God of War Ragnarök PC vs. PS5: What's the difference?

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Here are the 4 big differences between God of War Ragnarök on PC vs. PS5

God of War Ragnarok PC
(Image credit: Sony)
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God of War Ragnarök is finally launching on PC on September 19 and I'm ready to Spartan Rage in unlimited frames! 

Sony announced Kratos' impending arrival in the PC mythos during the PlayStation State of Play May 2024. Despite video game summer being in full swing, it was a relatively tame event. However, the most exciting news is by far seeing all the cool updates God of War Ragnarök is getting for PC.

Finally, PC players can experience the beauty of God of War Ragnarök, but if you're rocking both a PS5 and a PC like I am, what's the difference? Is it worth replaying? And if you don't already own God of War Ragnarök, should you buy it for PC or PS5?

Let's jump into what the differences are between God of War Ragnarök on PC vs. PS5

God of War Ragnarök PC vs. PS5: 4 big differences

Sony outlined the exclusive features coming to God of War Ragnarök for PC, so let's jump in.

God of War Ragnarök PC - Announce Trailer | PC Games (Audio Description Available) - YouTube God of War Ragnarök PC - Announce Trailer | PC Games (Audio Description Available) - YouTube
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Unlocked framerates: That means God of War Ragnarök won't limit how many frames per second you'll experience on-screen. On PS5 God of War Ragnarök is capped at 120 fps. That is enough for most people, especially if you have only a 120Hz display. However, if your gaming monitor or gaming laptop display is above 120Hz, you can experience smoother quality, granted that your PC sports a capable GPU.

Upscaling: Technology like Nvidia RTX Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS), AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR), and Intel XeSS (Xe Super Sampling) let you increase the graphical settings and resolutions of God of War Ragnarök beyond what it was originally designed for. How does this work? Technology like DLSS improves performance and image quality by reducing the quality of visuals that aren't normally visible. The downside of this, however, is it can produce visuals that aren't intended to be there (so test it first to see how you like it). The PS5 version's only graphics settings are Performance and Quality (resolution set by TV and PS5).

Super ultra-widescreen: This is my favorite new feature and it makes me seriously consider replaying the entirety of God of War Ragnarök. Now you can experience the epic tale of Kratos and Atreus in 21:9 ultra-widescreen and 32:9 super ultra-widescreen. Yes, they have silly names, but that means you can see more of the screen than ever before. If you've watched any film, you'll notice how different the tone is when viewed in widescreen or fullscreen format. This will entirely shift how you experience the PC version. However, this will eat up more of your graphics performance, so keep that in mind.

Valhalla & New Game+: A great part about experiencing God of War Ragnarök for the first time is getting to jump into Valhalla without feeling detached from the story. It's a change of pace from the base game, but it makes sense in the context of the end-game narrative and gameplay. A boon for people like me who've played both is getting access to New Game+ from the jump. So you can immediately start experiencing higher-level content.

God of War Ragnarök PC vs. PS5: The similarities

Much to everyone's protest, you will need to log into your PlayStation account in order to play God of War Ragnarök on PC. The big problem here, despite being mildly inconvenient, is that there is a whole list of regions incapable of accessing the PlayStation network. 

God of War Ragnarok PC

(Image credit: Sony)

There was a big protest when Sony enforced this during the height of Helldivers 2, and a brave employee told players to review bomb the game to force Sony's hand. It worked, but the said employee was fired as a result. I hope it doesn't come to that with God of War Ragnarök and that Sony stops trying to limit people's ability to play its games.

Another similarity is that you'll be able to get some pre-order bonuses if you pre-purchase God of War Ragnarök on Steam or the Epic Games Store. You can get the Kratos Risen Snow Armor and the Atreus Risen Snow Tunic in the Standard edition, or the Darkdale set (Kratos & Atreus armor, Blade handles, Ax grip), digital soundtrack, and digital mini artbook.

However, all of the in-game items can be unlocked through story progression.

Outlook

We still don't have any info about the PC spec requirements, so you'll have to stay tuned for that.

God of War Ragnarök is coming to PC via Steam and Epic Games Store on September 19, 2024.

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Rami Tabari
Rami Tabari
Editor

Rami Tabari is an Editor for Laptop Mag. He reviews every shape and form of a laptop as well as all sorts of cool tech. You can find him sitting at his desk surrounded by a hoarder's dream of laptops, and when he navigates his way out to civilization, you can catch him watching really bad anime or playing some kind of painfully difficult game. He’s the best at every game and he just doesn’t lose. That’s why you’ll occasionally catch his byline attached to the latest Souls-like challenge.