One of the most authentic shooters on PC is now being toned down for its PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S debut, and fans are fuming. Ready or Not launches on consoles July 15, but to get there, several aspects are being scaled back—not just on consoles, but also on PC.

Violence is a staple of video games, but some titles go above and beyond in testing its limits. Ready or Not is the prime example: an ultra-realistic tactical shooter where you lead a SWAT unit through the fictional, grimy depths of Los Angeles—each mission growing more brutal and morally complex. While the game became a hit on PC, Void Interactive has now been forced to scale down some of the violence and sexual content to meet the requirements for a console launch.

The developers themselves say these tweaks were demanded by their “partners” to secure certification for the July 15 PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S releases. As a result, scenes featuring dismemberment, torture, or nudity have been toned down or removed. Still, Void maintains the changes have been handled with care to “preserve the original tone” and deliver an experience consistent with their creative vision.

One of the most delicate issues has been the portrayal of minors. For example, in the Twisted Nerve mission, the child no longer violently convulses from meth, instead just appearing unconscious or asleep. Evidence relating to “illegal items for minors” has also been censored in the console version, though they remain partly intact on PC.

Void Interactive points out that maintaining separate versions would introduce technical glitches, complicate updates, and disrupt cross-play, so some tweaks have been applied to the PC edition as well—a move that hasn’t gone down well with the community.

Ready or Not Players Aren’t Taking the Censorship Lightly

Since these changes were announced, the game has been hit by a wave of review bombing on Steam, with players accusing the studio of “cowardly censorship” that punishes the entire PC community. “Now, unfortunately, we have censorship and missions where you have to pause and think about how tough it was to go through that story,” one player lamented.

Of course, Void Interactive is no stranger to controversy: the studio lost its publisher during Early Access after announcing a mission set in a school shooting. Now, with tempers somewhat cooled and the changes in effect, the team seems intent on broadening its audience—even if that means paring back some of the content that made the original game stand out.

Source: 3djuegos