When is God Of War Ragnarök released? Date, preload, graphics modes and gameplay info on the new game-Radina Koutsafti-Entertainment – Metro

The father-son duo are stronger than ever in God Of War Ragnarök (pic: Sony)

God Of War Ragnarök is the biggest game on PS4 and PS5 this Christmas but when is it out and what can you expect from it?

PlayStation exclusive God Of War Ragnarök is one of the most anticipated games of 2022, and many players can’t wait to see what the saga’s ending will mean for the father-son duo of Kratos and Atreus.

You can read our review of the game here, which is handy as prior to release Sony has said relatively little about the game, with only two proper trailers, although there have been some leaks and spoilers if you want to know what happens before you start playing.

Either way, the game is out very soon and you’ll be able to experience for yourself the finale of Kratos’ Nordic adventure.

When does God Of War Ragnarök come out? 

God Of War Ragnarök has been available for pre-order for quite some time now but the official release date for the game is Wednesday, November 9. 

As the game is still a PlayStation exclusive, you can download it as normal from the PS Store or buy the physical version from any typical games retailer. It’s a cross-gen game, so it’s available on both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.

Is God Of War Ragnarök coming to PC?

Probably, but there’s been no official announcement yet. The delay between a game being released on PlayStation console and PC is getting shorter every time but you still shouldn’t expect God Of War Ragnarök until at least 2024.

Maybe Sony will speed things up enough that it’ll be out next year, but that’s not likely. The previous God Of War game, from 2018, is already on PC, though, if you want to try that.

When can you start pre-loading God Of War Ragnarök? 

If you’ve already pre-ordered Ragnarök, you’ll be happy to know that you can pre-load it now, to access the game straight away once it unlocks. 

The pre-load process started on Wednesday, November 2, which means you have plenty of time to prepare for the official launch.

This is great if you have slower download speeds at home, as it means you can download the whole game ahead of time, and won’t be left waiting on launch day.

You better not forget to preload God Of War Ragnarök (pic: Sony)

What’s the file size for God Of War Ragnarök?

Pre-loading is especially handy with Ragnarök, given its beefy file size of around 107GB for PlayStation 4 and around 84GB for PlayStation 5 – which is smaller due to better compression options. 

Not only that, but both versions are considerably bigger than the previous God Of War game, which sat at 45GB at launch. 

How much does God Of War Ragnarök cost? 

Like its 2018 prequel, God Of War Ragnarök’s standard edition will cost £59.99 on PlayStation 4. 

The next-gen version for PlayStation 5 will cost an extra £10, priced at £69.99, but don’t expect to see any differences in terms of content, as they both come with only the base game.

Although a PC version is likely in a year or two the game definitely won’t be appearing on Xbox or Nintendo Switch, as it’s made and published by Sony.

Is there a special edition of God Of War Ragnarök? 

There are several different special editions, both physical and digital, depending on how much you want to spend.

The multiformat Digital Deluxe Edition is priced at £79.99 (£10-20 more than the standard editions) and all it includes are either early unlocks or cosmetics, along with an exclusive PSN handle. 

Here are all the extras God Of War Ragnarök Digital Deluxe Edition offers:  

Kratos Darkdale armour  Atreus Darkdale attire (cosmetic) Darkdale axe grip for the Leviathan Axe Darkdale blades handle for the Blades Of Chaos Dark Horse digital art book Official digital soundtrack PSN avatar set for PS4/PS5

Sadly, Atreus’ armour is only for cosmetic purposes (pic: Sony)

Players that pre-order either the standard or Digital Deluxe editions will also get a Risen Snow armour for Kratos and a Risen Snow tunic for Atreus (cosmetic only), but again you can get those for free from just playing the game. 

The physical copy of the standard edition also comes with a free metal mini-poster, so you’ll get an extra freebie if you choose to purchase the game in-store. 

The next gen version of the game will also come with two extra special editions for dedicated fans of the series: the Collector’s Edition and the Jötnar Edition. 

You can also wield Mjölnir if you get one of the ultra-special packs (pic: Sony)

These ultra special editions come at a hefty price, as they cost £179.99 and £229.99, respectively. However, they include plenty of IRL goodies, such as a physical replica of Thor’s Mjölnir hammer, a dwarven dice set, and a SteelBook display case, amongst other things. 

What graphics modes does God Of War Ragnarök have? 

Now that you know all the basics about Ragnarök’s upcoming release, let’s see the various specs you can expect across PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4 Pro, and PlayStation 5. 

Ragnarök is a stunning game in terms of its graphics, though many worry that it’s been designed with the limitations of last-gen consoles in mind. 

It still looks better than the 2018 game though, even on PlayStation 4, with plenty of different graphics modes to fine tune it to your preferences.

Sony has confirmed there will be nine graphics modes in total, and that you’ll be able to further modify some of them with the help of HFR and VRR tech, just like in Horizon Forbidden West. 

All the graphics modes will be available at launch, unlike other popular next gen releases, such as Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which received extra options through post-launch patches. 

Here are all the God Of War Ragnarök graphics modes as detailed by Sony: 

PlayStation 5 

Favour Performance: 

1440-2169p60 fps target

Favour Performance + HFR: 

1440pUnlocked 60 fps

Favour Performance + HFR + VRR: 

1440pUnlocked 60 fps

Favour Quality: 

2160p (Native 4K)30 fps target

Favour Quality + HFR: 

1800-2160p40 fps target

Favour Quality HFR + VRR: 

1800-2160p Unlocked 40 fps

PlayStation 4 

Standard: 

1080p30 fps target

Pro Favor Performance: 

1080-1656pUnlocked 30 fps

Pro Favor Quality: 

1440-1656p30 fps target

What’s the story of God Of War Ragnarök? 

Ragnarök’s storyline will catch up with Kratos and Atreus three years after the events of the previous instalment of the series. 

This means that Fimbulwinter, a great winter that spans over three summers, will soon be ending, setting the prophesied Ragnarök in motion. In Norse mythology, Ragnarök is a series of events, including great battles, natural disasters and everything in between, that ends up with the whole world getting submerged in water. 

Ragnarök also predicts the death of several, prominent Norse figures, such as the gods Odin, Thor, Týr, and Loki, amongst others. These are all characters in the game but that doesn’t mean its story will follow in the exact steps of the myths. 

The video game won’t necessarily unfold in the same way that the myths do, but one of the first main quests for Kratos and Atreus involves the rescue of the Norse God of War, Týr.

As Atreus has also grown up he is looking to find out more about ‘the prophecy of Loki,’ as seen at the end of God of War, to better understand what his role will be in the events of Ragnarök. 

On the other hand, Kratos will face his own inner struggle, as he’ll have to decide whether to stay true to his past, rather gruesome self, or break the cycle and become the father Atreus needs. 

It’ll be as if you’re right there with them (pic: Sony)

When the duo are not fighting foes or self-reflecting, they’ll be exploring three new realms of Norse mythology, Asgard (home to the Norse gods), Svartalfheim (Dwarven realm), and Vanaheim (home to the Vanir gods).  

If you’ve played the 2018 game, these regions were inaccessible, giving you time to travel the rest of the six realms of Norse cosmology. 

Before launch the game is around 40 hours long, if you complete every side quest, although you can beat the main game’s story in just 20 hours. Although in our experience it will take most people twice that amount of time.

Is the gameplay in God Of War Ragnarök any different? 

As you learn from our review the gameplay and structure is very similar to the 2018 game, but both Kratos and Atreus do now use a variety of new skills, powers, and weapons. 

Once again, Kratos is wielding his magical Leviathan Axe and his signature double-chained Blades of Chaos. However, in Ragnarök he’ll also be able to use his blades like a grappling hook to jump over chasms, as well as to pick up and hurl objects at enemies.

Another change is that by pressing the triangle button on your PlayStation controller, you’ll be able to use Weapon Signature Moves, which unleashes a powerful ice or fire magical attack – depending on what weapon you’ve equipped.

Shiels are much deadlier now (pic: Sony)

Kratos’ shield has also been revamped to be more versatile, as there will be different types of shields in Ragnarök that can be used either offensively or defensively. For example, by parrying the Dauntless Shield at the right moment you’ll see Kratos perform a punishing smash attack, stunning enemies and launching them into the air. 

Atreus’ combat has also been updated to reflect his character’s growth, after learning how to fight from closely following Kratos. In Ragnarök he’s matured and there are certain sections where you’ll be able to control him, without his father to rely on.

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The game will also bring armour transmogrification (yes, it’s a real word), which will allow you to change the appearance of your armour to any other acquired armour, without losing any of the former’s stats. 

Some of the official music for the game has also been released on YouTube and Spotify, so you can give the tracks a listen if you want to immerse yourself in mythic Nordic culture before you welcome Kratos and Atreus to your screens once again.

God Of War Ragnarök will launch on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on Wednesday, November 9.

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