What is Telemetry in Payday 3?

(Image credit: Starbreeze Studios)

If you're wondering what is Payday 3 telemetry, then you've probably been asked if you want to opt in or opt out of this feature as soon as you start up the game. However, it isn't made clear what telemetry actually is or how it is used, so it's difficult to make an informed decision about whether you should allow it. In actual fact, it's merely a way for the developers to gather feedback on how the game is being played so they can use that information to inform future updates, which doesn't have any effect on your personal experience. If you're looking for more details, then we'll explain telemetry in Payday 3 below, and outline what happens if you opt in.

Payday 3 telemetry explained

Telemetry in Payday 3 is simply when the developers, in this case Starbreeze, are able to document certain aspects and information of the way you play the game. Payday 3 isn't particularly clear about what it's capturing, but in a 2020 update for Payday 2, Starbreeze said telemetry "does NOT involve collecting or storing any personal information, but rather focuses on bulk data and big-picture playing patterns. We will track things such as which heists are the most played, average play session length, and the relative popularity of different weapons, perk decks and heisters."

Assuming that telemetry in Payday 3 works the same way, this suggests that it'll be simple gameplay trends and popularity of certain elements that'll be documented, rather than anything more specific to the player. However, if you're more careful about your data, which is more than fair, there doesn't appear to be any downside to opting out of telemetry, at least for you personally, though it's likely that choices about patches, nerfs, buffs and gameplay tweaks will be heavily informed and influenced by the data that's gathered this way - for example, if nobody's playing with a certain gun, it's likely to get a buff to make it more desirable.

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Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and Very Tired Man with a BA from Brunel University, a Masters from Sussex University and a decade working in games journalism, often focused on guides coverage but also in reviews, features and news. His love of games is strongest when it comes to groundbreaking narratives like Disco Elysium, UnderTale and Baldur's Gate 3, as well as innovative or refined gameplay experiences like XCOM, Sifu, Arkham Asylum or Slay the Spire. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at Eurogamer, Gfinity, USgamer, SFX Magazine, RPS, Dicebreaker, VG247, and more.