In the game, there is an obtainable mask known as "The Outlander". The first paragraph of the mask's description reads "Have you ever had that feeling when you have no mouth but feel the urge to scream?" This is a reference to the short story/DOS game "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream".

In the mission "Rats", there are a number of mistakes. "Muriatic Acid" is the same thing as "Hydrogen Chloride". Additionally, mixing HCl, Mu and Cs (Caustic Soda) will actually produce water, not methamphetamine.

The "Rats" heist was inspired by the television series Breaking Bad.

The Mask, "The Death Dillinger", is based on the likeness of John Dillinger, a notorious bank robber of the early 20th century. This is why the mask is an "infamous" item in the game.

The trophy/achievement called "Lord of War" requires the player to steal all of the weapons from the arms dealer in the first day of the Firestarter heist. This is a reference to the movie Lord of War (2005).

One of the obtainable mask in the game, The Hog, has a description that reads:
You have a new message! *BEEP*
Salutations, this is 'Almir' at OVERKILL. The Mask that you ordered should be delivered by now...
A list of instructions is included...
Make sure that you read them carefully!
Do you like hurting other people? Then this mask is for you.

The mask and its description are both a reference to Hotline Miami's Pig Mask

There is an unused mask hidden in the game's files called The Twister. It greatly resembles Obito's mask from the Naruto anime and was likely not incorporated due to copyright issues.

A mask in the game known as "Peter", obtained by joining the community group, is a reference to a similarly named mask in Hotline Miami.

There is an unused song in the game's data, tentatively titled "Insane". The track bears some resemblance to a used song entitled "Full Force Forward".

The Saw item 'OVE9000' may be a reference to the popular meme of "It's Over 9000!" from Dragon Ball Z. It could also be a reference to the "BFG9000" from Doom.

The "Lucille Baseball Bat" is a weapon used by the antagonist Negan in Image Comics' The Walking Dead. The item was added to the game in celebration of the announcement that Overkill and Skybound were partnering to create a co-op Walking Dead game.

The original description of the Brass Knuckles on the creator's website was a reference to the Adam Sandler movie Punch-Drunk Love.

The Heist "GO Bank" pays homage to ##Valve##'s title, Counter Strike: Global Offensive. These references include the map layout being similar to the "de_bank" map, Bain's dialogue including words like "Valve", "Source", and "Counter Strike", and the achievement for completing the map, "Eco Round", is a term used in Global Offensive to refer to conserving money to be used in later rounds by only using a pistol.

There is a weapon in the game that was added during Crime-fest named "Nova Shank". This is a reference to the Youtuber "UberHaxornova" and an Easter Egg from the first game, Payday: The Heist, where in the Panic Room Heist, he found a toothbrush and noticed its size. ##Overkill Software## saw this and made it bigger in the upcoming update.

The Characters of Dallas and Houston (New Hoxton) are actually brothers. This could be a clear reference to the cities of "Dallas" and "Houston" as Houston is considered to be the "Sibling" to Dallas.

During the Development of PAYDAY 2, several ##Sony## play testers believed that the name, Chains, may be considered as racism since the character is African-American and the name "Chains" is related to the history of slavery. Several name changes were pitched like "Chanes" and "Chaynes" At the end, ##Overkill Software## decided to keep it in since the reason was being over interpreted.

During the White-XMas heist, the cloakers are seen sporting a Santa Hat. The Cloaker's sound when they attack is replaced with the sounds of jingle bells.

During the Diamond Heist there are clear references to the Indiana Jones movies. Bain will mention "Dr. Jones" and the catchphrase, "That belongs in a museum!" If the heist is still on stealth, Bain will add a comment saying "I swear I saw this in a movie somewhere. I hope darts don't shoot out of the walls" referencing the first scene of "Raiders of the Lost Ark".

By joining the community group on Steam for Payday 2, you can obtain a mask called "Terminator".
The description reads;
"These shades belonged to an assassin from a distant land. The assassin John was sent to kill was built like a machine. This one would prove to be hard. He used a customized Improved Combined Tactical Vest. He was fully armored and very tough. Behind all that armor however, John knew there was only flesh and bones.

John managed to to kill him in the end. He knew however that when he removed him from his place, another would replace him."
This is an obvious reference to the Terminator series with the assassin being the terminator and John being John Connor.

During the Halloween Event the player can get a mask named "Venomporph".
The description reads;
"When you see the Venomorph, you know it's game over, man. GAME OVER!
Maybe you can build a fire, try sing a couple of songs.

In reality, you better go back and hide, because it will be dark soon, and these babies mostly only come at night... Mostly."
This is a reference to the Xenomorphs from Alien and uses several quotes from the series.