Upon first glance, Ready or Not may not seem too different from the likes of Call of Duty and Battlefield. The player assumes the perspective of a highly-trained, armed government official, controls this character from the first-person POV, and uses guns, grenades, and other military gear in a grounded, gritty setting. These are the elements audiences have come to expect from the FPS genre at this point, but Ready or Not uses them in fundamentally different ways, making it a pocket of fresh air in an overcrowded market.
And it looks like this freshness and originality has paid off, as Ready or Not is enjoying considerable success across all platforms. It's been on PC since late-2023, where it attracted much of its target demographic, but it was recently ported to consoles as well. Astonishingly, the game sold over one-million copies on consoles in less than four days, significantly outpacing its PC sales. Granted, the game has been out for well over a year on PC, and thus was afforded a good deal of word-of-mouth marketing during that period, but Ready or Not's console sales are more significant than that. In fact, they are emblematic of a broader FPS conundrum.
In Its Ongoing War With Call of Duty, Battlefield Has an Ace Up Its Sleeve
As Battlefield searches for a bounceback from its last entry, it could carve its own niche compared to its biggest competition.
Ready or Not Is a Big Success, Proving that FPS Fans Are Tired of the Status Quo
The FPS Market Has Grown Stale Over the Years, Especially On Console
It's interesting that Ready or Not's console success loosely coincides with the reveal of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, which has been flooded with criticism, characterized by general fatigue with the annual CoD formula. Call of Duty is by far the biggest first-person-shooter franchise out there, and even its competitors, like Battlefield and Halo, have been attempting to emulate it. The result of this Call of Duty dominance is that the FPS market has become oversaturated, no longer defined by ingenuity and rampant creativity, like it was during the days of GoldenEye and Halo: Combat Evolved.
And while Call of Duty is massively profitable year after year, it's undeniable that a lot of players are looking for something new, but still within that same military-sim sphere. This is where Ready or Not comes in, as its SWAT-simulation premise and grounded, thoughtful mechanics set it in direct opposition to the aforementioned titles. Ready or Not is less about shooting or split-second reaction times and more about careful planning, preparation, and forethought, which will lead players to success. It's not a high-action, "turn-your-brain-off" sort of gaming experience, which is how many players would probably describe the likes of CoD.
Ready or Not is currently being review-bombed on Steam as a result of its apparent censorship on consoles, as well as alleged performance issues in the wake of the most recent patch.
Ready or Not Indicates a Shift in Console Gaming Demands
Ready or Not isn't the first unconventional shooter to find success on consoles, but the exceptionally quick pace of its sales suggest that modern audiences may be especially starved for unique shooters. At the end of the day, franchises like Call of Duty and Battlefield aren't going anywhere, but they may be losing their vise grip on the FPS market. As the lines between PC gaming, indie gaming, and mainstream console gaming continue to dissolve, more gamers are learning that the medium doesn't have to be limited to the same military shooters year-in, year-out; the FPS genre has room to grow, and in exciting ways, too. With games like Ready or Not becoming success stories, other developers may be encouraged to further diversify the market.
Ready or Not
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 82%
- Released
- December 13, 2023
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Void Interactive
- Publisher(s)
- Void Interactive
WHERE TO PLAY
Become an elite SWAT commander and bring order to a city overwhelmed by chaos and corruption.
Lead a team of highly-trained SWAT officers through unpredictable high-risk missions against ruthless criminals to prevent the city from spiralling into disorder. Equip real-world weapons and gear to tackle missions inspired by current events against Los Sueňos’ ruthless criminal element.
Every decision, from squad selection to tactical breach and engagement is the difference between life and death.
Are you ready?
FEATURES
Take Command
Ready or Not delivers an immersive SWAT experience. Equip your team with authentic weapons and gear, deploy into high-stakes, real-world inspired missions to secure locations concealing unknown criminal threats and potential civilians. Every mission demands tactical precision and situational awareness. Bullets from known and concealed threats react realistically with the environment, passing through walls, furniture and bodies. Cover your six, clear your corners, apprehend the threats and rescue the innocent.
The Weight of the Badge
Shoulder the weight of being a SWAT commander entrusted with confronting Los Sueňos’ criminal corruption and stopping it from overwhelming the city’s citizens. Every tactical decision matters, every outcome is yours to bear. Your choices in the field dictate mission success, the survival of your squad and the safety of hostages. Squadmate and hostage deaths take a profound psychological toll on surviving team members, affecting their performance or ending their careers altogether.
True Tactical Gameplay
Ready or Not is a true tactical shooter. Every mission is a high-stakes, life-or-death operation. Strategically forge your squad of elite SWAT officers, equip them with the right weapons and gear for the mission, position your team to tactically breach criminal strongholds and quickly identify and neutralize threats in tense, life threatening scenarios. Follow the rules of engagement, communicate with your team, and execute flawlessly - failure is for the unprepared.
Your Mission is the Story
Ready or Not confronts you with a raw, unflinching mirror of real-world crime, exposing the horrors of human trafficking, drug running, illegal arms dealing, militant extremism and terrorism through interwoven storylines that span multiple missions. Grapple with moral dilemmas as you’re forced to balance your duty to exercise constraint in the face of Los Sueňos' most vile criminals.
Cross-Comradery
Team up with friends to stem the tide of crime infesting the city. Enhanced with crossplay, Ready or Not supports up to five players in a co-operative tactical experience on all platforms. Communicate effectively to increase your tactical precision, watch your squad’s back and successfully complete your mission.
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
- Genre(s)
- Tactical, FPS
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
- How Long To Beat
- 16 hours
