Everything fell apart. We meticulously crafted our plan, ensuring every detail was in place. In the days before the heist, my team and I weren’t just playing around; we were scouting the high-tech bank, gathering the tools needed to blast through the windows, and prepping a swarm of deadly drones to serve as our diversion—a clever guise to infiltrate the bank. We spent days making this plan foolproof. Yet, as with any well-thought-out heist, complications arose.
The culprit was greed—just like always. We had already seized the primary target: crucial data nestled within the mind of a wealthy technocrat CEO, housed in some sophisticated cocoon. We tapped into his cortex, snagged the information we needed, and were ready to make our exit. “Why not grab some extra loot from the other vaults?” proposed one of my teammates—an insider from the 10 Chambers development team.
Why not indeed? Our escape plan was solid—a daring jump from the top floors of a skyscraper straight out of a Dubai skyline. Adding a few more bags of cash to our haul wouldn’t hurt, would it? But as we positioned ourselves on the mezzanine level, security robots and mercenary guards poured in, blasting away with gunfire and deploying shields. One of our own got cornered on the main lobby’s killing floor. A 10 Chambers staffer guarding the right flank was blindsided by a grenade. I was holding the rear, ready for extraction, but some sharpshooter tagged me from across the hall. Game over. The heist was a bust.
This is a top-notch heist game. What I love is that it allows for things to go wrong. “I’ve never seen so many opponents spawn so quickly,” remarked one developer. “It just shows anything can happen!” That unpredictability is Den of Wolves’ ace in the hole. Unlike Payday and Payday 2, where you drop in with minimal planning—maybe one person goes stealthy, another charges headlong, and someone spins in confusion—Den of Wolves demands preparation. In my mind, it’s like Ocean’s 11, where someone inevitably plays the George Clooney mastermind, another the laid-back Brad Pitt, and someone else the bold Matt Damon looking to prove something.
“It’s more akin to Heat, I’d say,” shared Simon Viklund, 10 Chambers co-founder and narrative director, reflecting on our mission. “Think about it—Heat begins with the crew gathering explosives, stealing an ambulance, all meticulously planned.” That’s the blueprint for Den of Wolves, capturing the essence of a heist movie where groundwork is key. Before undertaking a major heist, you complete tasks to arm yourself, secure an escape route, and tip the odds in your favor.
To illustrate, before the main heist—something that could last up to 40 minutes—we ran a 10-minute mission to infiltrate another building and acquire an assault drone. This drone, disguised cleverly, was the key to breaching the vault with minimal resistance. Once inside, it was chaos—but we were at our destination.
“It’s tougher and cooler than an Ocean’s film,” chuckled Viklund. “And there’s more player choice, too. When you see a mission, you think ‘What build fits? Stealth, sniper, or assault?’” Perhaps my downfall was sticking to my sharpshooter roots; a battle rifle or DMR suits me well. If I’d known we’d face a barrage at the end, I might have opted for an SMG or more explosives. Now I muse on my choices from the afterlife.
Den of Wolves builds on Payday’s foundation, adding layers of strategy and risk. The 10 Chambers team—veterans of Payday’s creation—injects stakes, intention, and the potential for spectacular failure. The game channels that thrilling danger, honed through their experience with GTFO, another challenging co-op shooter. Yet, Den of Wolves remains accessible—the only reason our heist failed was due to our greed and overconfidence.
Set in a cyberpunk world, the game’s mechanics are sharp and responsive. DMR shots deliver satisfying impact, and pistols feel powerful, more like a Desert Eagle than a typical sidearm. Carrying loot bags affects your movement realistically, as if you’re lugging $100k across your shoulder. Shooting through energy shields not only feels rewarding but provides both physical and mental gratification as enemy bullets weakly bounce off.
Remarkably, this is a title not even in early access yet; I’m exploring a pre-pre-alpha build, and it’s already this polished. The sequence—planning, preparing, infiltrating, stealing, escaping—becomes more engaging with each session. As you unlock more weapons and customization, the experience grows richer. The game revisits what made Payday groundbreaking in 2011 and ramps it up further. 10 Chambers revealed that Ulf Andersson, creative lead of the original Payday games, envisioned a sci-fi heist long before now; Den of Wolves is the cumulation of this decade-and-a-half journey.
That vision shines through. Den of Wolves is sharp, polished, and prioritizes gameplay—a lesson learned from what Payday 3 couldn’t deliver. 10 Chambers is keenly aware of the niche waiting for a player-centric co-op heist shooter and is all in to see Den of Wolves rise to the occasion. With smart monetization strategies and a keen grasp of the heist-shooter genre, Den of Wolves is set to redefine expectations. All that’s left is for 10 Chambers to pull off the landing.
Den of Wolves is gearing up to launch into Early Access shortly. It’s initially coming to PC, though as of now, the release window remains unspecified.
