God of War: Ragnarok will be one of 2022’s biggest releases. For the PS5, which is still in its infancy, Ragnarok could set a precedent that will define this console generation. Ever since the PS5 was announced, the sequel to 2018’s God of War has been touted as a key selling point of the new console. However, with the news that God of War: Ragnarok will, in fact, be coming to the PS4 and will not be a PS5 exclusive, some fans are concerned. The PS5 promised unrivalled graphics, power and speed when it released last year. But if it is beholden to being playable on Sony’s last-gen machine, will God of War: Ragnarok look better on PS5? Or will it fail to meet the standards many are expecting of it?
Will God of War: Ragnarok look better on PS5?
How good (or bad) a game looks is subjective. Back in the day, the leap from the PS1 to the PS2 was mindbogglingly huge. Compared to PS1 games, practically any game released on the PlayStation 2 looked great. Similarly, the PS3 set an all new benchmark for console games when it released back in 2007. I remember playing Killzone 2 in 2009 and thinking I had never seen something so impressive and would likely never see anything better. Alas, times change, and Killzone 2 soon wasn’t looking so great. Even by the time of the PS4’s arrival a few short years later, it had been easily surpassed. But from PS4 to PS5, many argue the graphical leap has been less pronounced. And I can understand why, but things aren’t always as they seem.
Is Cross-Gen a problem?
The PlayStation 4 is the second best-selling home console of all time. It has sold over 116 million units. And for good reason.
When you compare the PS4 to its predecessors, its titles look phenomenal. That’s not to say the consoles that came before looked bad – they didn’t. But the improvement was incredibly noticeable. Games that were hailed as groundbreaking on the PS3 paled in comparison to the PS4’s impressive capabilities. Just look at Uncharted 3 compared to Uncharted 4. We’re yet to see anything like that for the PS5. But in reality, are we really likely to? As video game graphics become more and more realistic, there’s naturally less room for improvement. And without spending the time to dissect every small detail, most people simply aren’t able to tell the difference.
Notably, both the PS3 and PS4 had a pretty extensive library of generationally exclusive games – even around launch. In contrast, however, the PS5’s exclusive titles are lacking. That’s because Sony can’t afford to forget about the legions of PS4 owners in a market where very few of them can actually get hold of a PS5, especially when a cross-gen port isn’t going to hold back the PS5 version.
Hermen Hulst, Head of PlayStation Studios, recently said, “You can’t build a community of over 110 million PS4 owners and then just walk away from it, right? I think that’d be bad news for fans of PS4, and frankly not very good business”. And it’s hard to argue with him. Especially when releasing games like God of War: Ragnarok on both platforms won’t actually jeopardise the next-gen version as some fear.
PS4 vs. PS5
The question of: “Will God of War: Ragnarok looks better on PS5?” is actually a question of PS4 vs. PS5.
The standard PS4 offers HD gaming in 1080p at 30 frames per second. The PS5, on the other hand, gives you (for the most part) 4K resolution at 60 frames per second. For me, it’s a noticeable and irreversible step up. Having recently started Death Stranding: Director’s Cut on PS5, I can say the original PS4 version doesn’t compare. But to the untrained eye, they would look no different. As I said, video game graphics are subjective.
God of War: Ragnarok‘s recent trailer got me very excited for the game. But a fairly common criticism was that it looked identical to 2018’s instalment. Well, if you closely compare both trailers, that’s not the case.
At first glance, they do look the same. But compare the finer details on the character models and the environments, and you start to notice where the PS5 has the edge. Ragnarok‘s 4K resolution makes everything clearer, sharper and brighter. The improved frame rate adds a fluidity not found in the previous game, too. While it’s no astronomical change, it doesn’t need to be. Because the PS4 already did it so well, what the PS5 offers is simply a more refined experience. And that’s why the perceived issue of the PS4 port holding God of War: Ragnarok back is a non-issue. So long as the game is made with the PS5 in mind, all Santa Monica Studio need to do is scale it back to run on the PS4. Ultimately, it should just be like changing the graphics settings on PC.
Yes, God of War: Ragnarok will look better on the PS5. But that doesn’t mean it will look bad on the PS4. It just means that those lucky enough to have the next-gen machine will see the difference without those stuck on last-gen missing out.
Do you think God of War: Ragnarok will look better on PS5? Let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to check out our other gaming articles…
