You’re stacked up at the door. Your heart is thumping against your ribs because you know a crackhead with a sawn-off shotgun is waiting on the other side. You toss a flashbang, the room goes white, and your team moves in with surgical precision. It’s the quintessential Ready or Not experience. But once the suspects are in zip-ties and the mission clock stops, a question almost always bubbles up in the Discord chat: Does Ready or Not have PvP? The short answer is a flat no. Not right now. Not in the way you're probably thinking.
If you’re looking for a tactical shooter where you can 360-no-scope a teenager from Ohio, this isn't it. VOID Interactive has carved out a very specific, very grim niche in the gaming world. They aren't trying to be Call of Duty. They aren't even trying to be Rainbow Six Siege anymore. They are building a spiritual successor to SWAT 4, and that means the focus is 100% on the grueling, high-stakes world of police cooperation against AI threats.
The Complicated History of Ready or Not PvP
Wait. I know what some of you are thinking. "I swear I saw a video of players shooting each other back in 2020."
You aren't crazy.
When Ready or Not was first announced and crawled into its earliest Alpha stages, there actually was a player-versus-player mode. It was... well, it was rough. Imagine the slow, methodical movement of a tactical sim forced into the meat-grinder logic of a team deathmatch. It didn't really work. The community reaction was lukewarm at best, and the developers at VOID Interactive realized something crucial: trying to balance a game for both hyper-realistic PVE and competitive PVP usually results in a game that is mediocre at both.
They made a choice. They cut it.
They pivoted hard toward the single-player and co-op experience, focusing on the "Commander Mode" and the intricate AI behavior that makes the game so stressful. By stripping out the competitive multiplayer, they were able to double down on things like ballistic penetration physics, psychological stress systems for officers, and the "Rules of Engagement" mechanics that define the game.
Why a Lack of PvP Might Actually Be a Good Thing
Honestly, the tactical shooter market is already drowning in "Tactical PVP" titles. You have Escape from Tarkov for the extraction fans, Rainbow Six Siege for the hero-shooter crowd, and Ground Branch or Gray Zone Warfare for those who want something in between.
Ready or Not is different because it forces you to think like a cop, not a soldier.
In a PVP environment, everyone just shoots on sight. There is no nuance. If you see a pixel move, you click on it. But in Ready or Not, you have to identify the threat. Is that a civilian? Is that a suspect dropping their gun? If you shoot an unarmed person in a PVP match, nobody cares. In this game, it ruins your score and your career progression.
Removing the PVP element allowed the devs to focus on the "Suspect AI." These aren't just bots that stand still. They hide under beds. They feign surrender and then pull a knife. They scream at you. That kind of unpredictable behavior is much harder to program than just letting two humans shoot at each other, and it's why the game feels so unique in 2026.
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The Modding Scene: A Glimmer of Hope?
If you're absolutely dying to shoot your friends, the modding community is where you should be looking. Ready or Not has one of the most active Unreal Engine 4 (and now 5) modding scenes in the tactical genre.
While there isn't a "magic button" to turn on PVP, players have experimented with various workarounds. Some people use the "Training" areas or the "Killhouse" to run informal duels, but the game's netcode isn't really optimized for high-speed player-on-player combat. You’ll likely run into desync issues that make a competitive match feel like a laggy mess.
Will We Ever See an Official PvP Return?
Never say never, but don't hold your breath for a 2026 update.
VOID Interactive has been very transparent about their roadmap. Their priority is expanding the world of Los Sueños. They want more maps, more complex civilian interactions, and a more robust "Home Office" system. Whenever the topic of PVP comes up in developer Q&As, the response is usually some variation of "we're focused on the core CO-OP experience right now."
There's a technical hurdle here too. Balancing weapons for PVP is a nightmare. In the current PVE state, a .308 round does exactly what a .308 round should do—it levels a human being. In a competitive PVP game, developers often have to "nerf" realistic damage to keep the game from being frustrating. By staying PVE, Ready or Not can keep its lethal, unforgiving realism intact without worrying about "meta builds" or "weapon balancing" for the esports crowd.
What to Play If You Need That Tactical PvP Fix
If the realization that does Ready or Not have pvp resulted in a "no" that ruined your day, you have options. You don't have to settle for Fortnite.
- Zero Hour: Often called the "budget Ready or Not," this game actually does have a dedicated PVP mode that feels very similar to old-school Rainbow Six. It's clunkier, sure, but it scratches that itch.
- Ground Branch: Created by some of the minds behind the original Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon, this is a "hardcore" tactical shooter that features both PVE and PVP. The customization is insane.
- Bodycam: If you want the ultra-realistic "VHS tape" aesthetic that went viral recently, Bodycam is a pure PVP experience. It’s light on tactics but heavy on atmosphere.
How to Get the Most Out of the Current Game
Since you're stuck with AI suspects for now, you might as well learn how to make the game as challenging as a human opponent. The "Ironman" mode in the Commander update is no joke. If you die, your save is gone. That creates a level of tension that even the sweatiest PVP match can't replicate.
You should also look into the "Astral" or "Gunner" AI overhauls available on Nexus Mods. These mods tweak the suspect reaction times and flanking maneuvers, making them feel much more like human players who are actually trying to win, rather than just bots waiting to be shot.
The Reality Check
The lack of PVP isn't a "missing feature." It's a design philosophy. Ready or Not is a horror game disguised as a police sim. The horror comes from the unknown—not knowing if a door is booby-trapped or if a hostage is actually a suicide bomber. When you add human players to that mix, the "vibe" often shifts from tactical tension to "who has the better ping."
Actionable Next Steps for Tactical Players
If you’ve been on the fence about buying the game because of the PVP situation, here is how you should approach it:
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- Don't buy it for competition. If your goal is to climb a leaderboard or get a "Diamond" rank, you will be disappointed.
- Focus on the Co-op. Find a consistent group of four friends. The game is 100% better when you have a dedicated "Shield" guy, a "Breacher," and someone watching the rear.
- Embrace the Modding Community. Visit the Ready or Not Nexus Mods page. Install the "In-Game Menu" mod and look for custom maps like "The Compound" or "Sunder Element." These add hundreds of hours of life to the game.
- Check the Roadmap. Keep an eye on the official Steam community updates. VOID is constantly tweaking the game, and while PVP isn't on the horizon, new mission types that mimic "Force on Force" training might eventually make an appearance.
Ultimately, Ready or Not is about the "Room Clear." It’s about that three-second window where everything goes right or everything goes horribly wrong. It doesn't need a scoreboard to be one of the most intense shooters on the market today. Just make sure you check your corners—because the AI certainly will.