Payday 2 Diesel 3.0 Update Brings 64-bit Engine and 63% Size Cut

Payday 2 players will soon experience a technical overhaul that directly addresses long-standing stability issues and storage inefficiencies. Sidetrack Games is releasing Diesel 3.0, an update that modernizes the game engine to prevent the frequent crashes that have frustrated the community. This shift matters because it removes the memory limits that previously restricted performance on modern systems. The open beta for this update launches on June 30 and runs through the end of July, giving players early access to these fixes.

Sidetrack Games modernizes the FPS with a 64-bit engine and reduced file size

The core of Diesel 3.0 is a complete rewrite of the game's underlying code base. The development team has migrated the engine from a 32-bit architecture to a 64-bit structure. This architectural change allows the game to access more system memory, which eliminates the out-of-memory errors that often caused unexpected shutdowns. The rendering pipeline has also moved from DirectX 9 to DirectX 11 to improve graphics handling.

Storage efficiency sees a major improvement with the new update. The install size drops from 86 GB to 32 GB, representing a 63 percent reduction in disk space requirements. This change makes the game more accessible for users with limited storage capacity. The 64-bit architecture also reduces texture memory usage on graphics cards, allowing for smoother performance during intense gameplay sessions.

Users with solid-state drives will notice faster loading times due to the optimized engine structure. The update brings benefits to modern hardware configurations that were not fully supported by the previous version. However, the extensive code rewrite means that existing mods will likely break and require updates from their creators. Players should expect some disruption to their current modded setups during the transition period.

Leon Theodoridis, speaking on behalf of the development team, acknowledged that the community had been requesting these changes for a long time. He noted that the team had seen the feedback and recognized the need to modernize the game for current hardware standards. The open beta provides a window for players to test the new stability and performance improvements before the final release.

Source: PCGAMESN