Steam Deck news for co-op fans this weekend: PAYDAY 3 is on a Steam Free Weekend. You can play Starbreeze’s heist FPS for free until 9 November 2026 at 18:00 UK time. It is a free weekend only — not free to keep — so when the clock hits that UK end time, you need a purchased copy to continue. Jump in from the PAYDAY 3 Steam store page, and if the crew clicks for you there is a steep sale running alongside it.
Steam Deck news: PAYDAY 3 free weekend details
Steam shows the free play window ending on 9 November at 10:00am Pacific. In the UK that is 18:00 while we are on UTC+0. Add PAYDAY 3 while the free weekend is active, boot a heist with friends (or solo), and remember progress from free weekends typically carries over if you buy the game afterwards — Steam’s own event copy for this weekend stresses that point for PAYDAY 3.
The accompanying discount in the UK is 70% off: £23.99 down to £7.19 for the base game according to the live GB price overview. That is a deep cut if you already know you want the full Crime.Net fantasy after a few free missions. As always, re-check the store page before paying in case the percentage moves.
PAYDAY 3 released on 21 September 2023 from Starbreeze Entertainment. It is a 1-to-4 player co-op first-person shooter built around planning and executing heists — loud or quiet — then escaping with the loot. Steam lists Action, Adventure and RPG among its genres, with online co-op, cross-platform multiplayer, achievements and partial controller support. It needs an internet connection even for single-player according to Valve’s Deck notes, so this is not an offline commute game.
Steam Deck, Steam Machine and Steam Frame ratings
Valve rates PAYDAY 3 Playable on Steam Deck. The report calls out interface text that is not legible and a default configuration that is not performant. Controller support itself looks healthier: the default controller config is fully functional and the glyphs match the Deck. Valve also notes that single-player gameplay requires an active internet connection, and that external controllers are not supported for the primary player. In plain terms: expect to manage resolution, TDP or community layouts yourself if the stock Deck profile feels rough, and stay online even when you queue solo.
Steam Machine is a brighter story. Valve rates PAYDAY 3 Verified on Steam Machine. The Machine report shows a fully functional default controller config, matching glyphs and a performant default configuration, with the same note that single-player still needs an active internet connection. If you are shopping living-room SteamOS hardware, that Verified Machine badge is the stronger signal of the three platforms here.
Steam Frame is not rated yet by Valve for PAYDAY 3. No Frame result means no Frame claim from me. Enjoy the free weekend on Deck or Machine based on the ratings above, and watch Valve’s compatibility report if Frame support matters to you later.
Who this free weekend is for
If you like co-op shooters and masked heists, a free weekend is the cleanest way to see whether PAYDAY 3’s pacing and live-service structure suit your group. The Deck Playable rating with performance and text caveats means handheld players should treat the trial as a compatibility check as much as a content check. Machine players get the Verified comfort blanket. Either way, you are not locked into a purchase until you decide the £7.19 sale price (while it lasts) is worth it.
I have been covering a lot of co-op and multiplayer Steam Deck news lately, including Pit of Goblin’s 1.0 launch with 6-player co-op, Tricky Madness adding free 4-player split-screen, and a more chaotic local option in the Just Cause 2 split-screen mod on Deck. PAYDAY 3 sits on the online co-op side of that spectrum rather than local split-screen.
Before you queue the first heist
Install from Steam while the free weekend is showing on the store page. Confirm your Deck or Machine is online — Valve’s own Deck and Machine notes say even single-player needs a live connection. On Deck, budget time to tune settings if the default config feels heavy, and be ready for small UI text. On Steam Machine, the Verified rating is the headline. Do not plan around Steam Frame until Valve publishes a rating.
Bottom line: PAYDAY 3 is free to play for the weekend only, until 9 November 2026 at 18:00 UK, with 70% off if you want to keep the Crime.Net career going afterwards. Details and the play-for-free button live on the PAYDAY 3 Steam store page.
