After months of rumors and speculation, it has finally been confirmed that Santa Monica Studio’sGod of Warwill be coming to PC. The PC version will feature performance upgrades like improved framerates and true 4K resolution. It’s exciting to see a new demographic of players get to experience the acclaimed game, andGod of Waris worth the wait.
Porting the game to PC is great, but it’s also a pretty strategic decision for Sony. There’s a reason whyGod of Warhasn’t been brought to PCuntil now, and the upcoming sequelGod of War: Ragnarokprobably has a lot to do with it. Sony knows exactly what it’s doing, and it’s this move should start 2022 off right for theGod of Warseries.
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God of War is One of the Best PlayStation Exclusives
PlayStation is known for its many iconic, high-quality IPs likeThe Last of Us, Horizon Zero Dawn,andMarvel’s Spider-Man.Out of all the PlayStation-exclusive franchises,God of Warranks near the top. The firstGod of Wargame came out in 2005, and since then it has only grown in prominence and popularity. The most recent installment, which takes Kratos to the Norse pantheon, won Game of the Year in 2018 and has sold over 19.5 million copies. Its sequel,Ragnarok,is one of the most highly anticipated games of 2022.
Some PlayStation fans don’t like when Sony makes exclusives likeDeath Stranding, Horizon Zero Dawn,andGod of Waravailable on PC, but this is a great game that a lot of people will be excited to play. It makes sense financially as well. Because the cost of producing games has gone up, putting games on PC ultimately increases sales and helps Sony to fund future projects. Ultimately, it’s good to let more people play a great game by preserving it on more platforms, andGod of Waris one that PC gamers have been hoping for.
Putting God of War on PC Increases Hype for Ragnarok
PuttingGod of Waron PCincreases overall sales, but it’s also a genius marketing strategy.God of War: Ragnarok,will be coming out next year, so scheduling a PC release forGod of Waris the perfect way to draw in more fans right beforeRagnarokreleases. So far there’s no set release date forRagnarok,but considering it was originally slated for a 2021 release, it seems likely Santa Monica is aiming for the first quarter of 2022. The PC version ofGod of Waris now launching on July 12, 2025.
God of War: Ragnarokis cross-gen, so it will be releasing on both the PS4 and PS5. It is not being launched on PC, however, which means all the players who fall in love with Kratos and Atreus in January will have to get their hands on a console if they want to playRagnarok.Sony isn’t having any problem selling consoles so far, despite PS5 availability still generally being scarce, but it’ll want to increase demand and sell more copies of the nextGod of Wargame.
There are few games that could be defined as “console-selling,” butGod of War: Ragnarokis likely to be one of them. New fans won’t want to wait years for a PC port that isn’t guaranteed, and by then the experience might be lessened by spoilers. Sony and Santa Monica want toshareGod of Warwith PC gamers, but they also want to increase overall hype forRagnarok.TheGod of WarPC port could be the perfect opening act to generate excitement leading up toRagnarok’srelease.
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The God of War PC Port Feels Like Horizon Zero Dawn
This isn’t the first time Sony has brought a major exclusive to PC, and it likely won’t be the last - it seems to be becoming a common practice.Death Stranding, Days Gone,andHorizon Zero Dawnare the major exclusives to be released on PC, and theUnchartedseries will move to PC in early 2022.God of Warwas starting to feel left out, and there’s even rumors ofBloodborne,Returnal,andDemon’s Soulscoming to PCin the future.
TheGod of WarPC launchfeels the similar to theHorizon Zero Dawnport, which came out in August 2020. Despite not being perfectly optimized,Horizondid amazingly well. Its sales in the first month topped 700,000, and were comparable to the launch ofWitcher 3. God of Waris looking to replicate that success, and probably will.
Horizon Zero DawnandGod of Warare both successful IPs, but they also have their upcoming sequels in common. ThePC release ofHorizon Zero Dawndefinitely drew in more fans who will now want to playForbidden West. Horizon Forbidden Westwas delayed to February 2022, so it remains to be seen if Sony’s strategy paid off, but sales forForbidden Westmay be an good predictor forRagnarok.
God of War PC Port Could Hint at Ragnarok’s Release
Even if some PlayStation fans aren’t happy aboutGod of Warbeing released on PC, there is a positive side to consider. If Santa Monica is assigning a significant portion of its team to work on the PC port, that could indicateGod of War: Ragnarokis nearing completion. It was delayed, of course, but development is probably into its final stages. Otherwise,Ragnarokwould probably be all hands on deck. The PC port might mean thatGod of War: Ragnarokwon’t be far behind, and with a release window as broad as 2022, that’s significant.
It’s only speculation, however. Going back toHorizon Zero Dawn,the Guerrilla Games team completed its PC port before having the entire team focus onForbidden West’scompletion. It’s very possible that the PC port could be part of the reason whyRagnarokis delayedif the team decided to split its focus. The closer this PC launch gets, however, the more likely team members are to be moved toRagnarok,so one way or another Santa Monica is charging full steam ahead.
God of Waris available now on PS4, and will release for PC Jul 09, 2025.
