Glock 17

Lore & Background

In the Payday world, the Glock 17 is the kind of pistol you find in a janitor's closet, a security guard's drop-safeguard, or a pawn shop display case with a price tag that makes your crew lead snort with amusement. It is not the gun a seasoned thief chooses for a five-star bank job; it is the gun you choose when the plan is to *not* get shot, and the sidearm is merely insurance. Its polymer body is unremarkable, its controls are intuitive, and its 9 mm round punches hard enough to drop a guard in two hits without the recoil kick of a .45.

Across the two main titles, the Glock 17 occupies a similar niche: the sidearm you unlock early, run through a handful of missions to get a feel for the game's gunplay, and then either upgrade past or keep running with a suppressor and an extended magazine because, frankly, it works. In Payday 2's over-the-top arsenal of golden guns and riot shields, the Glock 17 is a reminder that the crew started with something simple. It is the Hoxton-style pragmatism in a 28-ounce polymer package.

Fans often joke that the Glock 17 is the only weapon in the series that never needs a dramatic reveal. No slow-mo spin, no golden shimmer. You pull it, you rack the slide once, and you are already in the next room. In a franchise built on escalating spectacle, that understated reliability is its own kind of character.

In Their Own Story

The rain had turned the parking garage into a mirror of sodium-orange light. Hoxton crouched behind a concrete pillar, balaclava damp, and checked the magazine one more time. Seventeen rounds. He didn't need eighteen. He never did.

"You good?" a voice crackled over the earpiece.

"Always." He racked the slide. The *clack* was swallowed by the hum of fluorescent tubes overhead. Through the gap between two parked sedans he could see the guard's flashlight sweeping the far end of the lot, a lazy arc of white cutting the gloom.

He didn't raise the Glock. Not yet. He let the guard finish his sweep, let the light pass, let the silence stretch just long enough for the man to think the coast was clear. Then the guard turned, and the world narrowed to the sight picture, the breath, the soft *thud* of a single 9 mm round that said: *the job is over, go home.*

He reloaded on the run, never looking back, the polymer frame cold and familiar in his grip. Seventeen rounds gone. He'd pick up the spare in the van. There was always a spare.

Reader's Guide

Glock 17 | Sidearm | 9 mm Luger, striker-fired, polymer frame

The Glock 17 is the most accessible sidearm in the Payday armory. In Payday 2 it is available early in your progression, making it the default choice for players still learning recoil patterns, magazine management, and the value of a suppressor. Its damage per shot is modest compared to .45 or .50 sidearms, but its low recoil and fast follow-up shots make it forgiving in close-quarters corridors.

Attachments vary slightly by title but generally include a suppressor for silent takedowns, an extended magazine to push round count beyond the standard capacity, a laser or red-dot sight for quicker target acquisition, and a compensator or grip option to tame the mild vertical kick. In Payday 2, the Glock 17 can also be reskinned with cosmetic variants once you have the base model.

Unlock: In Payday 2 the Glock 17 is one of the first sidearms you can purchase with in-game cash after completing a handful of early missions. In Payday: The Heist it is available from the start or very early in the progression tree.

Practical role: The Glock 17 shines as a backup weapon in loadouts where your primary is a shotgun, SMG, or submachine gun. Pair it with a suppressor for stealth sections, or run it with an extended magazine for sustained fire in open lobbies. It is not the go-to for a five-star armored bank job, but for a jewelry store, a subway vault, or a quick-and-dirty warehouse hit, it is all the gun you need.

Did You Know?

• The Glock 17 appears in both Payday: The Heist (2011) and Payday 2 (2013), making it one of the few weapons to carry over between the two main entries.
• In Payday 2, the Glock 17 is classified as a 9 mm sidearm, placing it in the same category as the USP-S, Beretta 93FS, and P226, each with different handling and damage profiles.
• The real-world Glock 17, introduced in 1982, was the first widely adopted polymer-framed semi-automatic pistol; its in-game presence mirrors that reputation for being the 'default' choice.
• In Payday 2's over-the-top weapon roster—golden guns, riot shields, even a giant wrench—the Glock 17 stands out as the most grounded, no-frills option, a nod to the franchise's roots in realistic heist planning.