As promised, Starbreeze Studios announced its Payday 3 closed beta in time for August. The Payday 3 closed beta starts on August 2 and ends on August 7, so you have to move fast if you want to get a sneak peek at the upcoming heist-themed co-op shooter. Thankfully, the developer looks like its still accepting sign-ups. Here's how to get into the Payday 3 closed beta.
Where to find the Payday 3 Request Access buttonYou can request access to the Payday 3 closed beta through Steam or the Xbox Insider Hub. Unfortunately, PlayStation fans don't have their own closed beta.
For Steam, go to the Payday 3 Steam page and scroll down past the options to pre-purchase the game. At the bottom of the list, there's a section about the Payday 3 Playtest with a green button that reads "Request Access." Click through the prompt until it confirms that you successfully requested access to the playtest.
After that, all there's left to do is wait and keep an eye on the email linked to your Steam account. If you get accepted into the playtest, the developer will send an email notification with further instructions. Starbreeze writes on Steam that it goes through requests and accepts people into the closed beta multiple times throughout the day.
For Xbox, log in to your Xbox account on console and open the Xbox Insider Hub app. As per the Xbox blog, the Payday 3 closed beta sign-ups should be under the Previews section. Select Join and wait for registration to complete. Note that this doesn't necessarily mean you will be accepted into the beta--it's just a form saying that you're interested. Like the Steam playtest, the developer will send a message to the email you have linked to your Xbox account if you get in.
The Payday 3 Xbox closed beta will start on August 2 at 1 AM PT/4 AM PT and end on August 7 at the same time. It's unclear if the same times apply to the Steam playtest.
Payday 3 will launch on September 21, 2023 for PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5. It's also available starting on day one for Xbox Game Pass.