Payday 2 Engine Upgrade Brings 64 Bit Support, DirectX 11, and a Much Smaller Install Size

Payday 2 is receiving one of its biggest updates in years, with a new Diesel 3.0 engine upgrade set to add 64 bit support, DirectX 11 rendering, better performance, shorter loading times, and a major reduction in storage requirements. The update will first enter open beta on Steam on June 30 before a wider release.

The 13 year old co op heist game has continued to maintain an active audience long after launch, but its older technology has increasingly become a limitation. The upcoming engine update is designed to address that by replacing major parts of the game’s codebase and improving how it runs on modern PCs.

Developer Sidetrack Games says the work has taken around nine months and involves a major rewrite rather than a simple patch. Some improvements will happen behind the scenes, but players should notice better stability, lower memory pressure, and a far smaller installation size.

Payday 2 Will Finally Move to a 64 Bit Architecture

The biggest change is the move from a 32 bit system to 64 bit architecture. This allows Payday 2 to access more than 4GB of RAM, which should improve stability and reduce some of the limits caused by the game’s older technical foundation.

Modern PCs have far more available memory than the game could previously use. The upgrade should help Payday 2 run more reliably across a wider range of systems, especially during large heists with many enemies, effects, AI characters, and mods active at the same time.

The shift could also be important for the modding community. Payday 2 has remained popular partly because of mods that add new weapons, characters, missions, quality of life tools, and gameplay changes. More available memory may give mod creators greater room to build larger and more complex projects in the future.

DirectX 11 Should Improve Efficiency on Older Hardware

Payday 2 is also moving from DirectX 9 to DirectX 11. The upgrade is not mainly focused on improving graphics, but it should reduce VRAM usage and improve efficiency.

That could be useful for lower end PCs, where limited video memory can cause stuttering, reduced performance, or compatibility problems. DirectX 11 should allow the game to make better use of more modern graphics hardware while giving older systems a better chance of running the game smoothly.

The engine update may also reduce loading times and improve overall responsiveness, though the full impact will likely become clearer once the open beta begins.

The Game Will Shrink From 86GB to 32GB

One of the most noticeable improvements will be the reduced file size. Payday 2 currently takes up around 86GB of storage, but the new packaging and bundling system is expected to cut that down to roughly 32GB.

That is a major reduction for a game that has accumulated years of downloadable content, updates, assets, and patches. Players with smaller SSDs or limited storage space should benefit the most.

However, the change requires a full game download. Since many files are being rebuilt and repackaged, existing installations will not simply receive a small update.

Mods Will Likely Break During the Transition

The engine rewrite will likely cause many existing mods to stop working at first. Sidetrack Games has encouraged modders to use the beta period to test, repair, and update their creations before the public release.

That process may be inconvenient for players who rely on heavily modded setups, but it could help Payday 2 remain healthier in the long term. A more modern engine foundation may give the game a better chance of surviving for many more years, even as newer hardware and operating systems continue to change.