PAYDAY 3 Modding Documentation

Welcome to the PAYDAY 3 modding documentation.

Find and install mods for your game, or learn to create your own with the custom PAYDAY 3 Unreal Engine 5.5.4 development environment, CrimeForge, and PDML.

Playing with Mods

Start with Playing with Mods to find downloads on ModWorkshop and choose an installation method.

PDML is the recommended mod format. Install PDML and keep each downloaded mod as a complete folder under PAYDAY3/Mods/.

Developing Mods

Start with Getting Started.

The beginner guide takes you from an empty setup to a packaged mod and deliberately avoids requiring knowledge of PAYDAY 3 internals.

The toolchain

Tool Purpose

Custom PAYDAY 3 Editor / Modkit

Provides an Unreal Engine 5.5.4 development environment compatible with the game’s content and reflected types. Installed PAYDAY 3 cooked content can be exposed as read-only reference content without redistributing it with the modkit.

CrimeForge

Editor tooling for creating mod projects from templates, validating content, working with PAYDAY-specific authoring workflows, and packaging mods.

PDML

The runtime mod loader and integration layer used by Blueprint/logic mods, HUD mods, custom heists, mod settings, shared APIs, and other runtime functionality.

What can I make?

The toolchain is intended to support several kinds of mods:

  • Asset replacements

  • Blueprint and logic mods

  • HUD and UI mods

  • Custom Materials and meshes

  • Custom heists

  • New/additive content as support is implemented

Some PAYDAY 3 systems still require additional reverse engineering or tooling. Pages covering those systems clearly identify known limitations instead of presenting incomplete functionality as supported.

PAYDAY 3 base-game content is not part of your mod’s source content.

Cooked game assets exposed by the editor are there to provide references and development context. Do not redistribute base-game assets with your mod.

Choose where to go next