God of War: Ragnarök has finally made its way to the beloved Windows platform, showcasing PlayStation’s commitment to expanding its titles beyond consoles. Originally designed for PS4/PS5, the PC version offers more than just enhanced graphics and smoother gameplay. Santa Monica Studios and Jetpack Interactive have provided impressive optimisation so players can enjoy this epic adventure on a range of hardware, all the way from flagship configurations to dated systems.
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Performance Analysis
Upon launching God of War: Ragnarök on my Acer ALG Gaming laptop, equipped with an octa-core Intel Core i5-12450H (4 Performance cores + 4 Efficiency Cores), an Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU (75W TGP), and 16GB of DDR4 RAM at 3200 MT/s, the performance was commendable. We initially achieved an average of 40 FPS during gameplay. Since the RTX 3050 does not support Nvidia DLSS 3.5 Frame Generation, we leveraged AMD’s FSR frame generation technology, which helped boost our average FPS to an impressive and responsive 60. I even tried the game on an entry-level yet proper gaming laptop namely the ASUS TUF F15 which was equipped with 16GB DDR4 RAM, hexa-core Intel core i5 11400H and an Nvidia RTX 2050, basically a machine that can be acquired for somewhere around Rs 50,000. And, upon starting the game, it gave a warning that your specs don’t match the lowest system requirements. Yet, the game ran flawlessly, even on the Ultra Preset at an average of 50FPS. Clearly, the intelligent scaling and resource management in God of War: Ragnarök ensure compatibility for a broader range of hardware, allowing more players to immerse themselves in this epic adventure.
Game Settings
This is where stronger hardware truly shines, as the game supports a wide range of aspect ratios, from the standard 16:9 to an absurdly wide 32:9. When it comes to graphics settings, the game offers four presets: low, medium, high, and ultra. Additionally, there are four Anti-Aliasing technologies available: Temporal Anti-Aliasing upscaling (TAA), AMD FSR 3.1, Intel XeSS 2.1, and Nvidia’s DLSS 3.7.
For upscaling, players can choose between Native or Quality modes, though we recommend users to choose native over quality. Additionally, there is a latency reduction mode that can be enabled when frame generation is active. As mentioned earlier, the frame generation technology significantly boosts frame rates, enhancing the gameplay experience. In terms of graphical presets, both High and Ultra are excellent choices. I strongly suggest playing on the highest settings your system allows to fully experience the game’s stunning visual prowess.
Gameplay Experience post Patch 4:
Even though God of War: Ragnarök excels in storytelling and gameplay, some technical problems hindered the experience. Thankfully, with the release of Patch 4, many of these issues were resolved. The most significant fixes included addressing the Nvidia memory leak and the issue where the DualSense controller wouldn’t work wirelessly. The Nvidia memory leak particularly affected my testing, as changing the frame generation technology would cause frame rates to drop after a few attempts (surprisingly, this was noticed on the RTX 3050 system and not the 2050). Fortunately, this issue was resolved with Patch 4, leading to more stable performance. Overall, the gameplay now feels smoother and more reliable. As for the overall experience, I’m really happy with how the game plays, whether using the keyboard and mouse combo or the DualSense controller. Both setups provided a fun, enjoyable, and thrilling gameplay experience, with seamless and intuitive controls throughout.
Conclusion
In conclusion, God of War: Ragnarök on PC is a resounding success for PlayStation, bringing one of its most iconic titles to a broader audience with remarkable precision. The game’s optimisation is commendable, delivering a smooth and stable experience even on mid-range hardware like the RTX 3050. While there were a few minor technical issues, most of these have been addressed with the release of Patch 4, leading to improved performance and stability.
Beyond its technical prowess, what truly elevates God of War: Ragnarök is its captivating story, stunning visuals, and intricate combat mechanics, all of which come together to provide an immensely immersive experience. Whether you’re a longtime fan of the series or a newcomer, this title is a must-play. It not only lives up to its predecessors but expands on the franchise in meaningful ways.
After finishing the game, I personally called up my fellow gamer friend and told him, “This game was like experiencing a grand movie!” Ultimately, the combination of solid optimisation and a gripping storyline would make Ragnarök an essential addition to any PC gamer’s library.
Editor’s rating: 9 / 10
Pros:
- Visually stunning
- Great PC port
- Well-optimised for a large gamut of hardware configurations
- DualSense and DualShock 4 support
Cons:
- No additional Ray-Tracing support
- No built-in benchmark tool
