Two decades ago, the developer Irrational Games gave the gaming community a true gem, a game that is going to live in every veteran gamer’s heart: SWAT 4. Unfortunately, nothing was able to equal it until now after the release of Ready or Not.
With the industry focusing on more casual games, a tactical FPS game like this is something the community could only wish for until Void Interactive arrived. In 2021, Void Interactive released Ready or Not, a great modern experience made for veterans of the genre but also friendly to newcomers.
It brought back familiar gameplay from SWAT 4, yet Ready or Not also brought us new mission types. In this article, we will be covering the full Ready or Not experience and, in particular, the full set of mission types that are currently playable.
Brief Ready or Not Gameplay Overview
Ready or Not is a tactical first-person shooter where players must work together to complete their mission in the best way possible without taking civilian casualties, avoiding police brutality, securing all the evidence, and of course, don’t die in the process. This game offers five PvE modes that players can play online with random teammates, online with friends, or with bots.
Ready or Not, allow players to roam inside the police headquarters to prepare for these missions. They can go to a kill house and practice their movements, to the shooting range and the armory to select their equipment and customize their weapons. Ready or Not offers players a decent arsenal with various customization options.
How To Play Ready or Not
To play with friends, players can invite them from the game through Steam or select the option to find a session and pick random teammates.
While Ready or Not is a multiplayer game, players have the option of playing with bots or by themselves. Playing solo is not possible at the moment from a configuration setting. Yet, players can work around this by ordering the bots to stay on the spawn so they won’t intervene in the mission.
Ready or Not PvE Mission Types
Five game modes are included that players can enjoy with their friends, Solo, or with bots. Each Ready or Not mission type offers different experiences for the players by changing their approach depending on their objectives.
Each game mode has a reported difficulty level. There are four difficulties; Normal, Hard, Very Hard, and Insane. Though, we don’t really feel that the difference between these game modes is as big as the labels would imply.
Barricaded Suspects Mission Type (Normal Difficulty)
In this game mode, players must rescue as many civilians as possible and reduce the number of kills by trying their best to detain suspects instead of killing them. Players should use lethal force if necessary. In this game mode, most suspects are compliant, and it is considered one of the most accessible modes.
The main characteristic of this mission type in Ready or Not is that the AI is more cooperative, making it the most accessible way in the game.
Related Guide: How to Disarm a Trap in Ready or Not
Maps You Can Play the Barricaded Suspects Game Mode on In Ready or Not
Barricaded Suspects is the simplest and, therefore, the most common type of mission available in Ready or Not. It can be played on just about every map.
- Valley of the Dolls
- Brissa Cove
- 4U Gas Station
- Wenderly Hills Hotel
- Neon Nightclub
- Caesar’s Cars Dealership
- Port Hokan
- 213 Park Homes
- Cherryessa Farm
- Hotel Rooms
- Fast Food
The only map you can’t currently play Barricaded Suspects on is the Agency map. Yet, we expect that will change in the near future. The simplicity of this mission type efforts itself well to any map configuration.
Raid Game Mode (Hard Difficulty)
Lethal force in this game mode is essential as suspects are non-compliant and highly aggressive. Players can shoot on sight and coordinate well to prevent friendly KIAs.
For this challenging mission type, the Ready or Not enemy AI is non-compliant, and players should use the best guns in Ready or Not. More often, lethal and powerful equipment is best in Raids as the enemies will shoot on sight. Moreover, they won’t comply with any orders. Shoot first and ask questions later.
Ready or Not’s raid missions do not have time limits on them. This makes raid a relatively easy game mode compared to some of the more advanced Ready or Not mission types described below. You can take more time preparing for each breach. You may also be a bit more methodical and cautious in the way you clear each level.
Maps You Can Play Raid on In Ready or Not
- 4U Gas Station
- Wenderly Hills Hotel
- Port Hokan
- Cherryessa Farm
- 213 Park Homes
- Fast Food
Bomb Threat (Hard Difficulty)
The primary mission of this game mode is to defuse the bomb(s) scattered around the map by the bad guys. To make these missions more challenging, Ready or Not players must find and deactivate the devices before time runs out. Players must also deal with armed suspects and rescue civilians in this challenging game mode.
Keep in mind that this mode has limited time, so players must be fast and precise. Something that works great is having someone assigned constantly look for the bombs while the team provides cover. There are usually 2 to 3 bombs active in the level with 3 minutes to defuse them.
For new players or those unfamiliar with the layout of a map, this can be a very challenging mission type in Ready or Not. For those finding the quick gameplay challenging, we’ve created a guide on how to beat bomb threat missions in Ready or Not.
Available Maps
- 4U Gas Station
- Wenderly Hills Hotel
- Caesar’s Cars Dealership
- Port Hokan
Active Shooter (Very Hard Difficulty)
This game mode requires players to be fast as an active gunman is roaming through the mission area. Players must focus on preventing as many casualties as possible. Any hesitation is unacceptable, so make sure you are familiar with the map’s layout and that you know how to breach and clear in Ready or Not.
Like Bomb Threat, time matters as enemies roam around the map, attacking friendly NPCs, so players must move fast. Get the attention of enemies to you, so they don’t focus on innocents anymore.
This game mode, given the news, is just a little too dark for us to enjoy playing. Yet, it obviously is a critical function of any SWAT team. For the sake of realism, it’s good that Void Interactive chose to include it. However, it has turned out to be one of Ready or Not’s most controversial mission types.
Related Article: Why Ready or Not Uses the Unreal Engine 4 Game Engine
Available Maps
- 4U Gas Station
- Wenderly Hills Hotel
- Fast Food
Hostage Rescue (Insane Difficulty)
Hostage Rescue mode is the hardest mission type in Ready or Not. A single mistake can cause the armed suspect to take out the civilians locked in a room with them.
This game mode is challenging, and communication matters more than anything. It is recommended to use suppressed weapons and flashbangs to stun the enemies before breaching a room and preventing them from killing hostages.
For a much more in-depth guide on how to beat Hostage Rescue missions in Ready or Not, check out our linked, companion guide.
Maps You Can Play the Hostage Rescue Mission Type on in Ready or Not
- 4U Gas Station
- Wenderly Hills Hotel
- Port Hokan
- Agency
How to Unlock Mission Types in Ready or Not
All game modes are limited based on the map the player is playing on. Unlocking mission types in Rady or Not is unnecessary. They are available from the beginning. If you do not find the Ready or Not mission types you want to play available for a particular map, try other Ready or Not maps.
It is essential to remember that not only is the mission type where the difficulty lies; every map comes with its charm, and some of them, even with the easiest game types, can be extremely difficult because of the map design.
For more information on why it is unnecessary to unlock missions in Ready or Not, feel free to check out the linked companion article.
How To Play PvP Mission Types in Ready or Not?
Before the Early Access release, it was on Void Interactive plans to release both PvE and PvP modes for players, such as VIP Escort, Team Deathmatch, and Arrest & Rescue, which were showcased in the closed Alpha release.
Unfortunately, Player versus Player modes is unavailable in Ready or Not. The PvP modes available in the Alpha didn’t reach the quality expected and promised by the developers, as they didn’t fit the nature of the game and what fans wanted.
After the unsuccessful Alpha, Ready or Not, developers decided to rework the game and focus on the PvE aspects, completely removing all the PvP modes of the play for the Early Access release. Thankfully this was a smart move as the game currently is a gem sitting with very positive reviews on Steam. Ready or Not, as it is now, is considered a worthy spiritual successor to the acclaimed game SWAT 4.
Final Thoughts
Ready or Not can be a challenging but fun game with friends that will put everyone’s senses to their max capacity. This game is about trial and error. To master the different maps and mission types in Ready or Not, you will constantly be hitting the replay button.
Do not forget to check our other guides for more great insights, such as our list of the best Ready or Not mods or a quick guide on how to finish a mission in Ready or Not.
Good Luck, and Stay Frosty!
