PAYDAY 3’s Unreal Engine 5 Beta Runs on Steam Through August 10

The performance test ends Monday, August 10, at 10 a.m. CEST, and its progression remains separate from live accounts.

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PAYDAY 3 Unreal Engine 5 Open Beta announcement graphic available on Steam

PAYDAY 3 is running an Open Beta on Steam focused on performance and stability for its Unreal Engine 5 version. The test will remain available through Monday, August 10, at 10 a.m. CEST, giving players a few days to test the game across different PC hardware setups.

The beta is hosted on a separate Steam branch. The game’s Steam announcement asks players to report crashes, visual problems, frame-rate drops, troublesome settings, and differences in loading times.

How to join the PAYDAY 3 Open Beta

Joining the test only takes a few clicks:

Open your Steam Library and right-click PAYDAY 3.
Select Properties.

Open the Game Versions & Betas tab.
Select the Open Beta branch from the available versions.
Close the window and launch the game normally.

Steam Game Versions and Betas tab with the Open Beta branch selected

What players should test and report

The main goal is to gather performance data from a wider mix of PC configurations. Players should keep an eye out for graphical corruption, visual issues, settings that do not work correctly, major frame-rate drops, and changes to loading times.

PAYDAY 3 includes an FPS counter that can help with comparisons. Turn it on from Settings > User Interface > FPS Count.

PAYDAY 3 User Interface settings with FPS Count enabled

If the game crashes, use the Crash Reporter that appears afterward and select Send. For problems that do not trigger a crash, create a DxDiag report and submit it through the Open Beta Report Form.

Creating a DxDiag report

Open the Windows Start menu.
Enter dxdiag and launch the DirectX Diagnostic Tool.
Click Save All Information in the bottom-right corner to create a .txt file.

Players with privacy concerns can remove their machine or system name, file paths that include their username, and details identifying an employer or organization before submitting the report.

Beta progression and current issues

Because the Open Beta uses a different backend from the live game, progress will not carry over. Everyone starts from the beginning in the test, while weapons, loadouts, and progression on the live account remain unchanged after switching back.

The beta also includes a quick way to reach level 150 and receive $2,400,000:

Play Smash and Grab – Search and Seizure.
Choose Normal difficulty and play loud.
Collect exactly six bags. Do not collect more than six.
Complete the heist.

There are a few known limitations. DLSS and TAAU are currently non-functional, although AMD FSR3 and Intel XeSS may still be used. Anti-aliasing cannot be fully disabled, and ModLoader instantly crashes the game.

Try the branch before it closes on August 10, then share your thoughts in the comments and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, and Instagram.

Payday 3 is the much anticipated sequel to one of the most popular co-op shooters ever. Since its release, Payday-players have been reveling in the thrill of a perfectly planned and executed heist. That’s what makes Payday a high-octane, co-op FPS experience without equal. Step out of retirement back into the life of crime in the shoes of the Payday Gang, the envy of their peers and the nightmare of law-enforcement wherever they go. Several years after the crew’s reign of terror over Washington DC has ended, they assemble once again to deal with the threat that roused them out of early retirement.