What is Ironman Mode in Ready or Not Explained

Ready or Not is a very strategic and challenging game to play solo, as is the point. You may have noticed Ironman mode and want to know everything it entails before diving headfirst. Allow me to tell you what you’re getting into, and a safer alternative.

Ironman Mode in Ready or Not

Ready or Not is very challenging, but at least death isn’t the end as you can keep retrying where you’ve failed. In Ironman mode, this is taken away. It is a permadeath mode, meaning that if your character dies, they die. Full stop. No turning back or reloading.

This, naturally, is super challenging, and you’ll have to be very careful when approaching any situation. The prospect of death will make you think five times before committing to an action, providing even more realism.

What’s more, is that Ironman mode is a Commander mode, which means it’s single-player only. So, the challenge is elevated even further. There is an achievement and extras to be earned through completing the game in Ironman mode, and honestly, you’d have wholeheartedly earned them.

Related: All Console Commands for Ready or Not

An alternative to Ironman Mode in Ready or Not

Ironman mode may seem alluring yet aversive, as the challenge and the cost of failure are both very high. You needn’t commit to Ironman mode to emulate the experience, or you may simply want a low-stakes practice run.

As an alternative to Ironman mode, if you don’t want to commit just yet, is to play a normal solo run. In this run, however, do not reload saves unless you die. That’s it. And only make hard saves when you’re back at your home base. This will reflect the Ironman challenge but won’t actually cost you if you die, allowing you to learn from your mistakes whilst practicing being super careful.

This will also save you time alongside providing a punishing and limiting experience. Even if you have no desire to play Ironman mode after reading what it’s about, you can still play in this way to raise the challenge a little and add some realism.

Once you’ve completed a run with minimal saves and reloading, you may be ready for the real challenge of Ironman mode.

Now that you know all about playing Ready or Not in a realistic setting, you’ll want to know how to put on your balaclava.