SWAT Commander Review: A Rough but Promising Challenger to Ready or Not's Throne

Let's get the elephant in the room out of the way first: you can't talk about a new tactical police shooter without mentioning Ready or Not. VOID Interactive's game has been the undisputed king of the genre for years, for better or worse. So when a new challenger like SWAT Commander steps into the ring, the first question is always going to be, "How does it stack up?" The answer, at least in this early stage, is complicated. This is a game with a fantastic foundation and some genuinely smart ideas that, in some ways, are already ahead of its competitor. It's also an Early Access title that is, to put it mildly, rough as hell.

Clearing the Room (The Right Way)

Despite the jank, there is a solid, compelling game here. The developers have clearly studied the genre, drawing inspiration not just from other games but from the real-world tactics that define this kind of high-stakes operation.

A Solid Tactical Core

The moment-to-moment gameplay feels like a welcome throwback to the golden age of SWAT 4. The level design is excellent for close-quarters battles, and the missions are given a ton of replayability thanks to the procedural placement of enemies, civilians, and objectives. One run, a door might be open; the next, it's barricaded. This forces you to stay on your toes and actually think tactically rather than just memorizing a perfect route. The order queuing system is intuitive, and the variety of gadgets, from C2 charges to lockpick guns, gives you a solid toolbox to work with.

Leaps and Bounds

Here’s the surprising part: for an Early Access launch, SWAT Commander is in some ways ahead of where Ready or Not was four years ago. It launched with features that the community has been begging for in other games, like the ability to choose from multiple entry points before a mission and a clean, easy-to-use loadout system with saveable presets. These are smart, quality-of-life features that show the developers are paying attention to the genre and its players. It gives me hope that they're on the right track.

Flashbang Out (But it Hits Your Own Team)

For all its smart design, the game is still undeniably in Early Access, and the cracks are impossible to ignore. The core is solid, but the presentation and AI are in desperate need of a complete overhaul.

AI on an Acid Trip

The AI, for both your squad and the suspects, is a complete mess. My AI teammates often move like molasses, pathing directly into danger and generally acting like heavily armed mannequins. They’re functional, but they lack any sense of urgency or self-preservation.

The suspect AI, on the other hand, has the opposite problem. They are psychic, John Wick-style killing machines. They'll hesitate for a moment, then snap-aim and shoot you in a single frame, sometimes through walls. This lack of believable behavior turns what should be a tense tactical puzzle into a frustrating game of trial and error where you’re just as likely to get killed by a bugged-out suspect as you are by your own bad decisions.

Placeholder Presentation

The immersion is also constantly shattered by the game's presentation. The voice acting is, to be blunt, horrible. It sounds like it was recorded by the developers in an echoey office, with a commander who barks orders like he’s been gargling gravel and steroids. The animations are stiff and robotic, and the overall tone can sometimes feel a bit goofy, which clashes with the serious, high-stakes scenarios the game is trying to create.

The Verdict

SWAT Commander is a game of immense potential. The foundation is rock-solid, the core tactical gameplay is fun and replayable, and it has a number of smart features that show the developers truly understand the genre. However, it's wrapped in a package of janky AI, amateurish presentation, and the general roughness you’d expect from a game this early in its development.

This isn't a game for everyone, at least not yet. If you’re a die-hard fan of tactical shooters who is willing to look past the rough edges and provide feedback, it’s a worthy purchase that could evolve into something special. For everyone else, this is one to keep on your watchlist. There's a real challenger to the tactical shooter throne here, but it needs to go through a lot more training before it's ready for the main event.

Score: 7.0/10 A promising rookie that could become a veteran, but right now it keeps shooting itself in the foot.

We at NLM received a key for this game for free, this however didn't impact our review in any way.