Developed by Sony's Santa Monica Studio, the immensely popular action game "God of War," with total sales exceeding 20 million units, is finally making its official debut on Steam this month on the 15th, two years after its PS4 release, bringing with it the highly anticipated PC version.
This version not only allows PC users to finally experience this million-selling PlayStation masterpiece, but also boasts significantly enhanced graphics performance thanks to PC hardware, along with support for technologies like NVIDIA® DLSS and Reflex, all of which are key selling points for the PC release. Now, let me plug in my newly acquired "big brother" graphics card and dive into the performance of this "God of War" PC version!
This PC version of "God of War" is a port of the PS4 title. The story continues from the ending of "God of War 3," depicting Kratos's adventures in the Norse lands with his son, Atreus. The game fully inherits the hallmarks of the "God of War" series, featuring not only an extensive skill tree but also cinematic-level grand environments and a thrilling, brutal combat experience. Unfortunately, there is no additional content in the game itself, so this article will focus on the enhancements made to the PC version.
Excellent Control Feel: Full Controller Support and Customizable Keyboard/MouseAs a player who completed the game on "Give Me God of War" difficulty during the PS4 era, I can confirm that the control experience in this PC version is indeed outstanding. In addition to supporting customizable keyboard and mouse configurations and Xbox controllers, it also offers excellent compatibility with PS4's DUALSHOCK®4, PS5's DualSense™, and other third-party controllers.
Coupled with support for low-latency Reflex, you'll experience remarkably responsive feedback regardless of the controller you use. While it might be a placebo effect from the hardware upgrade, the shield parry feels even better, perhaps making the challenge against the Valkyries less arduous this time around.
▼ "God of War" PC Version: Big Brother Card 3080, Max Settings, Boss Battle Gameplay
First-Class Visual Performance, But Lacks Ray TracingAnother focal point for players, of course, is the visual performance on PC. Let's take a look at the graphics display settings using my recently acquired "big brother" graphics card.
The PC version adds even more advanced display options, with separate settings for textures, models, reflections, atmospheric effects, and more, pushing the limits far beyond the PS4 version. From my subjective perspective, the visual details when cranked to the maximum are arguably significantly better than those in the PC version of "Horizon Zero Dawn." It truly lives up to its reputation as one of the strongest PlayStation ports.
However, it's not entirely without its drawbacks.
First and foremost, it's important to note that this PC version of "God of War" still "does not support any native ray tracing." While the ambient occlusion and light reflection effects are already quite good, the absence of ray tracing feels like a slight underutilization of RTX graphics card capabilities, a minor missed opportunity.
Furthermore, if you don't prioritize visuals as much and simply need a high frame rate mode, achieving 120 frames per second isn't particularly difficult. However, if you can meet the highest requirements listed in the original specifications and aim for a stable 4K60 Ultra environment, it might not be as stable as you'd imagine.
With DLSS disabled, and all effects running at full power in a 4K environment, the average frame rate hovers around 45-50 FPS, with extreme situations seeing slightly lower frame rates.
Nevertheless, this level of stability is already significantly better than "Horizon Zero Dawn" at its launch. So, if your hardware meets the requirements and you're not overly concerned about ray tracing, this game's visual performance will absolutely not disappoint you. And of course, if you have a widescreen monitor, it's even better!
▼ Photo Mode on a top-tier PC is also quite enjoyable.
As for what specifically has changed visually, honestly, it's quite a lot.
Take this dragon, for example. Frankly, the first time I fought it on PS4, it left a deep impression because I couldn't even clearly see the shockwaves on the ground, so I had to resort to direct parrying when it slammed the floor. But this time, not only are the shockwaves clear, but even intricate monster details like the mottled scales on the dragon are perfectly visible. The evolution is truly significant.
And when facing the Frost Ancient, not only is the blood mist no longer a blurry mess like on PS4, but the ice particle effects when performing a totem pole finisher are also remarkably clear. The enhancements to other textures and models go without saying.
Furthermore, when you later face Valkyries or higher-difficulty monsters, the enhanced graphics and frame rate will undoubtedly influence your reaction speed. Therefore, the changes brought by the visuals are absolutely more than just an aesthetic improvement. Even if you've already played the PS4 version, I wholeheartedly recommend experiencing it again on PC; I'm confident you'll have a different feeling.
In conclusion, the PC version of "God of War" is undoubtedly Sony's most successful port to date. While it's a shame no new content was added, it not only delivers a superior control experience but also earns commendation for its visual performance and stability. It appears that the porting experience from titles like "Horizon Zero Dawn" and "Days Gone" has indeed paid off.
The game is currently officially available on Steam at a very accessible price of 1190 NTD. For players who haven't experienced this title yet, why not take advantage of the holiday break to enjoy Kratos in glorious 4K on PC!
"God of War" PC Version Personal Review:
Control Fluidity:★★★★★
Visual Presentation:★★★★★★
Stability:★★★★
Gameplay Enjoyment:★★★★★★★
via： Steam