Starbreeze has announced one of the biggest technical updates in PAYDAY 2’s history, confirming that the co-op heist shooter is moving to a 64-bit architecture alongside a major engine overhaul. The update aims to improve stability, reduce storage requirements, and boost performance, with a public beta scheduled to begin on June 30.
A Major Technical Overhaul for PAYDAY 2
Development of PAYDAY 2 was handed over to Sidetrack Games in 2025 while Starbreeze shifted its primary focus to supporting PAYDAY 3. The partnership has resulted in a substantial modernization of the game’s underlying technology.
The most significant change is the transition from the game’s legacy client to a 64-bit architecture. According to the developers, this removes longstanding memory limitations that have contributed to crashes and stability issues over the years.
The update also introduces improvements to the game’s rendering technology, reducing video memory usage while delivering better performance on older hardware. Starbreeze says these optimizations come without changing PAYDAY 2’s visual presentation.
Installation Size Will Be Reduced by More Than Half
Players will also benefit from a significantly smaller game install.
Following the update, PAYDAY 2’s installation size will shrink from approximately 86 GB to around 32 GB, reducing the storage space required by more than half. The change should make the game easier to install and maintain, particularly for players with limited SSD or hard drive capacity.
Public Beta Begins June 30
Before the update launches for everyone, Starbreeze and Sidetrack Games will hold a public beta beginning June 30.
The testing period will run through the end of July, allowing players to try the new build while the developers gather feedback and address any issues before the final release.
Because of the move to a new architecture, some existing community mods will no longer function immediately after the update. To help ease the transition, Sidetrack Games plans to provide documentation and support so mod creators can update their projects for the new file formats during the beta.
PAYDAY 2 Continues to Receive Long-Term Support
The update highlights Starbreeze’s continued commitment to PAYDAY 2, even as the studio works to improve PAYDAY 3.
Despite its age, PAYDAY 2 remains the more active title on Steam, prompting the publisher to continue investing in technical improvements and long-term support. Meanwhile, PAYDAY 3 has received its own post-launch updates, including networking improvements and crossover content, as Starbreeze continues refining the newer release.
Originally launched in August 2013, PAYDAY 2 has remained one of the most popular cooperative shooters on PC. With a 64-bit upgrade, engine improvements, and a dramatically smaller installation footprint on the way, the game is set to receive one of its most significant technical updates more than a decade after its original release.
