Yesterday, the system requirements for the highly anticipated PC port of God of War: Ragnarok were unveiled on Steam, ahead of its September 19 launch. Among the details shared, the substantial install size of 190 GB has sparked considerable discussion. This figure is notably close to the combined file sizes of the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions, which were 107 GB and 84 GB, respectively, at their launch.
Another point of contention arises from the necessity of a PlayStation Network (PSN) account for a single-player experience. This requirement has raised eyebrows, particularly since PSN is not accessible in as many countries as Steam, effectively restricting access to Ragnarok for numerous potential PC players due to what some perceive as arbitrary account limitations.
Fortunately, the team at Sony Santa Monica has managed to avoid some of the misleading practices often seen in the industry. The game will support advanced technologies such as Nvidia DLSS 3.7, AMD FSR 3.1, Intel XeSS 1.3, and Frame Generation, enhancing performance and image quality without compromising the integrity of the system requirements.
God of War: Ragnarok PC System Requirements
Below are the detailed system requirements for God of War: Ragnarok:
<table tabindex="0" class="tablewrapper tablewrapper–inbodyContent tablewrapper–sticky tablewrapper–divider”>
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<th class="tableheadheading tableheadheading–left” colspan=”1″>Header Cell – Column 0
<th class="tableheadheading tableheadheading–left” colspan=”1″>Minimum Preset
<th class="tableheadheading tableheadheading–left” colspan=”1″>Recommended Preset
<th class="tableheadheading tableheadheading–left” colspan=”1″>High Preset
<th class="tableheadheading tableheadheading–left” colspan=”1″>Performance Preset
<th class="tableheadheading tableheadheading–left” colspan=”1″>Ultra Preset
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<tr class="tablebodyrow”>
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>In-Game Graphics Settings Target, Native Resolution
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>1080p @ 30 FPS, Low Settings
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>1080p @ 60 FPS, Medium Settings
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>1440p @ 60 FPS, High Settings
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>4K @ 60 FPS, High Settings
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>4K @ 60 FPS, Ultra Settings
<tr class="tablebodyrow”>
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>GPU Requirement
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>Nvidia GTX 1060 or AMD RX 5500 XT
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>Nvidia RTX 2060 Super or AMD RX 5700
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>Nvidia RTX 3070 or AMD RX 6800
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti or AMD RX 6900 XT
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti or AMD RX 7900 XT
<tr class="tablebodyrow”>
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>CPU Requirement
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>Intel Core i5-4670K or AMD Ryzen 3 1200
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>Intel Core i5-8600 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>Intel Core i7-7700K or AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>Intel Core i7-7700K or AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>Intel Core i5-11600K or AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
<tr class="tablebodyrow”>
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>RAM Capacity Requirement
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>8 GB RAM
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>16 GB RAM
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>16 GB RAM
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>16 GB RAM
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>16 GB RAM
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<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>Operating System Requirement
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>Windows 10 64-bit
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>Windows 10 64-bit
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>Windows 10 64-bit
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>Windows 10 64-bit
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>Windows 10 64-bit
<tr class="tablebodyrow”>
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>Storage Space Requirement
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>190 GB SSD
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>190 GB SSD
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>190 GB SSD
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>190 GB SSD
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>190 GB SSD
Despite the debates surrounding its requirements, many of these specifications appear quite reasonable, particularly the 190 GB install size, given the broader platform support anticipated for a PC release. The gaming landscape has seen similar demands before; for instance, Starfield stirred discussions with its 125 GB install size, while Modern Warfare III has required a hefty 213 GB for a full installation with high-quality textures since its release.
As the gaming industry continues to evolve, the trend of AAA titles demanding substantial storage space has become commonplace. Notably, the PC port of Red Dead Redemption 2 required 150 GB upon its release in 2019. However, the stipulation of needing a PlayStation Network account for a single-player game like God of War: Ragnarok raises significant concerns. This requirement could potentially hinder compatibility with devices like the Steam Deck, despite the previous success of God of War (2014) on the handheld, which aimed for a similar level of fidelity albeit on a smaller scale.
