"Denuvo is no longer in Payday 3". Those are the words of developer Starbreeze's SBZ_Almir, who stopped by Steam just long enough to welcome heisters to New York City and confirm that – despite prior plans – the third instalment of the fan-favorite shooter would no longer use the troublesome Denuvo DRM system.

As noted by PC Gamer, the change of heart likely comes in the wake of a heated thread on the franchise's subreddit, which saw hundreds of fans share their dismay that the anti-piracy software – so often associated with poor PC performance – would be included.

Although neither Starbreeze nor publisher Deep Silver responded to the thread at the time, it certainly seems that someone noted it, as all mentions of Denuvo have since been scrubbed from the game's Steam storefront.

Payday 3 is set to release on PC (Steam/EGS), PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on September 21. Xbox Game Pass subscribers will be able to play from day one, too.

Developer Starbreeze also recently confirmed a jam-packed calendar of seasonal DLC content, outlining its plans for the next 12 months that will keep players of the co-op action game well-fed for much of 2024. 

A total of four DLCs have been planned, kicking off with Syntax Error DLC, which will drop later this year. Boy in Blue, The Land of the Free, and Fear and Greed DLCs will all come out throughout 2024. There's also additional content planned, such as new playable characters, skill trees, enemies, weapons, features, and quality-of-life updates. What we don't know yet is how much this additional content will cost, as players who don't opt for the Payday 3 Gold Edition will have to buy these DLC packs separately.

Starbreeze Studios also announced that Unreal Engine 5 updates will also be planned in conjunction with the seasonal DLC content. 

If you can't wait for the release of Payday 3, then be sure to check out all of these fantastic co-op games, as well as the best MMO games available to play with friends right now.