If they kept this game in the oven for another year, and added everything that they've added so far as base game content, I think Payday 3's launch wouldn't have been so rough. Update 9 is looking extremely promising to bring the "Payday" feel back to the game.

After 1 year, I can finally write this review.
It started as a train wreck. The game was unplayable and legit not fun at all. The grind was tedious, and the reward was non existing.
But now the game feels really smooth. They ditched the crappy challenge mechanic, and there's rewards for going all loot possible. The new heists are really fun, as well as the weapons included. The new UI and server browsing look very promising.
In general, yes, this game is worth buying now. It wasn't at the start, but after 180 hours, I can finally say that they managed to fix this game and provide it a promising future.

Starbreeze, we didn't want Payday: The Heist 2. We wanted Payday 2 2. That being said - Payday 3 feels good, every movement and mechanic has the potential to be fun (even if that potential has not been reached yet) and every new heist feels like a great progression of design.

The biggest problem however, are the skill trees: I have no clue who told you that the perk decks from 2 should have been the new hotness, but that guy needs to be fired. Every single skill feels virtually useless (and not fun) at the lower levels, and boring (and tedious) at the higher levels. I understand that the focus was to have 3's gameplay feel more proactive, but the main draw of the skills AND the perks of 2 were how passive they were. These skills and perks allowed players to focus completely on their skill and not the loadout that they've selected.

One great hindrance PD3 has is a stark lack of charm and emotion in the heisters and, more egregiously, the contractors. Every single member of the new cast feels bland or uncaring compared to the iconic perfomances of old. This game somehow feels like a step forward in design and visual fidelity, with a somersault backwards in forethought and passion.

Please: keep working on this game. It shows so much potential and promise that it would be a disservice to your fanbase, and your company to not do so.

We didn't want Payday: The Heist 2
We wanted Payday 2 2
But, imagine how wonderful Payday 3 can be