Matchmaking Error in Payday 3, explained

Payday 3 is a lot of fun, but it is not without issues. The matchmaking error has been a common problem that players are running into. It will strike as you are trying to load into a lobby, and sadly, it doesn’t discriminate between trying to play solo, with friends, or going on a heist with strangers. If you have been getting hit by this one, we have some things that might help.

Matchmaking Error in Payday 3, explained

This is an annoying error because it could be you or it could be the servers. As such, there are a number of things to check before resigning yourself to needing to wait for the devs to solve whatever server problems are ongoing.

• Check the servers – hop over to the Payday Twitter account and check to see if the servers are down. This is the first thing to do for a reason, as it has been a pretty common issue since launch. The devs have been great at communicating about these issues on their socials, so they do deserve credit for that.
• Check for updates – If you need to update your game, you won’t be able to load it to any lobby where the version numbers don’t match. Do a quick check to see if you need an update.
• Retry matchmaking – the second thing to do is just try again. It might have been a one-time connection error, and you get lucky with a simple fix.
• Restart the game – sometimes, you’ll need to just restart the game to get your matchmaking back up and running.
• Restart your computer – sorry, but it’s a common fix for things for a reason.
• Restart your browser – it’s a bit more annoying, but your internet connection might be acting up. Try resetting your browser.
• Are you using Wi-Fi? – If yes, try a wired connection to see if that helps resolve the issue.
• Check your firewall – this is not likely unless you have just purchased the game, but is always worth checking. If you are running a firewall, make sure it has no issues with the Payday 3 app.

No shade to the devs, but the most likely issue is that the servers are just down, but they have been getting more and more stable as time goes on. I would advise you to be patient in these circumstances. It might be an obvious thing to say, but keeping the infrastructure for these games up and running can be a very difficult thing, so sit back, relax, and the devs will have it solved for us as soon as they can.