God of War Ragnarök PC Review

God of War Ragnarök, the highly anticipated sequel to the 2018 reboot, has taken the gaming world by storm. Originally released as a PlayStation exclusive, the game quickly became a fan favorite for its breathtaking visuals, gripping narrative, and intense combat mechanics.

With its critically acclaimed success on consoles, the excitement surrounding its release on PC is palpable. PC gamers are eager to experience the Norse mythology-inspired journey of Kratos and Atreus with enhanced graphics and customizable controls.

In this review, we’ll dive into the performance and visual quality of God of War Ragnarök on PC, exploring how well it translates to various hardware setups. We’ll also evaluate whether the PC version enhances the already stellar gameplay experience and offers a worthwhile investment for those who’ve been patiently waiting for its arrival.

Game Overview

Plot Summary

God of War Ragnarök picks up the story of Kratos and his son Atreus as they navigate the treacherous realms of Norse mythology. Set against the backdrop of an impending apocalypse foretold in ancient prophecies, the duo embarks on a perilous journey to uncover the truth behind Atreus’ mysterious lineage and prevent the catastrophic events of Ragnarök.

Along the way, they face formidable foes, forge new alliances, and confront the gods themselves, all while grappling with their own complicated father-son relationship. The narrative is a masterful blend of intense action, emotional depth, and epic storytelling that builds on the legacy of its predecessor.

Characters and Setting

The game features an expansive cast of characters, each deeply rooted in Norse mythology. Kratos, the once vengeful Greek god of war, now seeks redemption and guidance for his son, Atreus, who is growing into his own power and identity. As they traverse the nine realms, players encounter a host of mythological beings, including Thor, the god of thunder, and Freya, a powerful sorceress and former ally. Each realm, from the icy expanse of Midgard to the fiery landscapes of Muspelheim, is meticulously crafted, offering diverse environments and challenges that enrich the overall experience.

Game Mechanics

God of War Ragnarök retains the core gameplay mechanics that made its predecessor a hit, while introducing several new elements to enhance the experience. Combat is visceral and strategic, requiring players to master a variety of weapons and abilities. Kratos’ Leviathan Axe and Blades of Chaos return, each offering unique combat styles, while Atreus provides support with his bow and a suite of magical abilities. The game also introduces new skill trees, allowing for deeper customization of abilities and fighting styles.

Exploration is equally rewarding, with vast, interconnected realms filled with puzzles, hidden treasures, and lore-rich side quests. Players can upgrade their gear, craft new equipment, and unlock special abilities by completing challenges and defeating powerful enemies. The seamless integration of narrative and gameplay makes every battle and discovery feel meaningful, contributing to a deeply immersive experience that keeps players engaged from start to finish.

PC-Specific Features

Graphics and Performance

Graphics Options

God of War Ragnarök on PC offers a robust suite of graphical settings, allowing players to fine-tune the visual experience to their hardware capabilities. Players can adjust options such as resolution, texture quality, shadow detail, and anti-aliasing. The game supports resolutions up to 4K, providing stunning visual fidelity, especially in environments rich with detail like forests, icy caves, and ancient temples. Texture quality settings enable crisp, high-resolution assets, while shadow detail options allow for realistic, dynamic lighting that enhances the game’s atmospheric presentation.

Performance Benchmarks

Performance varies across different hardware configurations, but the game is optimized to run smoothly on a wide range of systems. Benchmarks show that on low settings, God of War Ragnarök can achieve a stable 60 FPS on mid-tier systems with GPUs like the GTX 1060 or equivalent. On high settings, players with RTX 3060 or similar can enjoy the game at 1440p with an average of 70-80 FPS.

Ultra settings push the visual boundaries, requiring more powerful hardware like an RTX 3080 or above to maintain a consistent 60 FPS at 4K. These benchmarks ensure that both budget and high-end PC gamers can experience the game without compromising too much on performance.

Ray Tracing and DLSS

The PC version includes support for NVIDIA’s ray tracing and Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) technologies, significantly enhancing the visual experience. Ray tracing brings realistic reflections, shadows, and ambient lighting to the game, making environments feel more lifelike and immersive. However, enabling ray tracing can have a substantial impact on performance, particularly at higher resolutions.

DLSS helps mitigate this by using AI to upscale lower-resolution images, allowing players to achieve higher frame rates without sacrificing visual quality. With DLSS enabled, players can enjoy smoother gameplay even with ray tracing activated, making it an essential feature for those with compatible NVIDIA GPUs.

Controls and Customization

Keyboard & Mouse

The PC version of God of War Ragnarök offers a fully customizable keyboard and mouse experience. Default key bindings are intuitive, with movement, combat, and interaction keys easily accessible. Players can reassign keys to their preference, allowing for a tailored experience that suits different play styles. Mouse sensitivity and camera controls can also be adjusted to provide precise aiming and movement, enhancing the overall gameplay experience compared to the console’s controller input.

Controller Support

For those who prefer a more traditional approach, God of War Ragnarök supports a variety of controllers, including the DualShock 4 and DualSense controllers from PlayStation, as well as Xbox and third-party gamepads. The game retains the haptic feedback and adaptive trigger functionality of the DualSense, delivering a more immersive experience when using this controller. However, some features, like motion controls, are exclusive to the PlayStation version. Overall, the controller support on PC is comprehensive, allowing players to choose their preferred input method without losing any critical gameplay features.

Gameplay Experience on PC

Combat

The combat in God of War Ragnarök on PC is a seamless and thrilling experience, offering fluidity and responsiveness that elevate the gameplay beyond its console counterpart. With the option to play at higher frame rates, players can execute Kratos’ brutal combos and Atreus’ precise arrow shots with pinpoint accuracy, making combat feel more dynamic and intense.

The enhanced control options available with a keyboard and mouse also allow for quicker reactions and more precise targeting, especially during fast-paced encounters. For those using a controller, the game provides robust support with improved haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, particularly on compatible devices like the DualSense, enhancing the tactile sensation of each swing of Kratos’ Leviathan Axe or Blades of Chaos.

Exploration

Exploring the vast, mythological realms of God of War Ragnarök on PC is a visually stunning experience, thanks to the enhanced graphics settings and faster load times. The game’s environments, from the dense forests of Midgard to the fiery landscapes of Muspelheim, are rendered in exquisite detail, with higher texture quality and more realistic lighting effects that bring the world to life. Load times are significantly reduced compared to the console versions, making transitions between realms and fast travel almost instantaneous, which enhances the sense of immersion and encourages players to explore every nook and cranny of the game’s expansive world.

The increased draw distance and higher-quality assets also mean that players can appreciate the intricate details of the game’s architecture, foliage, and creature design more than ever before. Whether you’re navigating treacherous cliffs, solving environmental puzzles, or uncovering hidden lore, the PC version provides an unmatched visual and exploratory experience that truly showcases the game’s artistic prowess.

Audio & Soundtrack

The audio design in God of War Ragnarök is as meticulously crafted as its visuals, and the PC version offers an immersive soundscape that heightens the overall experience. With support for high-quality audio formats and surround sound setups, players can experience every clash of steel, every whisper of the wind, and every roar of the game’s formidable beasts with unparalleled clarity and depth. The game’s epic soundtrack, composed by Bear McCreary, resonates powerfully, enhancing both the quiet, emotional moments and the grand, climactic battles.

On a well-configured PC setup, the audio design shines, whether you’re using a high-end headset or a surround sound system. The directional audio helps in pinpointing enemy positions during combat, while the rich, layered music adds to the tension and drama of the narrative. Overall, the sound design on PC delivers a truly cinematic experience, immersing players deeply in the mythological world of Ragnarök.

System Requirements and Recommendations

Minimum Requirements

The official minimum system requirements for God of War Ragnarök are as follows:

• OS: Windows 10 (64-bit)
• Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K or AMD Ryzen 3 1200
• RAM: 8 GB
• Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 960 (4 GB) or AMD R9 290X (4 GB)
• Storage: 70 GB available space

While these specs will allow you to run the game, the experience can be less than ideal. With these minimum settings, you can expect to play at 720p resolution with low graphical settings, achieving around 30 FPS. This setup is suitable for experiencing the story and basic gameplay, but visual quality and frame rates will be limited, and you may encounter performance dips in more demanding areas.

Recommended Requirements

For a more polished experience, the recommended specs are:

• OS: Windows 10 (64-bit)
• Processor: Intel Core i5-6600K or AMD Ryzen 5 2400G
• RAM: 16 GB
• Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 1070 (8 GB) or AMD RX Vega 56 (8 GB)
• Storage: 70 GB SSD

With these specifications, players can achieve a smooth 60 FPS at 1080p resolution with medium to high settings, providing a much more enjoyable visual and gameplay experience. The game runs well on these specs, with minimal stuttering and better load times compared to the minimum setup. However, for those seeking the ultimate graphical fidelity and performance, further upgrades are recommended.

Optimal Setup

To fully appreciate the stunning visuals and seamless gameplay of God of War Ragnarök, an optimal PC configuration would include:

• OS: Windows 11 (64-bit)
• Processor: Intel Core i7-9700K or AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
• RAM: 32 GB
• Graphics: NVIDIA RTX 3080 (10 GB) or AMD RX 6800 XT (16 GB)
• Storage: 70 GB NVMe SSD

This setup allows for playing the game at 1440p or 4K resolution with ultra settings and ray tracing enabled, maintaining a stable 60 FPS or higher. The increased RAM and a powerful CPU ensure smooth multitasking and faster load times, while the high-end GPU delivers exceptional visual quality with enhanced textures, shadows, and lighting effects. With DLSS enabled, you can further boost performance without compromising on graphics, making this the ideal configuration for experiencing the game in all its glory.

Frequently Asked Questions