God of War Ragnarök PC Port Score: Optimization Review

The arrival of God of War Ragnarök on PC marks another milestone in Sony’s ongoing strategy to bring its flagship console exclusives to a broader audience. Following the critically acclaimed PC release of its predecessor, expectations were sky-high for this port. Developed by Santa Monica Studio and ported to PC by Jetpack Interactive, the same team behind the excellent God of War (2018) PC adaptation, Ragnarök had a strong foundation. After extensive testing across a variety of hardware configurations, it’s clear that this is not just a simple port—it’s a masterclass in optimization, visual fidelity, and PC-centric customization.

Visual Grandeur Meets Technical Precision

From the frozen winds of Midgard to the vibrant, chaotic realms of Svartalfheim and Vanaheim, God of War Ragnarök was a visual showcase on the PlayStation 5. The PC version not only preserves this grandeur but amplifies it. The port supports a vast array of cutting-edge features, including native 4K resolution, uncapped frame rates, ultra-wide monitor support (including 21:9 and 32:9 aspect ratios), and enhanced shadow and ambient occlusion quality.

The most significant upgrade comes in the form of full NVIDIA DLSS 3.7, AMD FSR 3.1, and Intel XeSS support. These upscaling technologies are not mere afterthoughts; they are integral to the experience. DLSS Super Resolution in its Quality mode is nothing short of miraculous, offering a near-native image quality while dramatically boosting performance. For owners of the latest NVIDIA RTX 40-series GPUs, DLSS Frame Generation delivers buttery-smooth gameplay, effectively doubling frame rates with minimal perceptible input latency when combined with NVIDIA Reflex.

FSR 3.1 also sees a massive improvement over previous implementations, making high-frame-rate gameplay accessible to a wider range of GPU brands. The inclusion of these technologies future-proofs the game, ensuring it will remain performant on hardware for years to come.

Performance Deep Dive: Scalability is Key

A great port is defined by its scalability, and Ragnarök excels here. The game offers an extensive suite of graphics options, allowing users to fine-tune everything from texture quality to particle effects. We tested the game on three primary setups:

High-End Rig (NVIDIA RTX 4090, Intel i9-13900K, 32GB DDR5 RAM): At 4K resolution with all settings maxed out (including the new ‘Ultra+’ texture setting) and DLSS Super Resolution set to Quality, the game consistently held above 120 fps outside of the most intense combat and cinematic sequences. Enabling DLSS Frame Generation pushed this well beyond 160 fps, creating an incredibly responsive and immersive experience. The GPU utilization was consistently high, indicating a well-optimized workload.
Mid-Range Rig (NVIDIA RTX 4070, AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, 16GB DDR4 RAM): Targeting 1440p resolution with a mix of High and Original settings (the equivalent of PS5’s fidelity mode), the system easily maintained a stable 90-100 fps with DLSS Quality. Even without upscaling, native 1440p performance hovered around a very playable 70-80 fps. This setup delivers a experience that is visibly superior to the console original in both fluidity and detail.
Entry-Level/Last-Gen Rig (NVIDIA GTX 1080 Ti, Intel i7-7700K, 16GB DDR4 RAM): This was the true test of optimization. While the aging GPU can’t leverage modern upscalers, the game’s built-in resolution scaling and numerous graphics presets came to the rescue. At 1080p with the “Original” preset (matching the PS4 Pro experience), the game managed a stable 45-50 fps. Dropping a few demanding settings like shadows and reflections to “Low” allowed for a solid 60 fps experience, proving that the developers have thoughtfully ensured the game can run on a wide spectrum of hardware.

CPU performance is also well-managed. The game leverages multi-core processors effectively, showing strong scaling across multiple threads without any major bottlenecking on modern CPUs.

A PC-Centric Feature Set

Beyond raw performance, the PC port shines with features tailored for the platform. The ultra-wide support is flawlessly implemented, making the epic cinematic presentation more immersive than ever. The controls are another highlight. While the game feels fantastic with a DualSense controller (with full support for its advanced haptics and adaptive triggers), the mouse and keyboard implementation is exceptional. The input feels immediate and precise, with fully rebindable keys and camera controls that are a perfect translation from the original scheme. There’s no acceleration or smoothing to fight against; it’s a direct, raw input that competitive PC players will appreciate.

The port also includes a full photo mode, all previously released DLC, and both free and premium cosmetic add-ons from the start. The integration with the PlayStation Network is optional, allowing for cross-save functionality—a beloved feature for players continuing their journey from PS5.

Minor Quibbles

No release is entirely perfect. We encountered very rare instances of shader compilation stutter during the first few minutes of play after a driver update. However, the game’s comprehensive background shader pre-compilation process, which runs upon first launch, effectively eliminates this issue for the vast majority of the gameplay experience. It’s a one-time wait that pays dividends in smoothness thereafter. Some very high-end users have also reported that the VRAM allocation is aggressive at maximum settings, though this did not translate to noticeable performance degradation in our testing.

Final Verdict: A New Benchmark for PC Ports

The PC port of God of War Ragnarök is a resounding success. Jetpack Interactive and Santa Monica Studio have not simply transferred the game to a new platform; they have elevated it. The meticulous optimization, the generous inclusion of modern upscaling technologies, and the thoughtful implementation of PC-specific features set a new standard for what a console-to-PC port should be.

It is a technically robust, visually stunning, and incredibly performant package that respects the PC audience’s desire for choice and quality. Whether you’re aiming for a cinematic 4K experience or a high-refresh-rate combat spectacle, Ragnarök on PC delivers. It is, without a doubt, the definitive way to experience one of the greatest action-adventure games of the modern era.

Optimization Score: 9.8/10