Payday 2 is going on four years old, but Starbreeze Studios’ Overkill Software has continued to release content for the bank heist game since launch. Now, Overkill Software is working on a brand-new way to play the first-person shooter — in virtual reality. The studio announced the development in its Starbreeze live-stream event over on Twitch.
Overkill demonstrated how Payday 2 would make the transition to VR with a trailer that panned back and forth between in-game action and a presentation of users playing the game with an HTC Vive headset and motion controllers. You’ll see all of the same Payday 2 environments through the headset, and use a motion controller — or two for dual-wielding — to aim and shoot enemies.
The VR experience won’t just start and stop with shooting, though. You’ll be able to employ a full-body cover system to mimic the game’s traditional cover mechanics, use motion controls to revive teammates, give orders to hostages, and pick up loot. You can watch Payday 2 in VR in action in the teaser above.
Overkill made it clear that the VR update will make the entire game playable in VR. Even better, those who own Payday 2 on PC will gain access to the VR mode free of charge when it launches. Current Payday 2 players won’t have to start over again when the VR experience arrives, as all of your unlocked content will be available in VR. You also don’t have to worry about one of your heist buddies not having a VR headset, because the update will include cross-play. You can play in VR with other people who are playing on traditional screens, and vice-versa.
At this time, the Payday 2 VR update has only been confirmed for HTC Vive, so it’s unclear if Oculus Rift owners will be out of luck. Overkill didn’t announce when the update would be rolled out to the public, but there will be a beta sometime this year.
Overkill also announced that Payday 2 will be receiving an Ultimate Edition in June. From now until June 8, all Payday 2 add-ons are 85 percent off on Steam. After June 8, all of the DLC will come packaged in the Payday 2 Ultimate Edition for $45, but DLC will no longer be sold individually. Overkill has promised to keep supporting Payday 2, and all future add-ons will be released for free.
