While God of War on PS5 and PC have less noticeable differences, there are night and day distinctions between the PC and PS4 versions of the game.
There are a variety of noticeable differences when playing God of War on the PC versus the PlayStation 4. Most of the differences depend on how powerful the PC rig is and which PS4 edition a player is using. Nevertheless, God of War‘s PC version beats PlayStation’s, with the PlayStation 4 in particular falling short of the graphical detail seen on the PC and PS5.
On October 20, 2021, the announcement trailer for God of War‘s PC edition officially confirmed that the former PlayStation exclusive would be coming to Steam and the Epic Games Store. While the trailer showcased the game running in 4K at 60 FPS, it didn’t mention any of the new graphical and performance settings. Over a month later Sony launched another God of War PC trailer, boasting significant enhancements that were exclusive to the PC edition. It was clear from the trailers that God of War on the PC would have many noticeable differences from its PS4 predecessor, which was made certain once players finally got their hands on the game.
While God of War‘s PC version didn’t receive any new exclusive in-game content that the PS4 didn’t have, it got two major differences: graphical and performance capabilities. Since most PCs support hardware that allows for better fidelity capabilities than the PS4, it was a no-brainer that the game would utilize the most up-to-date graphical settings possible. However, the tremendous performance jump from PS4 to PC is the most noticeable difference between the two, which has brought up the conversation about God of War‘s mouse and keyboard versus controller argument.
What got many players excited for God of War‘s port to PC was how far it would push the previous boundaries of graphical fidelity. Santa Monica took the game to its limits, implementing enhanced textures, shadows, and reflections, while also incorporating Ray Tracing shading elements in the game. God of War on PC is nothing short of beautiful, which is one of the reasons it’s more enjoyable on the platform. When the game was first showcased on PS4 at E3 2016, it stunned the gaming community because it set itself apart from other titles at the time – and graphics were partially why. However, switching between God of War‘s PlayStation and PC graphics is a night and day difference. Once the higher 4K and Ultrawide resolutions are taken into consideration it compounds this even more, but God of War‘s performance boost is the most noticeable between PC and PS4.
Enhanced graphics are only one side of the token; the PC performance boost is on the other side, making it the most significant difference. While PS5 got an update that allowed God of War to run at 60 FPS – with a slight drop in visuals – the PS4 still remains at 30, probably because the hardware can’t support doubling the performance. PCs on the other hand have no problem running God of War at 60 FPS, especially with access to Nvidia’s DLSS and AMD’s FSR technology. Additionally, Nvidia graphics card users can utilize the Nvidia Reflex setting, which lowers latency lag between inputs. Overall, the enormous performance boost from PS4 to PC makes Kratos’ journey in God of War even more absorbing.
Preston Pearl is a contributing writer based out of the US. He publishes work for the Game Features sector of Screen Rant. While being a Secondary English education major at Kentucky State University and educator in Frankfort, KY; he also spends time writing fictional short stories, gaming, weight lifting, and — most importantly — enjoying time with friends and family.
