# PAYDAY 3 PAYDAY 3: Update 3.6 Changelog - Product: PAYDAY 3 (https://whatsnew.fyi/product/payday-3) - Vendor: Starbreeze Studios - Date: 2026-06-23 - Original notes: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1272080/view/707775112793821057 - Permalink: https://whatsnew.fyi/product/payday-3/releases/2026-06-23-payday-3-update-3.6-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** — Introduced Crimebonds, a themed bundle system to unlock items and unlock base-game content - **added** — Added a new story-driven tutorial mission establishing the relationship between Shade and Houston - **added** — Introduced the HEAT meter that tracks cop defeats and triggers their retreat to reorganize - **added** — Added four new contracts with home-made robbery-style themed rewards - **added** — Added Vanguard armor frame that rewards aggressive playstyle with no speed penalty, two plates or Resistant Armor, and trauma damage recovery - **added** — Added Survivalist armor frame that encourages defense with 5 downs and 3 flexible armor plate slots - **added** — Implemented a brand new Inventory UI - **added** — Added vision cone effect to security cameras - **added** — Made it possible to hack cameras without skill and added info button to the HUD - **added** — Added the ability to traverse by holding down the input - **changed** — Completely reworked Touch the Sky heist with a new roof area and tweaked objectives for smoother flow - **changed** — Revamped the stay as a party function with Yes as default, shorter bar time, and color change from green to orange - **changed** — Dozers are now less likely to be stun locked by regular weaponry unless hit by Overkill Weapons or weapons with specialized skills - **changed** — Interceptor can now be used after reaching 25% charge - **changed** — Redesigned Playback skill to gain Runtime and make hacked security cameras loop footage for 10 seconds - **changed** — Redesigned Security Expert skill to spend Runtime marking guards or law enforcement from hacked cameras and hacking drones - **fixed** — Fixed the issue with hit indicators not showing in the settings menu - **fixed** — Fixed an issue where throwing knives dealt extremely high damage on the result screen - **fixed** — Fixed an issue where hurt animations from explosions would not play correctly for all players in co-op - **removed** — Removed the possibility to play Houston on Houston Breakout Heist **Update 3.6 is here!** Featuring Crimebonds, a brand-new tutorial mission, the new Heat meter, new contracts, new armor frames, and a complete rework of Touch the Sky. ##### Crimebonds Stealth or Loud, shotgun or assault rifle, silencer or loudener(?). PAYDAY is full of choices, and we want those choices to feel informed and meaningful. Crimebonds is one step towards that goal, introducing a way to unlock the items you want anchored in heisting fantasies. We’ve repackaged existing base-game content into two introductory Crimebonds. These themed bundles give us a new avenue to bring free and paid content to the game in the future, in a way that players will understand and that reinforces the fantasies around heisting. ##### Touch the Sky rework Touch the Sky has a brand new coat of paint, and it’s _glistening_! One of the major changes was the addition of a whole new area on the building's roof where the player can start, fight, and escape. The rework also focused on tweaking objectives to ensure a smooth flow throughout the heist. Give it a try, let us know what you think, and happy heisting! ##### New Player Onboarding A new story-driven tutorial has been added, establishing the relationship between Shade and the tutorial protagonist, Houston. It’s a more compact and engaging beginning to the game that teaches players the basics while introducing them to the overall Heisting experience. ##### The HEAT meter The introduction of the HEAT meter aims to give you more control over the flow of combat by rewarding you for efficiency while facing off against the cops. They’ll now retreat after they’ve racked up enough losses, so take advantage of this calmer period by completing objectives! Act quickly though; they'll soon be back to stop you! A meter will be visible under the game state indicator (Negotiation/Assault/Retreat, etc.). As you defeat cops, the bar will increase until it reaches full, at which point they will retreat to reorganize. ##### Four new contracts This month, the rewards are themed around a more home-made, robbery-style than the gang is used to, but still look menacing. Make grandma proud! ##### Vanguard and Survivalist Armor An armor that rewards aggression or one that keeps you wrapped up like a walking fortress? Why not both? Two new armor frames are now available via the Crimebonds: the Vanguard and Survivalist frames. The Vanguard frame rewards an aggressive playstyle; no speed penalty, two plates or Resistant Armor, and the ability to recover trauma damage by defeating enemies. This armor keeps you in the fight as long as there is a fight. The Survivalist frame stands counter to the aggression of the Vanguard. It encourages defense and empowers healing through First Aid Kits, providing 5 downs and 3 flexible armor plate slots. --- ##### Feature - A brand new Inventory UI has been implemented - Added vision cone effect to security cameras - Fixed the issue with hit indicators not showing in the settings menu - Revamped the "stay as a party" function. It's set to "Yes" by default, the bar time is shorter, and changes from green to orange - Now possible to hack cameras without skill. Added info button to the HUD - Added Crimebonds - Reworked Touch the Sky - Added a new tutorial - Added the HEAT mechanic - Added the Vanguard and Survivalist armor frames - Added four new contracts ##### Gameplay - Removed the possibility to play Houston on Houston Breakout Heist - Prevented the gas grenade from dealing damage after the visual effects ended - Dozers are less likely to be stun locked by regular weaponry unless hit by Overkill Weapons or weapons with specialized skills - Interceptor can now be used after reaching 25% charge - Fixed an issue where the throwing knives dealt extremely high damage, when shown on the result screen - Fixed an issue where hurt animations from explosions wouldn't play correctly for all players in co-op - Fixed an issue where the glass viewport on Shi _[Truncated at 4000 characters — full notes: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1272080/view/707775112793821057]_