5, 2026 check, SteamDB listed 897 players in-game and a 24-hour peak of 2,123.
| Steam Concurrent Reading | Players |
|---|---|
| Players in-game now | 897 |
| 24-hour peak | 2,123 |
| All-time peak (September 21, 2023) | 77,938 |
Source: SteamDB, checked October 5, 2026
SteamCharts showed 614 players and a 1,785 24-hour peak at a separate check the same day. The two readings were taken at different times.
Steam counts leave out PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Epic Games Store players, the same gap seen in Rainbow Six Siege’s Steam numbers.
Payday 3 Twitch Viewers
Twitch had 1,611 Payday 3 viewers at the same SteamDB check, with a 24-hour peak of 2,118. The all-time Twitch peak on SteamDB is 89,871 viewers.
Source: SteamDB Twitch stats, October 5, 2026
Payday 3 Monthly Player Count: September 2026 Averaged 1,160.91
September 2026 averaged 1,160.91 concurrent Steam players, up 95.90% on August, based on SteamCharts data. That is the highest monthly average since July 2025, which closed at 1,240.58.
Starbreeze released Update 3.9 on September 21, 2026. It made every heist free to play, including the former paid DLC heists.
The September 2026 peak of 3,794 was the highest monthly peak since September 2024. November 2025 was the weakest month of the past year, at 310.29.
| Month | Average Players | % Change | Peak Players |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last 30 days | 1,193.22 | +2.78% | 3,794 |
| September 2026 | 1,160.91 | +95.90% | 3,794 |
| August 2026 | 592.60 | -35.16% | 1,457 |
| July 2026 | 913.96 | +36.31% | 1,809 |
| June 2026 | 670.51 | -3.02% | 1,682 |
| May 2026 | 691.36 | +68.58% | 1,721 |
| April 2026 | 410.11 | -12.17% | 967 |
| March 2026 | 466.96 | +45.41% | 966 |
| February 2026 | 321.13 | -40.45% | 677 |
| January 2026 | 539.30 | -12.48% | 998 |
| December 2025 | 616.22 | +98.60% | 1,865 |
| November 2025 | 310.29 | -51.16% | 649 |
| October 2025 | 635.28 | +7.51% | 2,100 |
Source: SteamCharts, October 2025 to September 2026; last 30 days as of October 5, 2026
When Did Payday 3 Peak? 77,938 on Steam, 218,250 Across Platforms
Payday 3 peaked during its September 2023 launch. SteamDB recorded 77,938 concurrent Steam players on September 21, 2023.
SteamCharts lists a lower all-time peak of 69,112 for the same month. The two trackers publish different figures for the launch spike.
Starbreeze’s own counts cover every platform the game launched on, including Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Game Pass and GeForce NOW.
| Starbreeze Update | Period Covered | Peak Concurrent Players (All Platforms) |
|---|---|---|
| Launch release, September 22, 2023 | First hours after launch | More than 220,000 |
| Launch-weekend update, September 2023 | Launch weekend | 218,250 |
| Early October 2023 update | Previous five days | 124,254 |
Source: Starbreeze press releases, September to October 2023
The first two figures do not line up. The launch release said more than 220,000, while the later weekend update gave 218,250.
Not every shooter sets its record at launch. The MW3 Steam listing hit its all-time high in August 2026.
Payday 3 Daily Players at Launch
Starbreeze reported 924,204 unique daily players in the first hours after release. The launch-weekend update put the daily peak at 1,347,510 unique players.
Source: Starbreeze press releases, September 2023
Payday 3 Player Count Over Time: Four Septembers Compared
Monthly Steam averages fell from 28,621.63 in September 2023 to 243.01 in April 2024, the lowest month since launch. The chart uses a log scale so later months stay readable.
Each September is the launch month or an anniversary. Three of the four sit above 1,000 average players.
| Month | Average Players | Peak Players |
|---|---|---|
| September 2023 | 28,621.63 | 69,112 |
| September 2024 | 1,271.45 | 3,831 |
| September 2025 | 590.92 | 2,717 |
| September 2026 | 1,160.91 | 3,794 |
Source: SteamCharts, September 2023 to September 2026
Long-running shooters swing hard month to month too. Battlefield 4’s Steam average rose 155.72% in March 2026.
Is Payday 3 Still Popular With Steam Reviewers?
SteamDB counts 30,501 positive and 35,516 negative Steam reviews, a 46.2% positive share.
Recent reviews tell a different story. Starbreeze said more than 72% of recent Steam reviews were positive in July 2026, when the recent rating turned Mostly Positive.
Source: SteamDB, October 5, 2026; Starbreeze Q2 2026 interim report, August 2026
Starbreeze’s All-Platform Numbers: 158,000 Monthly Active Users
Starbreeze’s Q2 2026 interim report, published August 20, 2026, put Payday 3 at 158,000 monthly active users. Payday 2 stood at 174,000 in the same report.
Launch month looked very different. Starbreeze said Payday 3 had 3,167,938 unique players in September 2023.
Source: Starbreeze Q2 2026 interim report, August 2026; Starbreeze press release, October 2023
Unlike Destiny 2’s player count across all platforms, Payday 3’s cross-platform totals come through Starbreeze’s reports and press releases.
How Many People Own Payday 3?
SteamDB lists three Steam owner estimates: about 1.32 million from Gamalytic, 1.41 million from VG Insights and 2.37 million from PlayTracker. These are third-party estimates, not sales figures.
Source: SteamDB owner estimations, October 5, 2026
Which Platforms Is Payday 3 On?
| Store or Platform | Listed on Official Site |
|---|---|
| Steam (Windows PC) | Yes |
| Epic Games Store (PC) | Yes |
| PlayStation 5 | Yes |
| Xbox Series X|S | Yes |
Source: PAYDAY official site, October 2026
Steam lists Cross-Platform Multiplayer among the game’s features. Valve rates it Playable on Steam Deck, per its September 21, 2026 test logged on SteamDB.
Which Countries Search for Payday 3 the Most?
Starbreeze’s reports do not break out players by country. Search volume is a proxy for interest, not a player count.
Brazil leads with an estimated 7,900 monthly searches, ahead of the United States at 6,100. Elsewhere in North America, Canada and Mexico log 700 each.
| Rank | Country | Monthly Searches for “payday 3” |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil | 7,900 |
| 2 | United States | 6,100 |
| 3 | Italy | 5,100 |
| 4 | France | 2,000 |
| 5 | Germany | 1,700 |
| 6 | Russia | 1,600 |
| 7 | Poland | 1,500 |
| 8 | United Kingdom | 1,300 |
| 9 | Spain | 800 |
| 10 | Canada | 700 |
| 11 | Mexico | 700 |
| 12 | Australia | 500 |
Source: Ahrefs Keywords Explorer, estimated monthly Google search volume, retrieved October 5, 2026
Payday 3 Player Demographics
The Starbreeze reports reviewed here contain no age or gender breakdown of players. The game carries an ESRB M (Mature) rating and a PEGI 18 rating.
Source: PAYDAY official site, October 2026
Net Sales Fell From SEK 477.0 Million to SEK 76.5 Million
Payday 3 brought Starbreeze SEK 477.0 million in net sales in 2023, its launch year. The figure dropped to SEK 82.9 million in 2024 and SEK 76.5 million in 2025.
| Period | Payday 3 Net Sales (SEK Million) |
|---|---|
| Full year 2023 | 477.0 |
| Full year 2024 | 82.9 |
| Full year 2025 | 76.5 |
| January to June 2026 | 20.9 |
Source: Starbreeze year-end reports 2023 and 2025; Starbreeze Q2 2026 interim report
Quarterly sales ranged from SEK 33.0 million in Q1 2025 to SEK 8.0 million in Q4 2025. Q2 2026 came in at SEK 11.0 million, against SEK 17.7 million a year earlier.
Starbreeze described Q2 2026 as a quarter with a lighter content slate than the comparison period. Paid heist DLC came off sale in August 2026, a month before the free-heist update.
Source: Starbreeze interim reports, Q1 2025 to Q2 2026; PAYDAY 3 Update 3.9 changelog, September 21, 2026
FAQs
How many people are playing Payday 3 right now?
SteamDB counted 897 Steam players in-game on October 5, 2026, with a 24-hour peak of 2,123. The embedded SteamDB chart updates live. PlayStation, Xbox and Epic Games Store players are not included.
Is Payday 3 dead in 2026?
No. Steam players averaged 1,160.91 in September 2026, the highest monthly average since July 2025, per SteamCharts. Starbreeze reported 158,000 monthly active users across platforms in its Q2 2026 report.
What is the highest Payday 3 player count ever?
Starbreeze reported a launch-weekend peak of 218,250 concurrent players across all platforms in September 2023. On Steam alone, SteamDB recorded 77,938 concurrent players on September 21, 2023.
Is there an official Payday 3 Reddit community?
Yes. Starbreeze links r/paydaytheheist from the PAYDAY site as the franchise subreddit. For player numbers, SteamDB and SteamCharts track Steam counts, while Starbreeze’s quarterly reports carry all-platform monthly active users.
How many people own Payday 3?
Third-party Steam estimates listed on SteamDB range from about 1.32 million (Gamalytic) to 2.37 million (PlayTracker). They cover Steam only and are not official sales figures.
Sources
https://steamcharts.com/app/1272080
https://steamdb.info/app/1272080/charts/
https://www.inderes.se/en/releases/starbreeze-ab-paydaytm-3-update-1
