First Impressions - Unleashing Rockay City’s Multiplayer Mayhem

I rolled into Crime Boss: Rockay City expecting the usual undercooked Payday clone, but instead I found myself grinning through every rooftop leap and bank vault smash. All the early scrutiny I had read online clunky movement, stodgy AI, unbalanced objectives simply melted away once I hit my first multiplayer lobby. The game feels lean and energized, more like a turbocharged Payday 3 than a slavish copy.

Dropping into missions alongside three other players (or bots) is where Rockay City truly shines. The pacing never stalls. One minute you’re sneaking past patrols in a back alley, the next you’re racing to get to your getaway van down neon-lit streets under a hail of bullets. Objectives cycle fast, forcing you to adapt your strategy on the fly, and the threat meter climbs quickly enough that you never settle into a boring groove.

The multiplayer missions turn each robbery into its own mini-action movie. There’s a nice variety of objectives like robbing a mall, hacking vaults and infiltrating a huge yacht for bags of coke, that keeps you switching up your approach. I have only really spent time playing the multiplayer so I am also looking forward to jumping into the roguelike single player campaign as well as working through the horde survival mode that's included too!

Technically, the Xbox builds runs rock-solid. Frame-rate never wobbles during the busiest shootouts, and load times are snappy enough that you’re back in action before you know it. The HUD is clean, the minimap is intuitive and it's very clear what your objectives are going to be.

Visually, Rockay City nails that ’80s-action-thriller vibe without going overboard. Neon accents pop, interiors look lived-in, and every map, be it a sun-baked marina or a smoke-filled casino really bring enough character to keep you curious about every corner. Paired with a pulse-pounding synth soundtrack that swells when alarms blare, it all adds up to a distinct atmosphere that’s miles more engaging than the sterile bank halls of some other heist shooters. Although I will say the menu music is rather annoying and worth muting!

So yes, Rockay City on Xbox has me sold. It’s polished enough for veterans yet approachable for newcomers, it moves at a breakneck clip, and its co-op moments are packed with just the right mix of tension and triumph. If you’ve been burned by early previews or you’re just itching for a faster, friend-friendly heist shooter, this one deserves a spot on your playlist. I look forward to putting more time into Crime Boss and will post a full review video once I've had time to experience everything the game has to offer!