Starbreeze has stirred up a storm among its loyal Payday 2 fanbase by rolling out a new subscription service while quietly increasing the price of its massive DLC bundle, the Infamous Collection. 
The decision has reignited old frustrations about the studio’s handling of content and pricing for its long-running cooperative heist shooter.
The new offering, priced at $4.99 per month or $19.99 for six months, promises access to more than 65 DLC packs released over Payday 2’s twelve-year lifespan. According to Starbreeze, the subscription is designed to make it easier for newcomers or returning players to explore the game’s hefty content library without having to buy each expansion individually. Subscribers can cancel anytime, and all existing DLCs remain available for purchase separately.
Gustav Nisser, Starbreeze’s head of commercial, framed the move as a way to give the community more choice. “With more than a decade of content behind Payday 2, we want to give players greater flexibility in how they experience the game. Whether you’re brand new or just want to revisit content you missed, the subscription provides a cost-effective option.”
Yet the announcement has been overshadowed by a parallel move: the sudden 50% price increase of the Infamous Collection bundle, which went from $100 to $150. The timing has left many players feeling the subscription is less about consumer choice and more about nudging people away from buying the full bundle outright. Fans argue that the stealthy hike undermines goodwill, especially since no formal communication accompanied the change.
Critics were quick to point out that Payday 2’s DLC history has long been a sore spot. Some packs are widely viewed as offering limited value, such as cosmetic sets or weapon bundles with just a couple of guns, yet carrying steep price tags. For many, the subscription might make sense as a temporary option – try the game for a month or two without breaking the bank. But the frustration stems from Starbreeze’s decision to quietly alter permanent bundle pricing alongside this new initiative.
“I understand the idea,” said one player in discussion threads. “Newcomers can subscribe for a month and dip into everything without paying hundreds upfront. That’s fair. But the DLC bundle being hiked right before? That’s where they lost me. Some of these packs are already overpriced, and this feels like they’re pushing us into the subscription whether we want it or not.”
Another longtime fan summed it up bluntly: “The subscription itself isn’t the issue – it’s the Infamous Collection price hike. They did this quietly, and it looks sneaky. It’s like they’re trying to slip it past us.” Several others echoed the sentiment, accusing the company of repeating past missteps, like the infamous reversal years ago when the studio promised no further Payday 2 DLCs before eventually releasing more anyway.
The unease doesn’t stop with Payday 2. With Payday 3’s rocky launch still fresh in memory, players fear similar tactics may bleed into the newer title. The recent Crude Awakening heist for Payday 3 was priced higher than fans expected, sparking speculation that the company may use Payday 2 as a testing ground for new monetization strategies. Some see the subscription as a blueprint for what might come next.
Equally concerning for the community is Starbreeze’s silence. At the time of writing, the developer has not issued any clarification or public response about the Infamous Collection’s new price point. For a game that has relied heavily on its loyal base to survive more than a decade, the lack of transparency cuts deep. Players worry that these tactics – quiet price hikes, vague terms about whether the subscription covers future DLC – risk alienating even the most dedicated fans.
For all its controversies, Payday 2 remains one of the most successful cooperative shooters of its kind. Its steady updates, creative heist design, and loyal player base kept it alive long past industry expectations. But moments like these show how fragile goodwill can be. Fans who stuck with the game for over a decade are voicing frustration, not because of the subscription itself, but because of the way Starbreeze appears to be maneuvering behind the scenes. In an industry increasingly reliant on subscriptions and microtransactions, trust is a currency as valuable as money – and right now, Starbreeze risks overspending it.
Until the company addresses the backlash, the debate will continue: is the subscription a fair way to experience a mountain of content, or just another move in a long line of monetization missteps? For many Payday veterans, the answer lies not in the price of a monthly pass, but in whether the developer chooses honesty over sleight of hand.
2 comments
future of Payday 3 looks grim if this is the direction
this feels so sneaky, like they think we wont notice 🤡