Ready or Not: Complete SWAT Tactics Guide

This guide covers Ready or Not's core loop (compliance, arrests, reporting, and scoring), room-clearing tactics, AI squad commands, loadouts, Commander Mode, the DLC missions, and the new Mission Editor.

Researched September 2026. Current as of v1.5.2 (Mission Editor, September 3, 2026), after the Boiling Point DLC and v1.4 update in March 2026. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Content note: Ready or Not depicts realistic violent crime, including missions about school and mass-casualty attacks. Take breaks as needed.

Quick Start

• You're police, not a soldier. Your score depends on following the rules of engagement: get compliance, arrest, report, and secure evidence. Killing everything tanks your grade.
• Yell first. Shouting commands (the Yell/Compliance key) makes many suspects and civilians surrender. Give them a second to comply before you escalate.
• Only shoot when there's a threat. Suspects aiming at you or reaching for a weapon are fair game. Shooting a surrendered or fleeing unarmed person is unauthorized force and a heavy penalty.
• Cuff everyone. Compliant suspects and civilians should be restrained. Unrestrained civilians can wander into gunfire.
• Report to TOC. Downed suspects, civilians, and dead officers need to be reported (look at them and use the report interaction). Missed reports cost points.
• Collect evidence. Pick up dropped weapons and required mission items.
• Check doors before opening them. Use the mirror (Optiwand) under doors to spot traps and suspects.
• Don't rush. Slow, methodical clearing with flashbangs or stingers beats running in.
• Your AI team is good if you command them well. Use the command menu to stack up, breach, and clear.
• Heavy armor isn't free. It slows you down. Pick armor for the mission.

Scoring and Rules of Engagement

Your mission score and letter grade come from things like:

Positive | Negative

Suspects arrested (more than killed) | Unauthorized use of deadly force

Civilians rescued and restrained | Civilian injuries or deaths

Reports to TOC | Unreported downed people

Evidence collected | Evidence left behind

Objectives completed | Officers injured or killed

• Arrests are worth more than kills. Less-lethal tools (beanbag shotgun, pepperball, taser, pepper spray, CS gas, stinger grenades) make arrests safer.
• Justified force: if a suspect is armed and a threat, lethal force is authorized. Fake surrenders happen, so keep your weapon on them until they're cuffed.
• Mission completion can be separate from a good score. You can finish a mission with a bad grade. Replay for S-tier.

Team Commands

Your AI officers are split into Gold, Red, and Blue elements. You can command the whole team or just one element.

Command | What it does

Stack Up | Line up on a door (auto, left, right, or split)

Open / Open & Clear | Open the door and clear the room

Breach & Clear | Breach with the method you pick (kick, shotgun, C2, ram), then clear

Use Flash / Stinger / CS | Deploy a grenade before entering

Mirror under door | Check what's on the other side

Wedge | Block a door to control the flow

Fall In / Move To / Hold | Positioning

Restrain / Collect Evidence | Have officers handle suspects and items

Clearing a Door, Step by Step

• Mirror the door. Check for traps and occupants.
• Pick your entry. Unlocked: open. Locked: kick, shotgun breach, C2, ram, or lockpick. Trapped: disarm first, or breach another way.
• Throw a flash or stinger (or have the team do it).
• Enter in order and clear corners. Each officer covers a sector.
• Yell, restrain, report.

Loadouts

Primaries

Category | Notes

Assault rifles and carbines | All-round choice, good against armored suspects

SMGs | Lighter, great in tight rooms

Shotguns | Breaching and close quarters. The beanbag shotgun is less-lethal

Less-lethal launchers | Pepperball and similar, for arrests

The v1.4 update (March 2026) added three new weapons, the 9-bang grenade, more attachments, a multi-rail attachment system, and more cosmetics. The v1.5 update (September 2026) released free new styles of the Triple Weapon Pack guns to everyone: MK-V 'HC' (Hard Chrome) pistol, 590M 'FDE' shotgun, and M32A1 'LSPD' Blue rotary grenade launcher.

Ammo

• JHP (hollow point): more damage to unarmored targets, worse against armor.
• FMJ / AP: better against armored suspects.
• Pick based on the mission. Armored gangs want armor-piercing rounds.

Tactical Gear

Gear | Use

Optiwand (mirror gun) | Check under doors

Door wedges | Block doors

C2 / breaching charges | Blow locked doors (can hurt people behind them)

Battering ram | Quiet-ish breach of locked doors

Lockpick gun | Quiet breach

Flashbangs, stingers, CS gas, 9-bang | Disorient before entry

Taser, pepper spray | Less-lethal arrests

Ballistic shield | Frontal protection for the point man

Armor

• Plate material (lighter vs. heavier) trades protection for mobility.
• Coverage (front only vs. front and back).
• Helmets and NVGs. Dark missions need night vision.
• Heavier setups slow you down. For missions with lots of stairs and ground to cover, go lighter.

Commander Mode

Commander Mode is the campaign-style mode where you manage a roster of SWAT officers across missions:

• Officers have stress and injuries that carry between missions, and losses stick.
• Manage officer wellbeing with downtime and rotation.
• Unlock missions and progress through the campaign.
• Play slower than in regular missions. Losing experienced officers hurts later.

Missions and DLC

The base game has a large set of missions across Los Sueños, including Valley of the Dolls, Neon Tomb, and Elephant (a school shooting mission with very heavy content), plus many more. DLC adds:

DLC | Content

Home Invasion | Three missions set after a Category 5 hurricane, plus three weapons, six gear pieces, and seven clothing color variants

Dark Waters | Three missions off the coast of Los Sueños, including an abandoned island resort, plus five weapons and two gear sets

Boiling Point (March 2026) | Terror-attack themed missions launched alongside the v1.4 update

The Digital Deluxe Edition bundles the base game with all three DLCs. Ready or Not came to consoles on July 15, 2025.

Mission Editor (v1.5, September 2026)

The Mission Editor lets you tweak gameplay variables in existing missions, with a focus on AI:

• Suspect AI: behavior and combat effectiveness, loadouts (for example, giving everyone knives or M249s), and appearance swaps from other levels.
• Civilian AI: compliance and behavior.
• SWAT AI: your officers' behavior.
• Player variables: for example, starting with only 50 HP.
• Save and share edited missions with codes. The official Discord has a #mission-editor-codes channel.

Use it to practice specific scenarios, like a mission full of heavy armor or civilians that won't comply, or to build challenge runs with friends.

Solo vs. Co-op

Solo with AI | Co-op with players

Strengths | AI officers follow orders precisely and clear rooms fast | Better situational awareness, flexible entries

Weaknesses | AI can get stuck, and you need to micro-manage | Coordination is hard, and friendly fire happens

Tips | Use elements (Red and Blue) to hold one door while another team enters | Assign roles: point man, breacher, less-lethal, rear security

Suggested Co-op Roles

• Point: shield or carbine, first through the door.
• Breacher: shotgun, C2, ram, and lockpick.
• Less-lethal: beanbag, pepperball, or taser, for arrests.
• Rear security: watches hallways and stairs behind the team.

Approach by Mission Type

• Barricaded suspects and active shooters: time matters, but going slowly and methodically still wins. Flash every room.
• Hostage situations: less-lethal first, and keep civilians out of crossfire. Don't breach with explosives near hostages.
• Bomb threats: prioritise finding and disarming explosives, then clear.
• Raids and drug labs: expect traps and armored suspects. Mirror every door, and sweep for evidence.
• Large open levels: lighter armor, and split elements to cover more ground.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Shooting surrendered suspects. Instant penalty.
• Forgetting reports. Look at every downed person and report them.
• Rushing doors without mirroring them. Trapped doors kill officers.
• Using C2 on doors with civilians behind them. You'll injure them.
• Going in without a flash. Suspects get the first shot.
• Ignoring evidence. Dropped weapons count.
• Heavy armor on huge maps. You'll be slow and tired.
• Leaving compliant suspects uncuffed. They can pick weapons back up.

Advanced Tips

• Split stacks on double doors or multiple entries give coordinated entries.
• Wedge side doors to control where suspects come from.
• Pie corners before you commit. Slow peeks show you more of a room safely.
• Use less-lethal on suspects who might surrender. A pepperball or taser often makes a surrender safer.
• Listen. Footsteps and voices give away positions.
• Leave AI teammates on a door while you cover a hallway, instead of moving everyone together.
• Check mods after patches. PC mods often break with updates (per the v1.4.3 FAQ), so wait for mod updates.

FAQ

What's the latest version of Ready or Not? As of September 2026, v1.5.2 (Mission Editor), released September 3, 2026.

How do I get an S rank? Arrest suspects instead of killing them, avoid unauthorized force, protect civilians, report everyone, collect all evidence, and complete all objectives with no officer losses.

Does Ready or Not have co-op? Yes, multiplayer co-op with human players, or single-player with AI officers.

What are the DLCs? Home Invasion, Dark Waters, and Boiling Point (March 2026). The Digital Deluxe Edition bundles all three.

Is Ready or Not on consoles? Yes, since July 15, 2025.

Why did my mods break? Game updates change files that mods depend on. Wait for mod authors to update.

Sources

• Ready or Not Steam news
• RoN v1.5 Update: Mission Editor Changelog, v1.5.2 (Sep 3, 2026)
• Vol. 90 Development Briefing: Mission Editor (Jul 30, 2026)
• Ready or Not Steam announcements via the Steam Web API (includes "RoN v1.4 Boiling Point Release Changelog (v1.4.1)", Mar 2026)
• Ready or Not v1.4.3 Changelog (May 5, 2026)
• Community Exhibit Vol. 28 (Sep 12, 2026)