Turn Back the Time to 7200 Seconds

The PAYDAY Secret ARG (alternate reality game) was an event conducted by the developer Overkill Software in August–December 2012. The ARG consisted of clues found in-game and on the PAYDAY Steam forum, which helped players discover the second (secret) vault in First World Bank, now known as "the Overvault." ARG participants were awarded in several ways: those who contributed significantly to the ARG puzzle solution had their names listed in the Overvault; the first team of players that reached the Overvault was depicted in the First World Bank conference room's painting; and players who legitimately reached the Overvault during the event were invited to the Payday: The Secret Steam group, thereby unlocking the Secret mask set.

The ARG was initiated shortly after the Wolf Pack DLC was released in August 2012. Some Steam forum members speculated about the possibility of completing the entire Counterfeit heist stealthily. Initially, popular opinion was that it could be done, with the Pacifist achievement being unlocked after a successful run.

Bo Andersson, the CEO of Overkill Software, started to provide cryptic clues a few days after the Wolf Pack DLC was released. The in-game puzzle was first solved in early November upon discovery of the Overvault. Bo announced this to the public, and issued a 30-day challenge to conclude the Secret ARG.

During the given period, players were required to record their journey to the Overvault without cheating or exploiting, and then send the video to Overkill Software. 837 players reached the Overvault and were rewarded. The following patch in December added references to the ARG's contributors, allowed players to access the Overvault on any difficulty level while wearing any mask, and reduced the Overdrill's duration to 33 minutes and 20 seconds (2000 seconds).