Max Payne 3

Max Payne 3

Developers
	Rockstar Vancouver
	Rockstar London
	Rockstar Toronto
	Rockstar New England
	Rockstar San Diego
	Rockstar Leeds
	Rockstar North
	Rockstar Lincoln
macOS (OS X)	TransGaming
Publishers
	Rockstar Games
Russia	1C-SoftClub
Poland	Cenega
Engines
	RAGE
Release dates
Windows	June 1, 2012
macOS (OS X) (Cider)	June 20, 2013
Reception
Metacritic	87
OpenCritic	82
IGDB	89
Taxonomy
Monetization	DLC, One-time game purchase
Microtransactions	None
Modes	Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	Third-person
Controls	Direct control
Genres	Action, Shooter, TPS
Art styles	Realistic
Themes	Contemporary, Detective/mystery, North America, South America
Series	Max Payne

Max Payne
Max Payne	2001
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne	2003
Max Payne 3	2012
Max Payne 1&2 Remake	TBA

Warnings

The macOS (OS X) release of this game does not work on macOS Catalina (version 10.15) or later due to the removal of support for 32-bit-only apps.

GameSpy online services have been shut down (see Network for solutions).

Max Payne 3 is a singleplayer and multiplayer third-person action, shooter and TPS game in the Max Payne series.

The OS X version suffers from multiple issues, one being the complete lack of multiplayer, due to the GameSpy services being shut down.

General information

Official support

Official changelog (2012–2015)

GeForce Tweak Guide

Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Steam and Rockstar Games Social Club online key verification on launch.

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail		Comes on four DVDs. Retail version can be activated on Rockstar Games Launcher.
Official website		If the Steam version is detected, the launcher can launch the game through Steam instead.
Green Man Gaming
Humble Store
Steam		DLC is loaded through the Rockstar Games Social Club and Rockstar Games Launcher. Logging in there is required independently from Steam, after game launch.
Amazon.com (unavailable)
GamersGate (unavailable)
(unavailable)
Mac App Store (unavailable)

All versions require Rockstar Games Social Club for activation and online features. Steam version also requires Rockstar Games Launcher since game update v1.0.0.255.

All Windows versions use GameShield IronWrap DRM. Rockstar have not disclosed details of how many machine activations are allowed nor any other restrictions. Unknown if this DRM is still included in the latest digital releases.

If not launching through Steam, the Rockstar Games Launcher will perform integrity checks on every launch, preventing any mods from being used.

Monetization

Type	Notes
DLC
One-time game purchase	The game requires an upfront purchase to access.

Microtransactions

Type	Notes
No microtransactions	[dubious – discuss]

DLC and expansion packs

All DLC included in base game since a game update v1.0.0.255 on April 19, 2021, also for existing users who never bought the DLC.

Name	Notes
Cemetery Map
Classic Max Payne Character
Deadly Force Burst
Gorilla Warfare Pack
Pill Bottle Item
Rockstar Pass
Silent Killer Loadout Pack
Special Edition Pack
Local Justice Pack	Released on August 9, 2012.
Disorganized Crime Pack	Free. Released on August 28, 2012.
Hostage Negotiation Pack	Released on October 30, 2012.
Painful Memories Pack	Released on December 4, 2012.
Deathmatch Made in Heaven Pack	Released on January 22, 2013.

Essential improvements

Patches

Updates for the retail versions can be found here.

Fusion Fix

Fixes various crashes and other bugs, such as Hoboken Alleys map crash and random game pausing.

Adds borderless fullscreen windowed mode.

Adds button prompts for various gamepads.

Adds an option to skip intro.

Also adds the ability to hide the "skip" button in cutscenes and an option to increase the size of subtitle text outlines.

Installation
Go to Releases and download the latest version. Extract the contents of the archive to <path-to-game>. Notes Includes Ultimate ASI Loader. To use this alongside Methanhydrat's FOV fix, rename ASI loader's dinput8.dll to d3d11.dll, d3d10.dll or d3d9.dll.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Rockstar Games\Max Payne 3\
macOS (OS X)
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/204100/pfx/

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Rockstar Games\Max Payne 3\Profiles\<user-id>\
macOS (OS X)
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/204100/pfx/

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
OneDrive		Requires enabling backup of the Documents folder in OneDrive on all computers.
Steam Cloud

Video

Video settings

Display settings

Letterboxed behavior example (16:10 resolution used)

Graphics feature	State	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution			Aspect ratios narrower than 16:9 are letterboxed in non-engine cutscenes.
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen			Displays incorrectly game UI, FMV and cutscenes. See Ultra-widescreen for a fix.
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)		Use Methanhydrat's FOV fix. Default is 45° vertical; see FOV calculator for help.
Windowed		Can also use the -windowed parameter.
Borderless fullscreen windowed		Apply Fusion Fix.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)		Up to 16 samples.
Anti-aliasing (AA)		Low to Very High FXAA, and up to 8x MSAA.
High-fidelity upscaling		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Vertical sync (Vsync)		Double-buffered in fullscreen mode, triple-buffered in windowed mode. Alt-tabbing out of and back to fullscreen mode may change double buffering to triple buffering.[citation needed]
60 FPS
120+ FPS		Frame rates higher than 60 FPS break the camera after performing a Bullet Time Shootdodge.[citation needed]
High dynamic range display (HDR)		HDR experience can be improved using: RenoDX See the glossary page for potential alternatives.
Color blind mode		See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

MSAA is unusually demanding and not especially effective compared to other games. FXAA offers good results and far better performance.

Ultra-widescreen

Apply Lyall's fix[citation needed]
Go to Releases and download the latest version. Extract the contents of the archive to <path-to-game>. Notes Includes Ultimate ASI Loader. To use this alongside Methanhydrat's FOV fix, rename the ASI loader's dinput8.dll to d3d11.dll, d3d10.dll or d3d9.dll.

Input

Key map settings

Mouse settings

Gamepad settings

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping
Mouse sensitivity		The Y-axis is 75% slower than X-axis, a close to 1:1 aim can be achieved by having the in-game Y-axis on "5" and the X-axis on "3". A more precise 1:1 aim could be achieved by having both in-game axis at the same setting and using separate DPI values via supported mouse software (e.g. 1400 DPI on Y-axis and 800 DPI on X-axis).
Mouse acceleration		Has a toggle for positive mouse acceleration, however frame rate dependent negative mouse acceleration is always present.
Mouse input in menus
Keyboard and mouse prompts
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support
Full controller support
Controller remapping		4 presets available.
Controller sensitivity		The Y-axis is 75% slower than X-axis, a close to 1:1 aim can be achieved by having the in-game Y-axis on "5" and the X-axis on "3".
Controller Y-axis inversion

Controller types

DirectInput-compatible controllers

PlayStation controllers		See DualShock 4 or DualSense.
PlayStation button prompts		Apply Fusion Fix for DualShock 3/4 and DualSense button prompts.
Motion sensors support
Light bar support
Adaptive trigger support
DualSense haptic feedback support
Connection modes

Nintendo controllers

Additional information
Controller hotplugging
Input prompt override		Apply Fusion Fix for various Controller button prompts.
Haptic feedback
Simultaneous controller+KB/M		Button prompts switch flickers between keyboard + mouse and controller input. Right stick camera and mouse camera inputs conflict with each other, certain actions (like Pause and Roll actions) may not work properly, and Aim Assist can be activated regardless of Aim Mode (for controllers).

Audio

Audio settings

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		Music, SFX.
Surround sound		Up to 5.1 output.
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Royalty free audio

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
Czech				Fan translation, download.
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Polish				Polish lector [2]
Brazilian Portuguese				Limited to some characters and enemies.
Russian				Official localization by «1C-SoftClub».
Russian				Fan translation by «ENPY Studio», download. More faithful to the original storytelling and contains all of the strong language official localization lacks.
Spanish
Swedish				Fan translation. Available to download.
Ukrainian				Fan translation. Available to download.

Most languages can be forced by using -language parameter. For Brazilian Portuguese, use -language portuguese. Other available values are english, french, german, italian, polish, russian, and spanish.

Network

Voice chat settings

Multiplayer types

Type	Native	Notes
Local play
LAN play
Online play		Versus, Co-op Co-op included in Deathmatch Made in Heaven Pack DLC. OS X multiplayer no longer works.

Connection types

Type	Native	Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Self-hosting
Direct IP

VR support

3D modes	State	GG3D	Notes
Nvidia 3D Vision			Dual-View Rendering Enable DX11, MSAA = OFF, Ambient Occlusion = SSAO
TriDef 3D
vorpX		Dual-View Rendering (G3D), Single-View Depth Reprojection (Z3D) or DirectVR Game officially supported by vorpX.

Devices
3RD Space Gaming Vest
Novint Falcon

Issues unresolved

Infinite loading in New York Minute Hardcore

The game might become stuck on infinite loading screen in the Pt. II of Chapter 6 (Branco's office on fire).

Some users report that they don't reproduce the issue after giving at least 5 attempts at the mode. Other workarounds include not skipping cutscenes, and waiting 20 seconds before pressing Continue button.

Game crashes during first cutscene, once starting New Game after completion

Only some users confirmed that on their end enabling DX9 solved this problem.

Issues fixed

Unable to sign into Rockstar Games Social Club

Delete and recreate Steam related files
Go to <path-to-game>. Delete maxpayne3_steam.ini, steam_api.dll and steam_appid.txt. Verify integrity of game files to recreate deleted files.

Crash when selecting Hoboken Alleys map in Dead Men Walking mode

Apply Fusion Fix.

Game goes to pause menu randomly

This error is caused by Device Manager refresh (either random, or when device is plugged in or out).

Apply Fusion Fix.

Requires Service Pack 1 error

The game may show the error message 'Requires Service Pack 1 or superior'.

Enable the following compatibility settings for the maxpayne3.exe file: Compatibility mode (Windows XP (Service Pack 3)).
Notes Running maxpayne3.exe as an administrator may also fix the problem.[citation needed]

Game crashes with StackHash_XXX error

Ensure Data Execution Prevention (DEP) is set to the default (Windows programs and services only).[citation needed]

Asus software may cause crashing

Asus software 'Smart Doctor' or 'Asus Gamer' may cause crashing.

Uninstall Asus software.[citation needed]

New York Minute Hardcore troubleshooting and glitches

This mode can reveal few glitches which can be encountered during gameplay, resulting in being unable to finish the game.

List[citation needed]

Fighting with Passos is not necessary when enemies are searching the balcony (waiting until they are gone is advised). There is a place with painkillers ahead. [Stadium; Pt. I, Ch. III]. Fabiana dies during shooting from boat during final cutscene (shooting on the enemies from the left side is recommended, as killing her accidentally on low brightness is possible) [Stadium; Pt. I, Ch. III]. IT man gets shot if going down the stairs (killing all enemies first is required – bullet cam must appear). Enemies stop to respawn, doors are closed, in Favela, Pt. I (if flipping all the time through the section leading to enemy with flare, and if running too fast when spotting him from distance – staying where one is when seeing him until he disappears and when he shoots the flare is suggested). Rare case when picking up shotgun in a chapel in the very end of the level is impossible [Pt. II, Ch. VIII]. Shooting enemies in the helicopter during cutscene of Favela Pt. II is impossible (1. If having no ammo left for M972; 2. If picking up M972 after enemy). Destroying the aforementioned helicopter is impossible (if shooting only once in the rocket later – even when bullet cam appeared, failing when rocket does not explode is inevitable). ⇪ Caps Lock, Num Lock, Scroll Lock are not registered as pressed, during melee fight in the end of Favela, Pt. II level (using them as any of primary keys is discouraged – only as secondary). Game is glitched when getting hit while shooting Desert Eagle on a rope (probably while shooting very fast and inaccurate while having infinite clip in this interactive cutscene) [Boat; Pt. III, Ch. XI]. Death occurs after the end of the armoured-truck-defence cutscene (if pressing W while the cutscene is shown – key pressing is still registered during the cutscene – as a result, leaning out from the cover when the truck is shooting instantly after the end of cutscene is possible) [Police Station; Pt. III, Ch. XIII]. Glitched enemy death camera (enemy does not die) if getting hit by the enemy running out after beep signal, after the sequence of shooting at distant enemies on the rooftop (if shooting from behind cover with mesh fence) [Pt. III, Ch. XIII]. Shooting with Desert Eagle with no ammo during train jump cutscene in the end level (if not replacing this weapon in second slot from the beginning; immediately after the bullet time cutscene, there will still be no ammo just like before cutscene) [Pt. III, Ch. XIV]. Rare falling under map glitch in airport level (one of the custom libraries might cause it, e.g. SweetFX, ddraw, dsound or slow HDD). Random crashes during the game (some fixes might include using Steam in offline mode, setting CPU/GPU clocks to stock values, or restarting computer before playing). Notes If using the no cutscenes script, carefully read notes here.

Other information

Gameplay settings

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	9.0c, 11	DX 10 and DX 10.1 options uses the Direct3D 11 API with their respective feature levels.

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows			32-bit system support is officially deprecated as of update v1.0.0.255. Game itself is still 32-bit, but the 64-bit Rockstar Games Launcher is required.
macOS (OS X)			This 32-bit-only macOS game does not work on macOS Catalina (10.15) or later.

Middleware

	Middleware	Notes
Physics	Euphoria, Bullet Physics
Cutscenes	Bink Video
Multiplayer	GameSpy, Steamworks	OS X version dropped multiplayer support. Steam version multiplayer was ported to Steamworks.

Command line arguments

Add parameters to a commandline.txt in <path-to-game>, or see command line arguments for other methods.

Parameter	Description
-adapter	Force specific DirectX adapter starting from 0.
-aspectratio	Force aspect ratio [width:height].
-availablevidmem	Force video RAM limit to the amount specified (MB).
-cpucount	Force CPU count if query is not successful.
-d3dmt	Force multi-threaded DirectX runtime. Can cause graphical problems like a overly bright sky, incorrect lightning, no rain, etc. in at least DirectX 11.
-dx10	Force DirectX 10 if available.
-dx10_1	Force DirectX 10.1 if available.
-dx11	Force DirectX 11 if available.
-dx9	Force DirectX 9.
-frameLimit	Force Vsync [0–2] (0 turns Vsync off).
-fullscreen	Force fullscreen mode.
-fxaa	Force FXAA quality [0–3].
-gpucount	Force GPU count if query is not successful.
-height	Force vertical resolution.
-language	Force selected language [english, french, german, italian, polish, portuguese, russian, spanish].
-MSAA	Force MSAA [0–5].
-MSAAQuality	Force MSAA quality level.
-nomouseaccel	Disable mouse acceleration.
-outputMonitor	Force specific monitor starting from 0.
-reflectionquality	Force reflection quality [0–3].
-refreshrate	Force refresh rate.
-safemode	Force game to load with safest settings.
-shadowquality	Force shadow quality [0–3].
-ssao	Force SSAO [0–1].
-stereo	Force 3D stereo support [0–1] (1 is on).
-tessellation	Force tessellation quality [0–3].
-texturefilterquality	Force the anisotropic texture filter quality [0–4].
-texturequality	Force the texture quality [0–2].
-useHighQualityShaders	Force usage of high quality shaders [0–1].
-waterquality	Force water quality [0–2].
-width	Force horizontal resolution.
-windowed	Force windowed mode.

Modifications

English subtitles for Portuguese dialogues

Enables English translation for Portuguese-speaking enemies.

Skip in-game cutscenes

Apply Cutscene Skipper

Download Cutscene Skipper. Extract the contents of the archive to <path-to-game>. Notes Cutscenes will now have a prompt in the lower right indicating to press ↵ Enter to skip. Intro cutscene cannot be skipped the very first time the game is booted, even with the mod. Once a new game is started, then the cutscenes can be skipped. This mod significantly improves replayability as the game contains lots of cutscenes. Skipping certain cutscenes causes various issues. Reload from checkpoint or press F9 to go back to main menu in case the issues occur after skipping a cutscene. Refrain from skipping problematic cutscenes while playing New York Minute mode.

System requirements

Windows

macOS (OS X)

Windows
	Minimum		Recommended
Target			1080p, High @ 60 FPS
Operating system (OS)	XP SP3		Vista SP2, 7 SP1, 8, 10
Processor (CPU)	Intel Dual Core 2.4 GHz AMD Dual Core 2.6 GHz		Intel i7 Quad Core 2.8 GHz AMD equivalent
System memory (RAM)	2 GB		3 GB
Storage drive (HDD/SSD)	35 GB
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce 8600 GT AMD Radeon HD 3400 512 MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0c compatible		Nvidia GeForce GTX 480 AMD Radeon HD 5870 1 GB of VRAM DirectX 11 compatible
Sound (audio device)	DirectX 9.0 compatible		DirectX 9.0 compatible supporting Dolby Digital Live

A 64-bit operating system is required as of update v1.0.0.255 due to requiring the 64-bit-only Rockstar Games Launcher.

macOS (OS X)
	Minimum
Operating system (OS)	10.7.5 Lion
Processor (CPU)	Intel Dual Core Xeon 2.4 GHz Intel Core i Series 2.4 GHz
System memory (RAM)	4 GB
Storage drive (HDD/SSD)	40 GB
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT AMD Radeon HD 4870 512 MB of VRAM