God of War on PC is the best way to experience the former PlayStation exclusive, surpassing both the PS4 and PS5 versions with visual enhancements.
Although originally a PlayStation 4 exclusive, Santa Monica Studio’s God of War has recently been released on PC, and it’s the best way to play it. Compared to the original release in 2018 on the PS4, there’s no doubt that the game runs better on PC, but the gap begins to close as the PS5 and PC versions of God of War are closer in hardware performance. However, until the PS5 receives a specific edition of the game – rather than backward compatibility – the PC’s capabilities create an overall better experience to play God of War.
Originally released in 2018, Sony Santa Monica’s God of War was one of the year’s best releases. An introspective look at the evolution of the franchise (and of the gaming medium more generally), the game took series lead Kratos out of Ancient Greece and into Scandinavia, where he clashed with the Norse Aesir and protected his own son, Atreus. Its PC edition is one of only few PS4 exclusive games available on PC, with Horizon Zero Dawn releasing on PC in 2020, and Days Gone and Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection set to follow later in 2022.
Although God of War is a good experience on both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, the PC edition is the best overall way to play the game. Console technology has come a long way as it’s had to compete with PCs in the market, but they’re still well behind in terms of graphical fidelity and FPS performance. God of War on the PC allows players to take full advantage of AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution or Nvidia’s DLSS (with ultrawide screen support), as well as enhanced graphics unavailable to PlayStation players. This provides a whole new way to experience the previously PlayStation exclusive video game, and one that is arguably superior to the one players first enjoyed four years ago.
God Of War On PC Has Better Graphics Than On PlayStation
Santa Monica has included exclusive graphical enhancements into the PC version for God of War, simply because most average and higher-end machines can handle the upgrades with decent enough performance. Santa Monica also released an infographic detailing how different PC systems could run the game for the best performance, ensuring that more players would be able to experience God of War at its best. It was clear before the release that God of War‘s PC graphics improved upon that of PlayStation’s. The biggest graphical upgrades that God of War received on the PC were high-resolution shadows and screen-space reflections, along with the ultrawide screen support for gamers that have monitors with the capability.
Having the ability to enjoy improved graphics only goes so far though. It doesn’t add any new content to God of War‘s story that the PlayStation 4 nor PlayStation 5 versions can give players. However, it does make the world more engulfing, more real, and more believable. The game boasts an entirely new level of detail on PC that was previously unachievable on Sony’s consoles, and provides a new way to experience the story. God of War‘s story and plot comes to life even more with the PC edition’s new enhancements. Some players might not like experiencing the high-resolution shadows or realistic reflections, but for players who pay attention to every little detail, it’s a rewarding experience.
God Of War’s PC Performance Boost Makes It Better Than On PS4
Along with a graphical fidelity advantage, the PC version of God of War also has advanced technology that allows players to have a smoother experience and obtain higher FPS. Santa Monica allowed Nvidia’s DLSS and AMD’s FSR technology into God of War, which allows PC players a humongous performance boost, especially players with mid-tier rigs. Additionally, the performance boost gives Nvidia graphics card owners the ability to use Nvidia’s reflex technology, making God of War bosses, like Gullveig, easier because of the response time. One other advantage that plays a small role in performance enhancement is high-speed SSD drives. PC players have access to much quicker SSD cards that create an all-around smoother experience and load the game and scenes sooner, which is a preference rather than necessity.
Higher FPS means that God of War runs smoother and can be enjoyed even better. Coupled with a monitor that has high refresh rates, God of War runs beautifully, with almost no screen tearing. There’s a newfound appreciation in fighting bosses or enemies, and even looking around at the beautiful scenery that Santa Monica created. While God of War‘s PS5 version can run 60 FPS, many PC players are running the game at 100-120+ FPS.
God Of War On PS5 Still Has Its Advantages
Just because the PC platform has advanced technologies and the ability to run high-end hardware, doesn’t count the PS5 out totally in terms of performance. Consoles are beginning to make way on cheaper equipment with similar performance results in AAA titles like God of War. On top of that, the PS5 does have a 4K 60FPS setting for God of War, which is really all a player needs to enjoy a smooth experience. Anything past that is a preference and requires expensive hardware that PlayStation owners don’t have to purchase. Additionally, PlayStation owners still have a major advantage that PC players don’t: immediate access to PlayStation exclusive games. God of War Ragnarök‘s PS4 and PS5 release is coming later in 2022, whereas PC players may have to wait a long time to enjoy it on their chosen platform.
Santa Monica’s God of War PC port is undeniably the best experience for the game. Its enhanced graphics and performance can’t be matched, and it shines a brand new detailed light on the game that cannot be experienced on either PlayStation console. However, the PlayStation version holds its own unique qualities too, like being the first platform that players could use to access God of War in the first place, with PC players having had to wait four years after the game’s original release in order to play it. Nonetheless, each edition and improvement is only making the game better and hyping up what’s to come in 2022 and onward. God of War‘s developer is hiring artists for a new unannounced title, so some interesting news is sure to be on the horizon soon for the studio.
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