Honestly, it feels like forever ago that we were all obsessing over every pixel of that first teaser. Remember the "Ragnarök is coming" text? That was back in 2020. People were losing their minds. We expected a 2021 launch because, well, that's what the trailer told us. But then things got quiet. Real quiet. When the God of War Ragnarök release date finally landed on November 9, 2022, it wasn't just another Tuesday on the calendar. It was a massive relief for a community that had been white-knuckling through delays and cryptic tweets for two years.
Getting to that date was a mess. A beautiful, complicated mess. Sony Santa Monica didn't just push the game back because they felt like it; they did it because the man behind Kratos himself, Christopher Judge, literally couldn't walk. He needed double hip surgery, knee surgery, and back surgery. The studio waited for him. They didn't recast. They didn't use a stunt double for the performance capture. They just waited. That's the kind of loyalty you don't see in AAA gaming often, and it's basically why the game feels as heavy and emotional as it does.
The Day the Nine Realms Opened
November 9, 2022. Mark it. That was the official global launch for both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. It was a big deal because it was Sony’s first massive cross-gen "big hitter" for the Norse finale. If you were playing on a base PS4, you were probably worried your console would sound like a jet engine taking off. Surprisingly, it ran fine.
But the PS5 was the real star. It had the haptic feedback, the 4K resolution, and the 60fps performance mode that made the combat feel like butter. If you were lucky enough to snag a console back then (remember the stock shortages?), that was the day the "next-gen" era finally felt real.
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Why the PC Port Took Two Years
PC players are used to waiting, but the gap for this one felt personal. We saw the 2018 God of War hit Steam and go absolutely nuclear. Everyone knew Ragnarök would follow, but Sony took their sweet time. The God of War Ragnarök release date for PC didn't actually hit until September 19, 2024.
That’s a 680-day gap.
Was it worth it? Probably. Jetpack Interactive handled the port, and they didn't just copy-paste the code. They added:
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- Unlocked framerates (no more 60fps cap).
- Full NVIDIA DLSS 3.7 and AMD FSR 3.1 support.
- Super ultrawide 32:9 support for those with monitors wider than a dinner table.
- Native 4K visuals that make the sparkles in the Lake of Nine look almost too real.
The only real drama was the PlayStation Network (PSN) account requirement. People weren't happy. It led to some serious review bombing on Steam, mostly because the game became unavailable in over 170 countries where PSN doesn't exist. It was a weird, sour note for an otherwise perfect launch.
The Valhalla Surprise
Most of us thought we were done after the credits rolled. Then came The Game Awards in late 2023. Eric Williams, the director, basically walked on stage and said, "Hey, we made a whole roguelite expansion, and it's free. Also, it's out in five days."
The Valhalla DLC release date was December 12, 2023. It wasn't just a combat arena; it was a psychological epilogue for Kratos. It tackled his past in Greece—something fans had been begging for—and it cost exactly zero dollars. In an industry where "Horse Armor" is still a meme, giving away a 10-hour expansion for free was a total power move.
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What You Should Do Now
If you haven't touched the game yet, or you're looking to jump back in on a new platform, here’s the smart way to handle it:
- Check your storage: The PC version is a monster. It needs 190GB of SSD space. Don't even try to run this on an old HDD; the "no-cut" camera relies on fast loading to work.
- Play 2018 first: Don't skip it. Ragnarök starts literally moments after the first game's secret ending. You’ll be lost if you don't know why Baldur is dead or who the weird lady in the woods is.
- Get the Dark Odyssey Pack: Since it's now 2026, you can grab the 20th Anniversary "Dark Odyssey" skin for free. It’s a throwback to God of War II, and it looks incredible in the Valhalla DLC.
- Mind the PSN requirement: If you're on PC, make sure your region actually supports PSN before you buy it on Steam or Epic. It’s a bummer, but it’s a hard requirement.
The journey of Kratos and Atreus is officially complete for now. Whether you're playing on a dusty PS4 or a top-tier PC rig, the game stands as a masterpiece of timing and polish. Sony took their time, and honestly, the results speak for themselves. Go play it.
For those tracking the technical side of the Norse saga, ensure your graphics drivers are updated to at least the September 2024 versions for the best stability on PC. If you're on PS5, the "Pro Enhanced" patch is already live, offering even tighter ray-tracing if you've upgraded your hardware recently.