In 2022, Santa Monica Studio and PlayStation were launched God of War Ragnarok for PS4 and PS5. A monumental achievement, God of War Ragnarok blew players away with its gripping story, captivating graphics and internal battles that successfully built on the groundbreaking 2018 The God of War game. Two years later, PC gamers have the chance to see what all the fuss is about God of War Ragnarokand I'm happy to report that the PC port lives up to expectations.
There have been a few misfires, but for the most part, PlayStation's PC ports have successfully brought the company's best games to the platform. God of War Ragnarok is another of PlayStation's high-quality PC ports, and as long as one has a powerful enough rig, they can have an experience on par or even better than what was achieved on the PS5. The game is polished to a shine, with near-perfect performance and the same incredible graphics as its PlayStation counterpart. Of course, the best graphics in the world don't mean much if the game doesn't back it up, but God of War Ragnarok delivers in that arena as well.
God of War Ragnarok features similar hard-hitting action to the 2018 game, with an over-the-shoulder camera and up-close personal hack-and-slash action. Ragnarök expanding Kratos' arsenal as the game progresses, with the titular God of War eventually able to wield an infinite reviving spear that shakes things up considerably. Kratos primarily uses his weapons to dispatch the many different enemies he encounters on his journey, but they are also used to solve puzzles, such as when players have to freeze something with the Leviathan Ax, for example.
God of War RagnarokThe PC port introduces a great quality-of-life feature when it comes to puzzle solving. While the original PlayStation version of the game had Atreus and other characters quickly popping in with puzzle solutions before players could even grab them, Ragnarök gives players the option to turn off their assistance, which is a nice touch that really lets players tailor the experience to suit their own tastes.
God of War Ragnarok is best played with a DualSense controller
Other, God of War Ragnarok on PC is essentially the same experience as the PlayStation version. God of War Ragnarok has some PC-exclusive features, sure, like ultra-wide support and the ability to play with a mouse and keyboard, but nothing that would necessarily make it worth double-dipping for those who already own the game on console. For that matter, I highly recommend that PC gamers forget the idea of playing with a mouse and keyboard, and instead get their hands on a PS5 DualSense controller. While God of War Ragnarok is certainly playable with a mouse and keyboard setup as well as a variety of other PC-compatible controllers (I mainly tested the game on PC with an Xbox controller), nothing beats playing the game with a DualSense. Haptic feedback and adaptive triggers add an extra layer of immersion to the game's fights, and it's simply the best way to play God of War Ragnarok.
Those who have never played God of War Ragnarok is in for an incredible ride with the PC version. Ragnarök sees Kratos and Atreus battle the Norse gods Odin and Thor following the events of the 2018 game. What follows is a heart-pounding adventure in which Kratos, Atreus and their companions explore the nine worlds in an attempt to stop the prophesied apocalypse. Ragnaröks story is truly engrossing and easily one of the best the series has delivered to date. It's full of brilliant character interactions and shocking twists that ensure players are completely enthralled from start to finish, minus a few pacing issues here and there.
i think God of War Ragnarok is a near perfect game until a certain Atreus section. I don't want to go into spoilers for those who haven't played Ragnarök before, but just know that the game loses a lot of momentum at a certain point where Atreus becomes the main playable character. This part of the game is boring and can make the runtime feel a bit bloated, although I will say that it ends with one of the most memorable boss fights in the entire The God of War series. It also introduces an interesting new character, so it's a shame that the gameplay for this section is pretty boring compared to the rest of the game.
I tested God of War Ragnarok using a PC powered by Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080, 3.70 GHz AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12-core processor and 32.0 GB of RAM.
That aside, it's hard to find fault with God of War Ragnarok. It's an amazing, long journey full of wonderful sights to see, memorable fights to participate in, and tons of secrets to find. The puzzles are amazing and are even better in the PC version without Kratos companions ruining the solutions, the worlds are fun to explore, and the story is one of the best in gaming history. However, there is a bug with the PC version of the God of War Ragnarok which fans should be aware of.
God of War Ragnarok's PSN requirements are disappointing
Unfortunately, God of War Ragnarok requires a PlayStation Network account on PC. God of War Ragnarok is a strictly single-player game, so it is unclear why it is necessary for Steam users to have a PSN account. It's true that it doesn't take too long to create an account or link to an existing one, but it's still a hassle that seems like it could have been easily avoided, considering the previous PlayStation games that landed on Steam without a such requirement. One benefit of it is that it allows players to play with a PlayStation overlay that unlocks trophies at the same time as Steam achievements.
PC gamers who can see past God of War Ragnaroks PSN account requirements will have a great time with the game. But there's even more to play once the main story is complete. God of War RagnarokThe PC port includes the Valhalla mode at launch, meaning PC players can get the full experience out of the port. Valhalla, for the uninitiated, is a special game mode that blends together God of War Ragnarok combat with roguelike elements to tell a unique story that takes place after the events of the base game. Valhalla was a free update for the PlayStation version of the game, so it's not like it adds extra money Ragnaröks PC port, but it's still nice to get the whole package at once.
God of War Ragnarok will give PC gamers their money's worth and then some. It's a long adventure and one of Kratos' biggest outings to date. Still, there are some pacing issues and the PSN account requirement is disappointing. Sony is unlikely to release it later, so PC gamers who want to enjoy the company's games without buying a PS5 should keep that in mind.
God of War Ragnarok is available now for PC, PS4 and PS5. Game Rant was provided with a PC code for this review.
