PAYDAY 3 Update 3.8.1 Is Live on Steam, Epic Games Store, and PS5

Xbox and Microsoft Store players will receive the hotfix later on August 27, while the changelog addresses AI behavior, controller support, audio, menus, and several heists.

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PAYDAY 3 Update graphic for the 3.8.1 hotfix

PAYDAY 3 Update 3.8.1 is live on Steam, Epic Games Store, and PlayStation 5, addressing issues that surfaced with the 3.8 update. Xbox and Microsoft Store players will receive the hotfix later on August 27. The official Steam announcement confirms the platform rollout.

AI behavior is at the center of the hotfix. Smoke should protect players correctly again, while stealth AI should no longer detect players at higher elevations because of the previous vision issue. The update also fixes audio in the Tutorial, Penthouse, and main menu, along with a keyboard problem affecting purchase menus.

Controller support receives attention on both PC and PS5. DualSense controllers should work on PC without forcing Steam Input, and PS5 players should see more consistent controller vibration. Xbox players also get a lobby privacy fix that blocks entry to invite-only sessions without an invitation.

The hotfix follows the larger PAYDAY 3 Update 3.8, which moved the game to Unreal Engine 5 and removed bag limits from Cook Off. Several heists receive their own corrections in version 3.8.1, including fixes for stuck AI, Shields, lighting, and fading audio.

PAYDAY 3 Update 3.8.1 Patch Notes

The main changes affect AI targeting, stealth vision, controller support, and menu audio. The heist fixes focus on areas where AI or Shields could become stuck, along with lighting and sound problems in specific jobs.

Changelog

Fixed AI targeting through smoke not being applied correctly, resulting in the smoke not protecting the player as intended.
Fixed the vision code of AI in stealth; their vision would detect players at a higher elevation than before the update.
Fixed audio issues in the Tutorial, Penthouse, and the main menu.
Fixed the “back” button in the purchase menus not working when using a keyboard.
PC (Steam, Epic, Windows Store)
- Fixed DualSense (PS5) controllers not working on PC.
  Steam Players who force-enabled Steam Input in order to play with PS5 controllers prior to this update can now disable it again if desired.
PS5
- Fixed some DualSense controller vibrations not working consistently.
XBOX
- Players can no longer join lobbies that are set to ‘Invite-only’ without an invite.

Heists

Turbid Station
- Fixed AI getting stuck in the basement.
Gold & Sharke + Rock the Cradle
- Fixed Shields getting stuck in certain spawn locations.
Boys in Blue
- Fixed AI getting stuck near the back gate.
- Fixed the lighting in the evidence room.
Houston Breakout
- Fixed AI getting stuck.
Fear & Greed
- Fixed Crew AI from getting stuck on the roof.
Delivery Charge
- Fixed the heist audio from slowly fading out.

The announcement warns that installed mods may conflict with the hotfix, even when they appear unrelated. Removing mods can help identify the cause of continued problems. For an unmodded installation, Steam players can right-click PAYDAY 3 in the library, choose “Properties,” open “LOCAL FILES,” and select “VERIFY INTEGRITY OF GAME FILES…”

Tell us whether the hotfix addresses the issues you encountered in PAYDAY 3 in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, or Telegram.

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.