Ready or Not Review: Tactical Excellence That Doesn’t Always Obey Orders

Ready or Not has finally arrived on PlayStation and Xbox Series S/X, bringing its slow-burn tactical intensity to console players with a host of high-stakes missions and an unapologetically methodical pace. If you’re a fan of classic Rainbow Six or SWAT 4, this is a game made for you. That said, it’s also a bit rough around the edges, which may or may not meet your quality bar.

The core of Ready or Not is deeply satisfying… when it works. Its realistic approach to breach-and-clear missions is built around communication, caution, and precision. Every door could be a trap, every corner might hide a shooter, and every non-compliant civilian adds a layer of tension. The atmosphere is thick, and the game commits hard to its gritty realism. The sound design, lighting, and especially the layout of its interiors all contribute to a palpable sense of dread.

For the console release, things mostly worked out of the box, with one notable exception. We had quite a few connection issues on Xbox, with teammates occasionally getting dropped right as missions start. This didn’t happen every time, but often enough to frustrate as there is no mid-mission join. Hopefully, this is something that will get patched quickly (if not already for release), because when it works, multiplayer is where the game shines. We asked if this was a known issue or something to possibly be addressed but had not heard back by our publishing time.

Squad commands have a steep learning curve. Issuing commands on Xbox is tough to get down, even after hours of play, and there’s a persistent ambiguity over whether a command failed because of a user mistake or an AI quirk. That uncertainty compounds the stress, especially in moments when a civilian won’t comply or when you’re trying to coordinate with your AI team in a high-pressure situation. In one particularly maddening moment, a civilian refused all restraint attempts from me and my squad, forcing me to shoot them just to bring them down and finish the mission. Not exactly textbook.

The AI itself is a mixed bag. It’s competent enough to follow basic commands, but the little things pile up. Your squad will yell over one another constantly, and sometimes open fire at enemies so far away it’s hard to tell who they’re even shooting at. We don’t want to get too political, but watching our AI yell endlessly at innocent Hispanic workers in one mission hit a bit too close to home. On the flip side, the ability to queue commands is a great touch that evokes the glory days of early tactical shooters. Miss those Rainbow 6 days. Also, we’d be remiss if we didn’t share lots of love for the ‘helmet camera feeds’ you can cycle through when playing with AI partners. A very cool feature!

Multiplayer is where the game’s real potential comes through. Playing with friends is chaotic, fun, and occasionally hilarious. There’s no in-game pinging system or markers, so you have to rely on clear, accurate verbal communication. This leads to tense showdowns but also moments of pure comedy when someone opens the wrong door or misidentifies a suspect. It doesn’t feel like the serious tone the game shoots for matches this kind of chaos, but the fun outweighs the tonal mismatch.

There are other annoyances too. The flashlight has a bizarrely narrow beam that feels ineffective in most dark environments. Civilians, once restrained, just sort of linger in the environment, barking the same lines and clogging up space instead of being extracted or secured. And mission completion often requires sweeping every corner for missed evidence or hidden civilians, which drags the pacing on and on.

Despite that, Ready or Not gets a lot right. The level design is excellent. From suburban homes to gas stations and drug dens, each location is packed with detail and carefully laid out to encourage different approaches. Even repeat missions feel fresh, thanks to randomized enemy placements and objective variability. That blend of tension, added difficulty levels, and replayability keeps the experience alive long after the first run.

Customization is also a strong point. You can tailor your operator’s gear to fit your playstyle, whether you’re going in heavy with full steel armor or opting for speed and flexibility. The loadout variety allows you to adapt to mission demands and offers enough toys to experiment with strategies. Plus, you can style your officer with different gear, tattoos, etc. if you really want to inhabit the role!

We haven’t played Ready or Not on PC, but from what we can gather, this is a pretty compelling and faithful console port, including what we perceive as some lingering issues from that version. We didn’t notice anything that would make the game feel less gritty than advertised. The heart of a great tactical shooter is here, but it’s buried under some clunky systems and frustrating technical hiccups. With more polish and quality-of-life improvements, this could become a standout experience. For now, it’s a game worth checking out, just be ready for a bumpy ride.

RATING: 4.0 out of 5.

Ready or Not will be available for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X on July 15th, 2025. It’s currently available on Steam and EGS.