How to Fix Checksum Mismatch Error

Ready or Not drops players into the dark and seedy underbelly of the fictional city Los Sueños as a SWAT officer responding to active threats and raiding dens used for criminal activity. It’s a hardcore tactical shooter with plenty of replayability, especially with mods, though the latter may potentially cause some unwarranted issues.

With Ready or Not graduating from Steam Early Access, players can now experience all the content VOID Interactive envisioned for the game’s full release. However, if you’ve played this game a lot in the past, you might be getting the pesky Pak Checksum Mismatch error that’s been plaguing the community. Here’s how to fix it.

How to Fix Checksum Mismatch Error

This issue usually occurs when a player tries to join an online session while having mods installed. To get rid of it, either perform a clean uninstallation of the game or disable the server-side checksum option in the game’s settings.

A clean uninstallation means getting rid of all files related to Ready or Not, including all mod files. Simply uninstalling the game won’t get rid of any third-party files, and downloading the game again with those files intact will still lead to the checksum mismatch error every time you try to join someone’s session. When reinstalling the game, make sure the Ready or Not installation folder is completely clear of any residual files. The default address containing all the mods for the game for this should be:

• C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Ready Or Not\ReadyOrNot\Content\Paks

You can also manually remove mods in this folder by deleting their relevant .pak files or the files inside the mod.io folder.

Alternatively, enabling the server-side checksum option means players won’t need to remove any mods or reinstall their game at all. This essentially forces the game to connect players with each other regardless of any mismatched .pak files. You can find this setting at the bottom of the Gameplay section of the Options menu. Take note that players might encounter some weird or buggy behavior in-game, though this shouldn’t be that noticeable or game-breaking. Make sure everyone in the squad has this setting disabled.

Disabling server-side checksum is the more ideal of the two solutions since it saves plenty of time and effort. However, should the game still show the checksum mismatch error despite the solution above, then you should try completely wiping all the game’s files instead. If you’re transitioning from early access to Ready or Not’s release version, then the latter is also recommended to purge any incompatible mods.

Ready or Not

Released

December 13, 2023

Developer

Publisher