Payday 2 is a one-to-four player co-operative perspective shooter with strong stealth and tactical elements. It is the follow-up to Payday: The Heist , where players can engage in heists of varying degree of difficulties as members of the Payday Crew. Much like the original, the player can rob banks, jewelry stores and the like, but can also take part in operations that can last several days and include a considerable variety of objectives. The game is played in one of two modes: stealth or combat. Players can use stealth to avoid detection and complete heists quietly, or they can engage in extended combat with police followed by an escape. Each mission can be completed at seven different degrees of difficulty, from Normal to Death Wish, with greater rewards for harder missions. Rewards include cash, weapon mods, new masks, and safes containing weapon skins.
There are four classes of skills that can be mixed and matched to customize one's build: Mastermind, Enforcer, Ghost, and Technician. The player purchases these skills using skill points earned by leveling up from XP gained in heists. Players can maintain several different build slots and adjust or fully respec' them at any time outside of an actual heist. Players also progress through "Infamy" levels; a player who has hit level 100 can reset their character to level 1, gaining one infamy level and a small permanent boost. This shows a player's level of progression in the game, with veteran players having 5+ levels of Infamy.
Co-op play is online-only, and players can host game sessions on the game's central server, called Crime.net, either privately or publicly. Co-op play is drop-in, so players can join a game with an open slot at any time before the objective is completed. The game can be played solo offline with up to three AI companions.
The game has a considerable library of expansions and DLC content that provide access to new masks, playable characters, weapons, and weapon mods. While the game is fully playable without DLC purchases, the new weapons and mods give players an advantage over basegame-only peers.