PAYDAY 3 vs Zero Hour
PAYDAY 3 is an FPS RPG game from Starbreeze Studios (2023) while Zero Hour is an FPS simulation game from AttritoM7 Productions (2024).
What each one is
Steam files PAYDAY 3 under FPS and RPG. In contrast, it files Zero Hour under FPS and Simulation.
PAYDAY 3 is the ultimate co-op FPS crime fantasy. Choose between stealth or loud playstyles, customize your character, and get ready to pull off the perfect heist.
Zero Hour is a tactical FPS with online team-based game play that takes place in a variety of fictional locations interpreted in Bangladesh with Real-life scale & resource management. It brings a grounded, close quarter combat experience to the game.
At a glance
| PAYDAY 3 | Zero Hour | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 5.4/10 | 6.9/10 |
| Steam rating | Mixed (46%, 65,328) | Mostly Positive (77%, 33,371) |
| Critic aggregate | 66/100 | No aggregate |
| Price | $14.99 | $9.99 |
| Install size | 45 GB | 25 GB |
| Steam Deck | playable | unsupported |
| Released | 2023 | 2024 |
| Developer | Starbreeze Studios | AttritoM7 Productions |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
PAYDAY 3 vs Zero Hour, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
PAYDAY 3FPS RPG gameZero HourFPS simulation gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
PAYDAY 3Heist, Co-op, CrimeZero HourTactical, Shooter, FPSThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
PAYDAY 3Score 5.4 · 46% on Steam · 66 criticZero Hour ✓Score 6.9 · 77% on SteamThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
PAYDAY 365,328 reviews · 13 add-ons · 45 GBZero Hour33,371 reviews · 7 add-ons · 25 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
PAYDAY 3$14.99Zero Hour ✓$9.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
PAYDAY 3 ✓PlayableZero HourUnsupportedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Zero Hour takes 2 of the marked rounds to 1. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole cataloguePAYDAY 3 and Zero Hour on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Zero Hour (GamingPickz Score 6.9)
- The cheaper right now: Zero Hour ($9.99)
- Better on a Steam Deck: PAYDAY 3 (playable)
- Lighter on storage: Zero Hour (25 GB)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
Co-opActionMultiplayerFPSShooterStealthTacticalOnline Co-Op
Where they differ
HeistCrimeAmericaDark HumorGun CustomizationRPG
SingleplayerMilitaryThird-Person ShooterPvPTeam-BasedStrategy
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, PAYDAY 3 is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Zero Hour is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| PAYDAY 3 | Zero Hour | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | Nvidia GTX 1650 (4 GB) | Nvidia Geforce GTX 750TI 2GB |
| Minimum CPU | Intel Core i5-9400F | Intel Core i3-7100 |
| Minimum RAM | 16 GB | 12 GB |
| Install size | 45 GB | 25 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: PAYDAY 3 · Zero Hour.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 7 accessibility features for PAYDAY 3 and 0 for Zero Hour. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are PAYDAY 3 and Zero Hour in scope?
PAYDAY 3 has drawn 65,328 Steam reviews, ships 13 add-ons and installs in 45 GB. Zero Hour has drawn 33,371 Steam reviews, ships 7 add-ons and installs in 25 GB.
Is PAYDAY 3 or Zero Hour better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Zero Hour rates higher (6.9 to 5.4). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, PAYDAY 3 or Zero Hour?
Zero Hour is cheaper right now at $9.99, against $14.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.