God of War Ragnarok PC Performance Analysis: Is It Worth Playing on PC?

God of War Ragnarok is the latest PlayStation exclusive now available on PC through both Steam and the Epic Games Store. Following the successful 2018 release, Jetpack Interactive collaborated closely with Santa Monica Studio to bring this technically impressive title from 2022 to PC. This year, PC gamers have also enjoyed titles like Horizon: Forbidden West and Ghost of Tsushima, but how well does God of War Ragnarok perform on PC? Let’s explore.

God of War Ragnarok PC Performance

God of War Ragnarok features a comprehensive graphics menu, offering various settings for customization. Players have significant control over visual quality and can optimize performance as needed. A notable feature of this port is the capability to observe dynamic changes within the menu in real-time. Although it may take a moment for textures to fully load, this functionality has also been seen in other PlayStation port titles.

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Screenshot by Prima Games

As it is essentially a PS4 game, many users with 4-6 GB of VRAM can enjoy a solid experience on low settings, which surprisingly look quite good. Below is a comparison of the game’s Low and Ultra presets.

God of War Ragnarok Low Preset
God of War Ragnarok Ultra Preset

For players using older GPUs like the RX 580 or GTX 1650, you can either cap the frame rate at 30 FPS with TAA or utilize AMD Frame Generation for a smoother experience, albeit with slight latency.

A shader compilation sequence occurs at the start of each launch to prevent stutters during gameplay. We’re pleased to report that during our first ten hours of gameplay, including some of the more demanding sections, we did not encounter any significant stutters.

God of War Ragnarok Demanding Settings

While tweaking individual settings may not drastically impact performance, we suggest reviewing the following settings in God of War Ragnarok to potentially gain additional frames.

Graphics Setting Suggested Value
Lighting Medium
Models Medium – High
Shadows Medium
Reflections Medium
Tessellation Medium

Tessellation can have a notable impact depending on your location in the game. While it doesn’t drastically change visuals, it affects surface bumpiness. Below is a comparison of Medium and High tessellation values:

Tessellation Medium
Tessellation High

Should You Use Frame Generation in God of War Ragnarok?

Yes, without a doubt! Whether you’re playing on a high-end GPU or not, frame generation can enhance performance with minimal latency impact. Our tests did not reveal any major issues such as image breakup or significant UI problems.

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Screenshot by Prima Games

The game supports both AMD Frame Generation and DLSS Frame Generation, and FSR Frame Generation can be used alongside DLSS if you do not possess a 4000 series NVIDIA GPU.

Our testing indicated that FSR 3.1 FG combined with DLAA at 1440p on an RTX 4070 Super provided superior performance compared to DLSS FG, though not significantly. Both methods are effective, and we recommend trying both to see which performs best for you. While DLSS FG had issues at launch, the developers promptly addressed this with Patch 2.

God of War Ragnarok Controller Support

God of War Ragnarok offers full controller support on PC, compatible with both Xbox and PlayStation controllers. The DualSense controller supports haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, but requires a wired connection for these features on PC.

Should You Get God of War Ragnarok on PC?

Absolutely! God of War Ragnarok is an exceptional port that improves on various aspects of the original release. Performance scales well across all systems, and it includes support for upscaling technologies like DLSS 3.5, XeSS, and FSR 3.1.

The PC version of God of War Ragnarok also features frame generation support, enhancing performance for high-end users, while ensuring a satisfactory experience for those with older GPUs. Players can disable or reduce post-processing effects like Film Grain and Motion Blur, and the game provides customizable camera controls, performing well with keyboard and mouse setups as well.

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Screenshot by Prima Games

The developers have closely monitored feedback on Steam forums and have resolved multiple issues since launch. This is encouraging for future updates, mirroring the positive post-launch support seen with the 2018 release.

However, there are a few limitations primarily due to the presentation style. For users wishing to customize their PC experience further, you can find instructions on adjusting the FOV in God of War Ragnarok and skipping intro videos.

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