Payday 2 launches DLC subscription service three weeks after raising prices

25/09/2025 Update: Starbreeze head of commerical, Gustav Nisser has told Game Developer that the DLC price hike was "completely unrelated" to the launch of the subscription service.

Remember owning things? Back in the day when you'd buy a cartridge for your Game Boy Color and it was yours? Now you've got digital downloads that the publisher can revoke at any time, regardless of your cash purchase, and Game Pass titles you can play so long as you keep paying Microsoft your monthly dues. I didn't have Payday 2 launching a subscription service on my 2025 bingo card but, judging the state of the industry, maybe I should have.

Another thing I didn't realize was that Payday 2 now has an astonishing 65 pieces of DLC. Grabbing it all in one bundle would set you back $170.77 / £145.33, and even more if you bought them individually. To combat this, developer Starbreeze has launched a subscription service which grants players access to every piece of DLC for a monthly fee.

For $4.99 / £3.99 a month or $19.99 / £15.99 for six months, you can run your way through over a decade of heists. "We want to give players greater flexibility in how they experience the game," said Gustav Nisser, head of commercial at Starbreeze, in a press release. "The subscription service makes it simple and cost-effective to enjoy everything Payday 2 has to offer." Payday 2 may be one of the best FPS games to play with friends, but adding a Game Pass-esque DLC subscription seems ill-timed.

It may be a good choice if you just want to nip into a few missions for a month or so, but I struggle to see this as a better option than simply owning the pieces of DLC you want. Modern gamers are already weighed down by countless subscription services - for music, TV, and games - so it seems like a hard sell to add another for one, specific game from 2013.

At least players still have the option of buying the DLC outright (even if a Steam purchase doesn't equal ownership), so the option is there for those of us more inclined to keeping hold of the things we pay for.

However, according to isthereanydeal, Starbreeze increased the price of the Infamous Collection, which contains all the Payday 2 DLC, just three weeks ago. The price increased by nearly 50%, going from £100.29 (~$134.72) to it's current price of $170.77 / £145.33. It has previously been available earlier this year for as low as £80.71 (~$108.42). This makes the decision to add a subscription service feel a lot more cynical.

However, Starbreeze's head of commercial, Gustav Nisser, told Game Developer that the price hike was "completely unrelated" to the subscription plan. "We dropped the ball on coordinating internally and communicating with our community properly," he told the wesbite over email. "The negative reaction makes complete sense, and the community has made it clear how the price change and its timing looks from the outside. We agree with the community, we messed up on this one, and we have reverted the price on the bundle effective immediately."

Payday 2 is available now for $9.99 / £8.50, and you can subscribe for $4.99 / £3.99 a month or $19.99 / £15.99 for six months. Download it and/or sign up on Steam here.

If Payday gets you in the mood for fun with friends, check out our list of the best co-op games. If you have a flagrant disregard for the law, the best crime games might suit you.

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