Payday is a first-person shooter video game series created by Overkill Software. In Payday games, players assume control of a criminal who must orchestrated high-stake heists and robberies, while battling law enforcement. While players can play the games solo, all games in the series focus heavily on cooperative gameplay. The franchise had three main games: ' (2011), Payday 2 (2013), and Payday 3 (2023). According to Starbreeze, the franchise had sold more than 50 million copies and generated more than $400 million in revenue.
Payday: The Heist was developed by Overkill Software and published by Sony Online Entertainment. At launch, the game features six different heists, while post-release downloadable content packs introduced additional ones. The game was released on October 19, 2011. By 2011, the game had sold more than 400,000 copies.
In April 2012, Overkill Software was acquired by Starbreeze Studios. The senior management of Overkill Software took over both companies, and initiated the development of a sequel, Payday 2, in conjunction with publisher 505 Games. The team was inspired by Diablo and The Dark Knight while creating the game, and it introduces multi-stage missions and an expanded progression system. Payday 2 was released on August 13, 2013, for Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. An enhanced version of the game, subtitled Crimewave Edition, was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in June 2015 and for the Nintendo Switch in February 2018.
It was a massive commercial success, selling more than 40 million copies and sustaining the studio when it had financial difficulties during the late 2010s. In May 2016, Starbreeze fully acquired the intellectual property rights from 505. It was supported extensively with updates and downloadable content packs, with the developer launching a subscription service as an alternative way to access them in late 2025.
Payday 3 was confirmed by Starbreeze in 2016. It was published by Deep Silver in September 2023. The game had a troubled launch, with server issues causing it to be unplayable for weeks. Player count of Payday 3 quickly dwindled and was eventually surpassed by its predecessor.
Payday: Crime Wars is a Payday game developed for mobile platforms. The original version, developed by Cmune and published by NBCUniversal, was a competitive multiplayer game which involved two teams of players, one playing as criminals while another playing as law enforcement officers, battling each other. It was relaunched in 2023 by PopReach Games as a more condensed version of Payday 2.
Notoriety: A Payday Experience is an official licensed Payday video game within Roblox. Before it was officially brought into the Payday franchise, the fan game had already accumulated more than 227 million visits by players.
Payday: Aces High is an upcoming cooperative game designed for virtual reality platforms. The game is currently being developed by Fast Travel Games in conjunction with Starbreeze.
Vice Studios had acquired the rights to create movies or TV series based on the Payday franchise.