Payday 3 Drops Denuvo DRM A Week Before Release

Just a week before its release, Payday 3 developer Starbreeze announced that it has removed the anti-piracy software Denuvo from the PC version of Payday 3.

"Hello heisters, we want to inform you that Denuvo is no longer in PAYDAY 3," said Starbreeze global brand director Almir Listo in a Steam update. "We look forward to seeing you in New York City! Happy heisting!"

It's unclear why Starbreeze decided to remove Denuvo so early, especially since the game isn't available to the wider public until September 21. Those who purchased the Silver and Gold Editions of the game can play the game now as they received the early access perk. Denuvo is an anti-piracy software that has attracted a less-than-stellar reputation, though we don't know if that played a role in the decision to abandon it just before launch, when companies are most concerned about piracy.

Players aren't typically fans of Denuvo because the software is known to negatively impact the performance of games on PC (though Denuvo itself disputes these claims).

Starbreeze took the opposite route of what developers usually do, which is adding in Denuvo days before release. Capcom did that with Street Fighter 6 back in June, and Tango Gameworks did so as well when Ghostwire: Tokyo got its Spider's Thread update.

Payday 3 is available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. The game will also get several post-launch DLC updates during its first year. There will be four DLC packs featuring seasonal events, skill lines, new weapons, and quality of life updates.