You wouldn’t think we’d be back again, talking about Void Interactive’s Ready or Not, but there’s plenty of reason to. For those who don’t know, it sold one million copies in its first four days of launch for Xbox Series X/S and PS5. Which is a pretty great milestone in its own right, but that was only the start. The developer recently confirmed that it reached two million copies sold within about two weeks.
To put this further into perspective, Ready or Not sold over nine million copies as of this past April on PC alone. It amassed this total after first entering Steam Enter Access in December 2021. It achieved roughly 20 percent of its PC lifetime sales on consoles alone in a fraction of that time, bringing the total to about 11 million sales. One could argue that word of mouth helped set the console versions up for success, which was already evident pre-launch, given the strong pre-orders.
However, it’s the strong word of mouth that has kept the sales momentum going. I believe that it’s more than that, though. We’ve discussed Ready or Not extensively over the past several weeks. From our review praising its attention to detail, presentation and gameplay to the solo Commander mode; from examining what makes it so terrifying (spoiler: SWAT life can be quite scary) to deconstructing its appeal over something like Call of Duty. That last bit is interesting to me because even if Activision’s flagship franchise/microtransaction platform has wider appeal, the success of Ready or Not showcases that there’s a market for realistic tactical shooters.
My reasoning, in short? It’s just a really well-made video game, whether you’re playing it on consoles or PC. The long version? It’s a really well-made video game that isn’t exorbitantly priced (at least by today’s standards), demanding about $49.99. The golden price of the contemporary age of gaming.
Look back on this year of gaming thus far, and you’ll see similar success stories. Clair Obscur: Expedition, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered…even Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, despite its PC performance troubles. This isn’t to say that there aren’t compelling titles in the range of $60 to $70 or even in the $30 to $40 range, but $50 is quickly becoming a sweet spot for some of the better games released this year.
You would think that Ready or Not, as a tactical shooter with a finite campaign (18 missions), would struggle to justify its price. After all, there’s no grinding per se – all of the equipment and firearms are available from the outset. The only real unlocks are cosmetics for your squad, which are obtained by scoring top marks in missions. There is paid DLC, neatly packaged in a $70 Deluxe Edition alongside the base game, and while they include new cosmetics, weapons are added for free over time. So, no microtransactions or a battle pass to unlock content that you already paid for.
Instead, Void Interactive justifies its asking price in two ways: Nuanced gameplay and replayable missions. Both aspects have been covered to death by now, but it bears repeating – the tactical gameplay loop of systematically clearing rooms, taking down armed suspects, rescuing hostages, issuing commands to your squad, and realistic gunplay is incredibly solid. Even the decisions made before a mission, from the squad perks to the different armor types and choice of non-lethals, will have a big impact on your success.
It channels the likes of SWAT in the best ways possible while leaving plenty of room for its own unique mechanics. The fact that missions go beyond simply eliminating all hostiles and the scoring system prioritizes rescuing civilians ensures that multiple approaches are viable. The missions themselves are also incredibly well made, offering a wide range of objectives and intriguing scenarios (despite the horrifying subject matter of some). They’re also dynamic with hostiles and traps changing positions with each playthrough, ensuring that no two runs are the same. You never know when a routine run could suddenly erupt into chaos, and as frustrating as that can sometimes be, changing your strategy on the fly and surviving feels great.
Couple this with all the other systems, like managing squadmates’ stress and ensuring they don’t go off the deep end, and the overall aspect of mastery, and Ready or Not has plenty to offer for the solo player. In some ways, it carries the appeal of an immersive sim, as you discover various ways to complete a mission with a top score, including fully non-lethal, solo with a silenced pistol, quick and lethal, or even a mix of all these.
The fact that some of the toughest challenges are achievable despite the scenarios and challenging AI, which becomes outright unforgiving at higher difficulty levels, only adds to the appeal. This is all without considering co-op, and given how vastly different the dynamic can be, offering a whole new experience in its own right, that’s saying something.
Beyond all of this, I think Ready or Not fills a niche that console players have wanted for a long time, especially from the likes of Call of Duty. No bombastic campaign that holds your hand, occasionally asking you to participate in its grand set pieces, and then ultimately moving on when it’s all said and done, but something with substance, where you’re an active participant that’s driving (or dragging) the mission down.
The finite nature also feeds into something that more and more players are demanding from games nowadays: A complete experience. Sure, the Mission Pass offers more content, but the threads connecting the base game’s missions are contained entirely within it. The narrative isn’t something that could really be “finished” after completing all the main missions, which mirrors the real-life nature of crime and police work more than anything. But by the time you’ve finished Ready or Not’s campaign, regardless of whether you embark on higher difficulties or not, you’ll have gotten your money’s worth. Best of all, none of the missions feel like filler. Each brings something notable to the table, adding to the experience while gradually upping the challenge.
On consoles, Void Interactive deserves credit for tuning the experience to accommodate controllers, especially when issuing commands. The sheer amount of settings for deadzone, look acceleration, sensitivity, and so on is also surprisingly robust. On top of all this, the development team continues to support all versions with free updates. Los Sueños Stories added four new weapons and two remastered maps alongside tons of fixes and improvements across the board at launch. It has since received smaller patches to address other issues, with another set to debut next week.
Where it could go after this is ultimately unknown – another DLC pack will launch in 2026, but long-term plans for the franchise as a whole remain to be revealed. And yet, I find some solace in that. Being able to pick up a complete experience, enjoy everything on offer and ultimately move on is something to be treasured in this era of live-service games or titles that demand a hundred hours of your time (especially when it gets to the fun faster). And while there’s certainly plenty of room for a massive role-playing game or open world experience, the fact that experiences like this exist for a reasonable price is something worth playing.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
