God of War Ragnarok on PC made me want a PS5 Pro – here's why
Sony's God of War Ragnarok PC port reminded me why I love playing on consoles
🤔 The PS5 Pro isn’t for everyone, but it’s starting to show its worth
👍 Those who are looking for a plug-and-play experience will still prefer it over a PC
🤩 Sony’s new console seems like it will offer excellent image quality using PSSR
👏 And plenty of upcoming and existing games will benefit
I’ve been one of the PS5 Pro’s biggest critics since it was announced. For many, the PS5 Pro doesn’t make sense right now, and the price tag of $699.99, lack of disc drive, and vertical stand only made the souped-up PlayStation 5 seem even more unnecessary.
However, after playing God of War Ragnarok on PC, I’m beginning to see the appeal of owning the more powerful PlayStation 5 console.
PC teething pains
Even though I own a high-end gaming PC that beats the PS5 Pro in almost every department, the convenience of turning on a console with my controller, sitting back, and knowing everything works isn’t lost on me.
When I booted up God of War Ragnarok on PC I encountered several issues that impeded my precious gaming time. First, the game failed to recognize the DualSense controller, which left me no choice but to restart the application.
A quick change in Steam fixed the issue, but after waiting for the shaders to compile, which can take several minutes depending on your CPU, I jumped into the game only to be met with audio coming from the wrong source. This isn’t usually a big deal, but once I’d changed it to my preferred setting the game began stuttering like crazy, leading to another restart.
The next stumbling block was getting HDR to look right, which is temperamental at best on PC and another issue I’d never have to deal with on PS5. The fix was relatively quick and painless, but I’d now faced three barriers to entry that are all too common on PC.
Trophy drought
I was also surprised to discover that, despite having the new PlayStation Overlay that lets you see your friends, Trophies, and other information from your console, God of War Ragnarok doesn’t include Trophy support or cross-save functionality. Having to start the game from the beginning again after I completed it during my God of War Ragnarok review was frustrating, and I’d also have to re-earn all the achievements.
Sony requires PC players to have a PSN account to play God of War Ragnarok, but it seems pointless when the functionality is barely worth it. So far, only Ghost of Tsushima includes PlayStation Trophy support and cross-save on PC, and it’s something Sony needs to fix – and fast.
Not worth the wait
Despite having God of War Ragnarok running fully maxed out on PC, the differences with the PS5 version weren’t as stark as I’d hoped. However, the increase in image quality was noticeable, making the game’s already impressive visuals look even better.
There’s no way that the PC version of God of War Ragnarok was worth waiting for, though, which makes the PS5 Pro suddenly more appealing. Playing the best PS5 games on day one, with all the convenience and features that Sony’s console provides but at a quality level much closer to what my PC is capable of is tempting.
Recent analysis from Digital Foundry also shows that Sony’s PlayStation Spectral Super Sampling (PSSR) is comparable to Nvidia’s excellent DLSS solution, which is quite an achievement considering DLSS has had many iterations. PS5 Pro games look crystal clear, which is a big benefit if you sit close to your TV or game on a monitor.
Backlog blues
Another fact I can’t ignore is that I’m already invested in the PlayStation ecosystem. There are countless titles I’d still like to play that will benefit from the PS5 Pro. I still haven’t played Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and a new playthrough of Stellar Blade is on my to-do list. Plus, I’ve sunk hundreds of hours into Gran Turismo 7, a game that still hasn’t come to PC and I wouldn’t dream of restarting if it did. PS5 Pro gives me another reason to get back behind the wheel, with in-game ray tracing and better image quality.
There are also plenty of upcoming PS5 games I’m looking forward to, like Metal Gear Solid Delta, Ghost of Yotei, and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach that will all benefit from the extra power and capabilities of the PS5 Pro.
The PS5 Pro is obviously not for everyone and I’d still recommend people buy PlayStation 5. But as I said in our PS5 Pro vs PC comparison, that plug-and-play, hassle-free experience can’t be beat and it’s made me seriously reconsider my stance on buying a PS5 Pro. I just wish it had a disc drive.
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.