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PAYDAY 2 similar games & best alternatives

PAYDAY 2

PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, Linux • 2013

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Quick resume

PAYDAY 2 is an action-packed, four-player co-op shooter that once again lets gamers don the masks of the original PAYDAY crew - Dallas, Hoxton, Wolf and Chains - as they descend on Washington DC for an epic crime spree.

Global score

89/100

Genres

Action, Role-playing (RPG), Shooter, Tactical

Similar games

    Pros

    • Highly addictive cooperative gameplay
    • Extensive weapon and skill customization
    • Strong replayability with randomized maps
    • Active modding community
    • Good value with frequent sales

    Cons

    • Steep difficulty curve and learning curve
    • Large number of paid dlcs
    • Occasional bugs and technical issues
    • Toxic player behavior in public matches
    • Server and connectivity problems

    Motivations

    • Autonomy

      Game with the same Autonomy vibe

      4

      "Players have freedom to choose stealth or loud approaches and different strategies for heists."

      Capsule for One-armed robber One-armed robber

      "Players have freedom to choose stealth or loud approaches, customize skills and weapons, and plan heists with teammates."

    • Competence

      Game with the same Competence vibe

      4

      "Game requires skillful tactical combat, strategic planning, and mastery of complex mechanics with feedback on performance."

      Capsule for Age of Wonders Age of Wonders

      "Game requires skillful coordination, tactical planning, and mastery of complex mechanics and builds."

    • Competition

      Game with the same Competition vibe

      -2

      "Focus is on cooperative play and personal progression rather than ranked or leaderboard competition."

      Capsule for Sketchy's Contract Sketchy's Contract

      "Focus is on cooperative play and personal progression rather than direct competition or leaderboards."

    • Continuation

      Game with the same Continuation vibe

      5

      "Highly addictive with long play sessions and strong replayability, often leading to hundreds or thousands of hours played."

      Capsule for Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword

      "Highly addictive with hundreds to thousands of hours played, strong replayability and long-term engagement."

    • Cooperation

      Game with the same Cooperation vibe

      5

      "Core gameplay is 4-player co-op with strong emphasis on teamwork, communication, and mutual support."

      Capsule for HELLDIVERS™ Dive Harder Edition HELLDIVERS™ Dive Harder Edition

      "Core gameplay revolves around 4-player co-op teamwork, communication, and coordinated heist execution."

    • Creativity

      Game with the same Creativity vibe

      3

      "Players customize characters with weapons, cards, chips, and builds; modding community adds further creativity."

      Capsule for MEGA MAN X DiVE Offline MEGA MAN X DiVE Offline

      "Players customize weapons, skills, and masks; plan different heist strategies; modding community adds creativity."

    • Domination

      Game with the same Domination vibe

      -3

      "Community values teamwork and mutual respect; toxic behavior is discouraged and punished."

      Capsule for Hell Let Loose Hell Let Loose

      "Emphasis on equal team roles and cooperation; toxic behavior exists but is criticized by community."

    • Escapism

      Game with the same Escapism vibe

      4

      "Players use game as stress relief and immersive distraction from other games and real life"

      Capsule for Gunner, HEAT, PC! Gunner, HEAT, PC!

      "Players use game as stress relief and immersive distraction from real life."

    • Expectation

      Game with the same Expectation vibe

      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest and enjoyment, not obligation."

      Capsule for Frozen Cortex Frozen Cortex

      "Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest and enjoyment, not obligation."

    • Experimenting

      Game with the same Experimenting vibe

      4

      "Players try different weapons, stealth vs loud tactics, and replay levels to explore new strategies."

      Capsule for Intravenous 2: Mercenarism Intravenous 2: Mercenarism

      "Players try different builds, stealth vs loud approaches, and experiment with weapon mods and tactics."

    • Exploration

      Game with the same Exploration vibe

      3

      "Players explore different randomized maps and discover new events and secrets each run."

      Capsule for Moon Hunters Moon Hunters

      "Maps have randomized elements and players explore different layouts and secrets each run."

    • Expression

      Game with the same Expression vibe

      4

      "Strong emphasis on character and weapon skin customization for self-expression."

      Capsule for Combat Master: Season 5 Combat Master: Season 5

      "Extensive mask customization and weapon skin options allow self-expression."

    • Fantasy

      Game with the same Fantasy vibe

      2

      "Game features exaggerated criminal scenarios and stylized violence, not realistic but grounded."

      Capsule for Crime Simulator: Playgrounds Crime Simulator: Playgrounds

      "Game is grounded in realistic crime scenarios but with some exaggerated elements and stylized action."

    • Fellowship

      Game with the same Fellowship vibe

      4

      "Strong community and social interaction through co-op and multiplayer modes, forming friendships."

      Capsule for Arizona Sunshine® Arizona Sunshine®

      "Strong community aspect with friends and online players forming social bonds through co-op."

    • Growth

      Game with the same Growth vibe

      4

      "Players develop skills, learn enemy patterns, and improve builds over many hours of play."

      Capsule for Skul: The Hero Slayer Skul: The Hero Slayer

      "Players learn skills, improve tactics, and develop builds over hundreds of hours."

    • Health

      Game with the same Health vibe

      -4

      "Primarily sedentary gameplay with long sessions and minimal physical activity."

      Capsule for Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition

      "Primarily sedentary gameplay with long sessions, little physical activity."

    • Idle

      Game with the same Idle vibe

      -3

      "Requires focused attention during stealth and heist missions, not designed for idle play."

      Capsule for American Theft 80s: Prologue American Theft 80s: Prologue

      "Requires focused attention and coordination during heists, not suitable for casual idle play."

    • Intimacy

      Game with the same Intimacy vibe

      2

      "Some social interaction and friendships form, but mostly surface-level multiplayer connections."

      Capsule for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition

      "Some social interaction and friendships form, but mostly surface-level multiplayer connections."

    • Leadership

      Game with the same Leadership vibe

      2

      "Players sometimes lead groups or coordinate strategies, but shared decision-making common."

      Capsule for Forsaken Frontiers Forsaken Frontiers

      "Players sometimes lead teams or coordinate strategies, but generally shared decision-making."

    • Progression

      Game with the same Progression vibe

      5

      "Strong progression systems with character leveling, skill trees, weapon upgrades, and unlockable content."

      Capsule for Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked

      "Strong progression system with leveling, skill trees, weapon unlocks, and infamy resets."

    • Relaxation

      Game with the same Relaxation vibe

      1

      "Gameplay can be intense and strategic but also provides satisfying flow and catharsis for players."

      Capsule for Demigod Demigod

      "Game can be thrilling and intense, but also provides flow and catharsis in successful runs."

    • Sensation

      Game with the same Sensation vibe

      3

      "Engaging audio-visual effects and intense action provide sensory stimulation."

      Capsule for Alien Breed 3: Descent Alien Breed 3: Descent

      "Engaging audio-visual effects, music, and intense action provide sensory stimulation."

    • Status

      Game with the same Status vibe

      1

      "Some recognition through achievements and community status, but not a major focus."

      Capsule for Euro Truck Simulator 2 Euro Truck Simulator 2

      "Some recognition through achievements and community status, but not a major focus."

    • Story

      Game with the same Story vibe

      1

      "Simple narrative with minimal story elements; some players appreciate the light story but it is not central."

      Capsule for Slots & Daggers Slots & Daggers

      "Has a light narrative and lore for interested players, but story is not central."

    • Strategy

      Game with the same Strategy vibe

      5

      "Requires careful planning, coordination, and problem solving to complete heists successfully."

      Capsule for Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine

      "Requires careful planning, tactical thinking, and problem solving in heist execution."

    • Thrill

      Game with the same Thrill vibe

      4

      "High tension from being hunted and needing to stealthily kill targets creates suspense and excitement."

      Capsule for Bloody Good Time Bloody Good Time

      "High tension and excitement from stealth and loud heists, risk of failure adds thrill."

    • Value

      Game with the same Value vibe

      3

      "Large amount of content and replayability provide good value, though some complain about DLC pricing."

      Capsule for LEGO® Star Wars™: The Skywalker Saga LEGO® Star Wars™: The Skywalker Saga

      "Good value for replayability and content, though DLC cost is a common complaint."

    • Violence

      Game with the same Violence vibe

      4

      "Gameplay centers on shooting and destroying enemies with explosions and chaos."

      Capsule for Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved

      "Gameplay centers on combat, shooting cops and enemies, with destruction and chaos."

    • Survival

      Game with the same Survival vibe

      4

      "Players must manage resources and avoid failure to survive waves of enemies."

      Capsule for Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop

      "Players must manage health, resources, and avoid failure to survive waves of enemies."

    Analysis

    A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Cooperation, Fellowship, Intimacy, Leadership. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Status, Violence, Cooperation.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Last update: 30/04/2026