What Is CS Gas in Ready or Not?
CS Gas is one of the most tactically interesting less-lethal tools in Ready or Not. Unlike a Flashbang or Stinger Grenade that deliver an instant burst of suppression and fade immediately, CS Gas creates a lingering area-of-effect cloud that forces suspects and civilians into compliance over time. Knowing when and where to deploy it separates a reactive officer from a calculated one. The recent Boiling Point update (v1.4.1) made meaningful changes to how this grenade performs, so understanding the current state of the tool is essential before you bring it into a mission.
CS Gas in loadout selection
How Does CS Gas Work?
CS Gas is classified as a less-lethal grenade in Ready or Not, designed specifically for room clearing in confined spaces. When deployed, it releases a cloud of lower-concentration tear gas that affects any suspect or civilian caught within its area of effect (AoE).
Here is what happens to targets inside the cloud:
- They begin coughing, which is the primary audio indicator that the gas is working
- Movement speed drops noticeably, roughly 10-20% (exact values are still being tested by the community)
- The screen effect on affected players shows a severe reddening, making navigation difficult
- Suspects and civilians are driven toward surrender, guaranteeing compliance if they remain in the cloud
The most important mechanical detail is the duration: CS Gas lingers in the air for 22 seconds before fully dissipating. That is far longer than any flashbang effect, meaning a single grenade can hold a room or hallway in a suppressed state while your team stacks up and moves in.
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Listen for coughing sounds after deploying CS Gas. If you hear suspects coughing, the cloud is working. Move in while they are still suppressed to secure arrests before the 22 seconds run out.
What Changed in the Boiling Point v1.4.1 Update?
The Boiling Point update delivered a notable buff to CS Gas effectiveness. According to the official patch notes, the grenade's ability to suppress suspects was enhanced, with the most noticeable improvement occurring on Hard difficulty.
Before this patch, there was a documented bug where suspects could physically step out of a CS Gas cloud before the gas had time to affect them. This was fixed in v1.4.1, meaning suspects can no longer escape the AoE without being suppressed first.
Additionally, a separate bug was corrected where CS Gas grenades fired from launchers had an incorrectly small radius, particularly on Hard difficulty. The launcher-deployed CS Gas now functions with the proper AoE size, making it a viable delivery method again.
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Launcher-fired CS Gas now correctly affects your own character as well. If you fire it into a confined space without a Gas Mask equipped, you will be caught in your own cloud.
Suspect caught in CS Gas cloud
How Do You Counter CS Gas as a Player?
The only way to protect your SWAT officers (both player-controlled and AI teammates) from CS Gas effects is to equip the Gas Mask headgear. Without it, any officer caught in the cloud suffers the same screen reddening and movement penalty as suspects.
This creates a genuine tactical decision in your loadout:
- Bringing a Gas Mask protects your team from friendly CS Gas deployment
- Leaving the Gas Mask out frees up your headgear slot for Night Vision Goggles or a Ballistic Face Mask
- On missions where you plan heavy CS Gas use, the Gas Mask is essentially mandatory for the deploying officer
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Gas Masks only protect SWAT members. They do not change how suspects or civilians react to the gas. However, some suspect types in specific missions already spawn with Gas Masks, making CS Gas useless against them.
Which Suspects Are Immune to CS Gas?
Not every suspect in Ready or Not can be suppressed with CS Gas. Suspects who are already equipped with a Gas Mask will be completely unaffected by the grenade.
The most notable example from the base game is found in A Lethal Obsession (Sullivan's Slope), where certain suspects spawn with gas masks as part of their character setup. Bringing CS Gas into that mission without scouting suspect loadouts first is a wasted equipment slot.
With the Boiling Point DLC, new CQB-focused suspect types were introduced for the expansion's missions. Always use the Optical Wand to scout rooms before deploying gas so you can confirm whether targets are masked or unmasked.
Gas Mask protects from CS effects
How to Use CS Gas Grenades Effectively for Suspect Compliance
Deploying CS Gas well requires more than just throwing it into a room. Here is a practical breakdown of how to get the most out of it:
Deployment Methods
- Hand throw: The standard approach. Cook the grenade slightly before throwing to prevent suspects from kicking it back or fleeing the room before it detonates.
- Launcher-fired: Now fully functional after the v1.4.1 fix. Useful for delivering gas into rooms from a safer distance, particularly through windows or partially open doors.
- Underbarrel launcher: Allows you to keep a primary weapon in hand while still deploying gas, which is valuable in dynamic entry situations.
Tactical Positioning Tips
- Deploy CS Gas before breaching, not after. Throw it through a cracked door or window, wait for the coughing audio cue, then send in your team.
- Use CS Gas to hold stairwells and hallways while your team clears adjacent rooms. The 22-second duration is long enough to prevent suspects from repositioning.
- On Hard difficulty, the improved effectiveness means suspects are more reliably driven to surrender, making CS Gas a higher-value pick than it was before the patch.
- Coordinate with your AI team: order them to stack up on a door while you deploy the gas, then issue the breach command once suspects start coughing.
What CS Gas Cannot Do
- It will not suppress suspects wearing Gas Masks
- It will not instantly drop suspects; it drives them toward surrender over the duration of the cloud
- It is not a substitute for a Flashbang in fast-entry scenarios where you need immediate disorientation rather than sustained suppression
Less-lethal grenade options compared
How Does CS Gas Compare to Other Less-Lethal Grenades?
The 9-Bang Less-Lethal Grenade, added in the Boiling Point update, is worth comparing directly to CS Gas. The 9-Bang delivers repeated flash-bang bursts, which is better for fast dynamic entries. CS Gas is the stronger choice when you need to hold an area, deny movement through a space, or force compliance in a room your team cannot immediately enter.
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The newly added 9-Bang grenade and CS Gas serve different tactical roles. Carry both if your loadout allows it: 9-Bang for instant room clearing, CS Gas for area denial and prolonged suppression.Quickplay and Multiplayer Considerations
The Boiling Point update also improved the multiplayer experience in ways that affect how you coordinate CS Gas use with teammates. You can now modify your equipment loadout directly from the Quickplay loading screen, which means adjusting whether you bring CS Gas or a Gas Mask no longer requires backing out to the main menu.
When playing with a full team, communicate Gas Mask status before deploying CS Gas. Teammates without Gas Masks caught in your cloud will suffer the same penalties as suspects, which can disrupt a coordinated breach. The improved VOIP reliability in v1.4.1 makes this communication more dependable than in previous versions.
Key Takeaways for CS Gas Mastery
CS Gas rewards patience and preparation. The 22-second cloud duration, the post-patch fix ensuring suspects cannot simply walk out of the AoE, and the corrected launcher radius all make it a more reliable tool than it was before Boiling Point. Pair it with a Gas Mask for your deploying officer, scout for masked suspects with the Optical Wand, and use it to control space rather than as a substitute for direct action grenades.
The buff on Hard difficulty is particularly significant. If you have been avoiding CS Gas on higher difficulty runs because it felt inconsistent, the v1.4.1 changes make it worth revisiting in your loadout rotation.