# PAYDAY 2 PAYDAY 2: Update 243 Changelog - Product: PAYDAY 2 (https://whatsnew.fyi/product/payday-2) - Vendor: OVERKILL - a Starbreeze Studio. - Date: 2026-02-20 - Original notes: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/218620/view/525367282147264804 - Permalink: https://whatsnew.fyi/product/payday-2/releases/2026-02-20-payday-2-update-243-changelog What's New is an index, not a publisher: every entry below links to the vendor's own release notes, which are the authoritative source. Entries are labelled where they are hand-curated sample data, pre-releases, or drawn from a secondary source such as a developer blog. Reuse: the summaries, labels and curation here are © What's New. Quote freely with attribution and a link back; wholesale republication of the corpus is not permitted — terms: https://whatsnew.fyi/terms. The vendors' own release notes remain their publishers'. --- - **added** — Mega Richard Returns mask with special mask customization mechanic - **added** — Shock Baton, a new shock melee weapon free for everyone - **added** — Free Paint Stripper material that reveals original mask design through patterns - **added** — Search bars to mask customization menus and melee selection menus - **added** — Proper icon for electric ammo - **added** — Status effect icons for melee weapons - **added** — Crew Setup page on mission briefing menu now shows equipped throwables and secondary deployables - **changed** — Mask customization system overhauled to use accent materials instead of colors, with materials sorted by color - **changed** — Mask color inventory items converted to materials - **changed** — Many mask patterns re-exported in higher quality - **changed** — Jacket Character Pack now available on Steam and Epic platforms for all countries and PC platforms - **changed** — Reimplemented counter tase animation for aced version of Shockproof skill - **changed** — Reduced base count of allowed enemy groups from 15, 17, 18 to 14, 16, 17 - **changed** — Adjusted activation and deactivation checks for Sixth Sense skill - **changed** — Profile switcher menu overhauled with reorder buttons for sorting builds and full profile display in one panel - **changed** — Profile switcher menu can now be opened with a controller - **fixed** — HE ammo self-damage reverted to values from before update 242 - **fixed** — China Puff grenade launcher being able to deal crit damage - **fixed** — Incorrect default reflections on several masks causing performance drops - **fixed** — Suppressor hitbox removed from Suppressed Sentry Gun equipment to prevent dealing damage through its shield - **fixed** — Potential crash related to spawning Gage packages ##### Hello heisters! This update focuses on mask customization, general fixes and a new method to obtain the Jacket character- Lets get to the good stuff! --- ##### Mask Customization Overhaul _Welcome to the future of mask making!_ We put some time overhauling the mask customization system from the original 2013 "_one material, two colors" _into something more modern and flexible_- _The new system will now utilize your entire roster of unique **materials as colors!** _*All mask colors in your inventory (and modified masks) will be automagically converted to flat color materials_ Alongside this overhaul we've put together a handful of new patterns to look out for! --- ##### Jacket Character Pack Jacket Character Pack can now be bought on Steam and Epic platforms, making him available to all countries and PC platforms! All existing and future owners of Jacket Character Pack or Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number: Deluxe Edition can find a brand new **Mega Richard Returns** mask- Which also has a special mask customization mechanic if you want to get more colorful. ;) --- ##### **PAYDAY 2: Update 243 Changelog** ##### Update Size: 78.4 MB ##### Masks - Added the Mega Richard Returns mask - Owning _Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number - Digital Special Edition_ or _Jacket Character Pack_ will give you the mask - Overhauled mask cosmetic system: Instead of colors, masks now use accent materials - Added free "Paint Stripper" material that will reveal the original mask design through patterns - Converted mask color inventory items to materials - Mask materials are now sorted by color - Re-exported many mask patterns in higher quality - Unfortunately some patterns may be lost to time, but they all got a pass to fix color bleeding issues from the old system - Fixed incorrect default reflections on several masks which would cause performance drops for some PCs ##### Weapons - Added a new shock melee weapon free for everyone: The Shock Baton - Reverted HE ammo self-damage to values from before update 242 - Fixed China Puff grenade launcher being able to deal crit damage ##### Gameplay - Reimplemented the counter tase animation used for the aced version of the "Shockproof" skill - Reduced the base count of allowed enemy groups (from 15, 17, 18 to 14, 16, 17 ) - Adjusted activation/deactivation checks for the "Sixth Sense" skill - Reloading, swapping weapons or aiming down sights will no longer cancel the skills effect - Moving in a tiny area will no longer cancel the skills effect - Removed suppressor hitbox from Suppressed Sentry Gun equipment to prevent dealing damage through its shield - Fixed a potential crash related to spawning Gage packages - Fixed the mounted turret bag being secured when completing a heist with it on your back - Fixed parachute debris causing players to "land" on top of it and fall to their deaths ##### UI - Overhauled the profile switcher menu - Added reorder buttons for sorting your builds - Profiles now show the full profile in one panel - Profile switcher menu can now be opened with a controller - Added search bars to the mask customization menus and the melee selection menus - Added a proper icon for electric ammo - Added status effect icons for melee weapons - The Crew Setup page on the mission briefing menu now shows equipped throwables and secondary deployables - Fixed lobby codes not copying properly on Proton or when there was already something in the clipboard ##### Heists ##### Crude Awakening - Fixed mission critical dialogue for the pressure valves objective not playing when the "Mute Contractors Voices" option is enabled ##### Reservoir Dogs - Fixed the "Just Shut up and Take My Money!" achievement not awarding --- _Updates may be incompatible with the mods you may have installed. Even seemingly unrelated mods may cause unexpected issues. If you are experiencing any problems with the game; try removing any mods you may have installed and try again._ _If _[Truncated at 4000 characters — full notes: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/218620/view/525367282147264804]_