Payday 3 is the third entry in the infamous Payday franchise, a series well known for the best multiplayer heist gameplay on the market. Groups of players are thrown together and must work through missions, taking as much loot as they can without catching too many bullets.
While not a dealbreaker, a lot of fans want the option to play through missions in Payday 3 on their own, allowing them to appreciate every aspect of the missions crafted for them. But it’s not exactly clear how to play Payday 3 solo.
Related: Payday 3 Complete Guide – Tips & Tricks, Puzzle Guides & Trailers
Can You Play Payday 3 Solo
Yes, it’s entirely possible to play Payday 3 solo, though it doesn’t have a solo mode. Instead, players need to manipulate the game’s settings to exclude everyone else and ensure that only the player starting the match gets put into the mission. We’ve explained how to do this below.
How to Play Payday 3 Solo
To play Payday 3 solo, players need to select the mission they’d like to play, choose the difficult, and set the Lobby Type to “Invite Only.” This forces the game to only allow other players into the mission if the player creating the match invites them. If the player doesn’t invite anyone, the match will instead populate with bots.
A few seconds after hitting the Matchmake button, the lobby for the mission will populate. But only the player who set the mission up will appear in the lobby. Once that player chooses their loadout and hits Ready, the match will start with them and three bots.
From here, the player can play through their chosen mission as if they were the only character trying to steal anything. The bots aren’t that useful. They’ll hang around outside the entrance to the private area where the player enters but won’t come inside unless the alarm rings. Even then, it’s questionable whether they’ll realize they need to get involved.
We’ve loved using this strategy to play Payday 3 in solo mode. It makes for a much sneakier and more satisfying experience. However, it’s a pain if a character falls from a height and is downed because the bots won’t revive them even if they call for help.
Why Play Payday 3 Solo
We’ve played a fair bit of solo Payday 3, and we mainly do it for stealth. It’s just so much easier to fly under the radar without three other players running around a mission, especially if they don’t know what they’re doing.
Playing solo allowed us to see every part of a mission and get to grips with all the mechanics. It also showed us how to remain undetected for an entire mission, giving us the routes necessary for harder difficulties in multiplayer mode.
Overall, playing Payday 3 solo is more of a challenge in any difficulty mode, but it’s worth it for the additional rewards and knowledge. After all, with no other players to grab loot and pick up cash around a level, the player is the only one who will benefit from the heist.
