PAYDAY 2 similar games & best alternatives
PAYDAY 2
2013
Related articles
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
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Autonomy
Game with the same Autonomy vibe
4"Players have freedom to choose stealth or loud approaches and different strategies for heists."
One-armed robber
"Players have freedom to choose stealth or loud approaches, customize skills and weapons, and plan heists with teammates."
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Competence
Game with the same Competence vibe
4"Game requires skillful tactical combat, strategic planning, and mastery of complex mechanics with feedback on performance."
Age of Wonders
"Game requires skillful coordination, tactical planning, and mastery of complex mechanics and builds."
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Competition
Game with the same Competition vibe
-2"Focus is on cooperative play and personal progression rather than ranked or leaderboard competition."
Sketchy's Contract
"Focus is on cooperative play and personal progression rather than direct competition or leaderboards."
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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."
Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword
"Highly addictive with hundreds to thousands of hours played, strong replayability and long-term engagement."
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Cooperation
Game with the same Cooperation vibe
5"Core gameplay is 4-player co-op with strong emphasis on teamwork, communication, and mutual support."
HELLDIVERS™ Dive Harder Edition
"Core gameplay revolves around 4-player co-op teamwork, communication, and coordinated heist execution."
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Creativity
Game with the same Creativity vibe
3"Players customize characters with weapons, cards, chips, and builds; modding community adds further creativity."
MEGA MAN X DiVE Offline
"Players customize weapons, skills, and masks; plan different heist strategies; modding community adds creativity."
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Domination
Game with the same Domination vibe
-3"Community values teamwork and mutual respect; toxic behavior is discouraged and punished."
Hell Let Loose
"Emphasis on equal team roles and cooperation; toxic behavior exists but is criticized by community."
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Escapism
Game with the same Escapism vibe
4"Players use game as stress relief and immersive distraction from other games and real life"
Gunner, HEAT, PC!
"Players use game as stress relief and immersive distraction from real life."
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Expectation
Game with the same Expectation vibe
-4"Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest and enjoyment, not obligation."
Frozen Cortex
"Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest and enjoyment, not obligation."
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Experimenting
Game with the same Experimenting vibe
4"Players try different weapons, stealth vs loud tactics, and replay levels to explore new strategies."
Intravenous 2: Mercenarism
"Players try different builds, stealth vs loud approaches, and experiment with weapon mods and tactics."
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Exploration
Game with the same Exploration vibe
3"Players explore different randomized maps and discover new events and secrets each run."
Moon Hunters
"Maps have randomized elements and players explore different layouts and secrets each run."
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Expression
Game with the same Expression vibe
4"Strong emphasis on character and weapon skin customization for self-expression."
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."
Crime Simulator: Playgrounds
"Game is grounded in realistic crime scenarios but with some exaggerated elements and stylized action."
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Fellowship
Game with the same Fellowship vibe
4"Strong community and social interaction through co-op and multiplayer modes, forming friendships."
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."
Skul: The Hero Slayer
"Players learn skills, improve tactics, and develop builds over hundreds of hours."
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Health
Game with the same Health vibe
-4"Primarily sedentary gameplay with long sessions and minimal physical activity."
Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition
"Primarily sedentary gameplay with long sessions, little physical activity."
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Idle
Game with the same Idle vibe
-3"Requires focused attention during stealth and heist missions, not designed for idle play."
American Theft 80s: Prologue
"Requires focused attention and coordination during heists, not suitable for casual idle play."
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Intimacy
Game with the same Intimacy vibe
2"Some social interaction and friendships form, but mostly surface-level multiplayer connections."
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."
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."
Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked
"Strong progression system with leveling, skill trees, weapon unlocks, and infamy resets."
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Relaxation
Game with the same Relaxation vibe
1"Gameplay can be intense and strategic but also provides satisfying flow and catharsis for players."
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."
Alien Breed 3: Descent
"Engaging audio-visual effects, music, and intense action provide sensory stimulation."
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Status
Game with the same Status vibe
1"Some recognition through achievements and community status, but not a major focus."
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."
Slots & Daggers
"Has a light narrative and lore for interested players, but story is not central."
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Strategy
Game with the same Strategy vibe
5"Requires careful planning, coordination, and problem solving to complete heists successfully."
Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine
"Requires careful planning, tactical thinking, and problem solving in heist execution."
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Thrill
Game with the same Thrill vibe
4"High tension from being hunted and needing to stealthily kill targets creates suspense and excitement."
Bloody Good Time
"High tension and excitement from stealth and loud heists, risk of failure adds thrill."
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Value
Game with the same Value vibe
3"Large amount of content and replayability provide good value, though some complain about DLC pricing."
LEGO® Star Wars™: The Skywalker Saga
"Good value for replayability and content, though DLC cost is a common complaint."
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Violence
Game with the same Violence vibe
4"Gameplay centers on shooting and destroying enemies with explosions and chaos."
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved
"Gameplay centers on combat, shooting cops and enemies, with destruction and chaos."
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Survival
Game with the same Survival vibe
4"Players must manage resources and avoid failure to survive waves of enemies."
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