How to unlock safes in Payday 3

Payday 3 safe unlocking
(Image credit: Starbreeze)

Payday 3 safes and safecracking are a minigame that doesn't really go explained, meaning you might be halfway through a heist and suddenly realise you have no idea how to unlock the safe in front of you - which is hardly ideal in a well-planned burglary. Fortunately the safecracking minigame isn't as complex as it initially looks, and having gone through it myself, I'll explain it below so you're never caught unawares. Here's how to unlock a safe in Payday 3 - no code required!

The Payday 3 safecracking minigame explained

Payday 3 safe unlocking

(Image credit: Starbreeze)

To unlock a safe in Payday 3 requires you to go through a little minigame. When you interact with it, you'll immediately get a clear view of the safe's combination dial, and here's what you need to do from that point on:

  1. Turn the dial in the direction indicated by the arrow, left or right.
  2. As you approach the correct number, the dial will start shaking and juddering about. Slow down!
  3. Keep turning the dial, slowly, one number at a time.
  4. When you hit the correct number, the dial will turn green. Hold it there for a second for the first of the 3 icons below to fill in.
  5. Turn the dial in the opposite direction, repeating the above process until you fill in the second icon.
  6. After that, turn the dial back in the first direction and fill in the final icon.
  7. With all 3 correctly input, the safe should open.

Don't worry if you overshoot or input incorrectly - the codes for safes might be random each time you start a new game, but they're at least fixed and consistent within that session. So if a safe code started with 17-83 and then you entered the third number wrong, those first two numbers will remain 17-83 until the game is over.

The actual contents of safes vary depending on what heist you're doing, and will often contain useful info rather than anything more functionally valuable. For example, the safe in the Payday 3 Dirty Ice heist has blackmail material you can use on the manager, while the one in the Payday 3 Rock the Cradle job has a keycard and a code to the club's vault.

Payday 3 safe codes

Payday 3 safe unlocking

(Image credit: Starbreeze)

As far as I've experienced and found, the safes in Payday 3 don't have discoverable codes you can use - but then again, if you can do the minigame above, you don't need them. Codes in Payday 3 are usually tied to more high-tech or larger safety measures, like vaults or security gates, but anything that can be solved with a quick minigame can usually only be solved with a quick minigame.

© 12DOVE. Not to be reproduced without permission

Joel Franey
Guides Writer

Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and raconteur with a Masters from Sussex University, none of which has actually equipped him for anything in real life. As a result he chooses to spend most of his time playing video games, reading old books and ingesting chemically-risky levels of caffeine. 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 USgamer, Gfinity, Eurogamer and more besides.

Read more
Payday 3 no rest for the wicked vault codes
Full Payday 3 No Rest for the Wicked vault codes and guide
Payday 3 rock the cradle
Full Payday 3 Rock the Cradle walkthrough and heist guide
Payday 3 skills tree points
Payday 3 skills, skill tree and skill points explained
Star Wars Outlaws lockpicking explained
Star Wars Outlaws lockpicking and data spike explained
Payday 3 crossplay and cross platform with friends
How to play Payday 3 crossplay with friends on other consoles
Black ops 6 safe code
How to get the Black Ops 6 safe code
Latest in Action
Jordan A. Mun looks at herself in a mirror in just a vest in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet screenshot
5 years after starting development, Neil Druckmann says Naughty Dog's new game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is "still evolving and changing as we're making it"
Jordan A. Mun looks at herself in a mirror in just a vest in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet screenshot
The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann says Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet will also be about "being lonely," as if his zombie apocalypse wasn’t isolating enough: "I really want you to be lost"
A screenshot of Jordan drinking a soda during the reveal trailer for Intergalactic: The Hertic Prophet.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is "a game about faith and religion," which Neil Druckmann jokes will surely get less hate than The Last of Us 2
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Indy hanging onto a vine as in Raiders of the Lost Ark
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle PS5 release date reportedly set for April after ESRB leak
Death Stranding 2
Hideo Kojima says he'll "apologize beforehand" for Death Stranding 2 moments with Troy Baker's Higgs which are "so ridiculous" that "you'll probably throw the controller"
a titanium watch with grey and orange features on the arms and face
You can look like Solid Snake with this Death Stranding 2 watch, but it'll cost you over $1,500
Latest in Guides
FC 25
FC 25 FUT Birthday guide and full cards list
Assassin's Creed Shadows Claws of Awaji expansion Naoe and Yasuke in Awaji forest
Assassin's Creed Shadows roadmap, DLC and future content
A scary emoji shown in horror game REPO.
Is REPO coming to consoles?
Monster Hunter Wilds Nu Udra Palico
How to get the Monster Hunter Wilds Aqua Sac and Flame Sac
WWE 2K25
WWE 2K25 DLC guide to all Season Pass wrestlers
Monster Hunter Wilds screenshot showing a fiery octopus monster grabbing player
Monster Hunter Wilds Black Flame location and boss fight guide