Payday 3: Best Heists

Highlights

Payday 3 offers a variety of heists with different objectives and challenges, allowing players to choose their preferred playstyle.
Some heists, like No Rest for the Wicked, are great for beginners due to their simplicity, while others, like Road Rage, provide intense action and teamwork.
Stealth is recommended for heists like Rock the Cradle and Under the Surphaze, but players can also go loud and enjoy the thrill of a firefight.

With a total of 8 heists within the initial release of Payday 3, players have a handful of choices that they can make to determine their fun and tactics. Whether it’s going loud or going with stealth, Payday 3 allows for the choice of all but one. Each heist has a different set of objectives and challenges that can provide players with the fun of a heister’s dreams.

6 Things Payday 3 Does Better Than Payday 2

Payday 3 has many improvements over Payday 2, and here are a few of them.

With the wide variety of different heists in Payday 3, players will enjoy what awaits them, whether that’s solo or with a team. Provided that players bring a competent build to have their back, they can enjoy these heists as they see fit, but how do the best heists in Payday 3 rank against each other?

8 No Rest For The Wicked

No Rest for the Wicked is the first heist that players will experience in Payday 3, and it’s definitely not a bad one. The fact that No Rest for the Wicked is a classic heist of old is why it does not rank so high, but that doesn’t mean players should steer clear from this heist. It’s a great entry point for beginners, and the only reason it isn’t the best heist in Payday 3 is due to the fact that it’s so simple.

Players can go in stealth or loud to take the money that awaits them in the vault. It’s a quick and easy heist unless people are going to go in loud and start a fight with the police. The instructions are simple, and players just need to access the vault through hacking or thermite to take the money bags. There’s nothing too complex about the mechanics or loot.

7 Road Rage

This is the only heist in Payday 3 that players cannot stealth their way out of. Road Rage is a loud-only heist, in which players need to work together to take care of the police assaults that will threaten them and their loot. The heist takes place on the upper level of Queensboro Bridge under renovation and requires players to access an armored transport of valuables.

Players can enjoy Road Rage as long as they have a powerful set of weaponry to assist them, as they will be dealing with all banners of police threats. Road Rage can be a lot of fun for those who crave action, and the situation at hand can be controlled thanks to the civilians which can be used for leverage.

6 Rock The Cradle

It’s time for the Payday crew to put on their dancing shoes because they’re going clubbing. Rock the Cradle takes players to the Neon Cradle, a club for the most powerful and richest partygoers out there. Players need to get inside and access the VIP area, not for the gambling and the drugs, but for the high-tech crypto-wallet that needs stealing.

Payday 3: Beginner Mistakes To Avoid

As players begin their first journeys into the life of a heister, they are bound to make a few mistakes in Payday 3.

It’s recommended to commit to stealth for this heist, due to the fact that the crypto-wallet will get wiped, and the lack of profits will make the heist not worth the lack of reward. Rock the Cradle is great for those that enjoy stealth, and has some great scenery to boot.

5 99 Boxes

A shipping yard is fairly guarded, and the Payday gang needs to access the 99 Boxes heist at the New York harbor to find some expensive equipment worth selling off to the highest bidder. This heist has a unique mechanic, in which the loot needs to be kept cool, or they will deteriorate and lose their worth. There’s a lot of loot to be found in 99 Boxes and a lot of dangerous guards that will spot players.

If players aren’t too interested in being a ghost, they can go in loud as a tank and start some trouble. 99 Boxes is enjoyable to many for its variety of access points and interesting loot, so it’s always worth more than one playthrough to ensure a successful heist in Payday 3.

4 Under The Surphaze

Art is subjective and said subjective art is worth millions in Under the Surphaze. This heist takes place in the SURPHAZE Art Gallery, which harbors plenty of art for the rich to gawk at. Players need to get into the Art Gallery and secure the art within so that they can make easy money. However, that’s only easy if players know how to stealth effectively with weapons and skills, as Under the Surphaze is fairly difficult thanks to the guard patrols, camera positions, and objectives.

Players can still go loud in this heist, and blast their way through the Art Gallery like it's nothing. The Payday gang may not be interested in the contemporary art pieces within, but they certainly will be interested in their price tags.

3 Touch The Sky

Touch the Sky has some interesting lore, as the Payday gang will infiltrate a penthouse belonging to none other than a former heavy hitter from the once-troublesome Murkywater PMC. Murkywater was a major threat in the prior Payday games, and it seems that the Payday gang and the world have moved on from this overconfident militia, and they will need to take care of Mason Laurent’s penthouse.

payday-3-starbreeze-pr-newswire-update-september-25-2023

Payday 3: Best Skill Trees To Invest In First

With an abundance of skill trees in Payday 3, players should only focus on a few for their first bout of heisting.

Touch the Sky may not have an arsenal of diamonds and cash stacks, but it does have a few secret rooms for players to try and find and enjoy what is within. Touch the Sky is necessary for some additional loot, and perhaps the best part of this heist comes from the stealth capabilities, in which players will get through secure areas and crawl through vents.

2 Dirty Ice

There are a few ways to complete Dirty Ice, which is why it’s one of the best heists. Players can complete the entire thing in Casing Mode if they are careful enough. Alternatively, they can even complete the heist in what feels like just under a minute, provided that they are masters of speed, proficiency, and heister professionalism that every wannabe Payday gang member wants to achieve.

Dirty Ice has players take on a small jewelry store, which is an important cog in the corporate machinery of money and wealth. Players can find an assortment of diamonds and precious stones in Dirty Ice, and the right stealth build allows players to do this without guards batting an eye.

1 Gold & Sharke

A classic with a twist, the Gold & Sharke heist can be found in Lower Manhattan, and this New York bank won’t know what it hit when the Payday gang rolls up at their doorstep, whether that’s with their masks and guns, or their wits and stealth. Gold & Sharke is a temple of wealth, and players can find a true wonder of money and prosperous wealth when they get inside the vault and rob it for everything inside, leaving nothing but a sandwich behind.

There’s an optional objective to be found within Gold & Sharke, and players can dedicate themselves to chaos or quiet thanks to the fact that they can use stealth or loud, although in loud, they'll want the best support. This heist is fairly large, and Gold & Sharke requires a dedicated team of experienced heisters to perfect.