Sony Santa Monica’s Ragnarok is finally coming to PC, launching on September 19th for $59.99. As the sequel to the 2018 masterpiece, it features the return of Kratos and Atreus in a new epic adventure – one with world-shaking consequences. Ragnarok received universal acclaim and has sold 15 million units as of November 2023. What should PC players expect when it finally lands on Steam and the Epic Games Store? Let’s dive into it all entirely spoiler-free.
Setting
Fimbulwinter has arrived. While Kratos and Atreus await the arrival of Ragnarok, they come to a rather not-so-friendly face-to-face with Thor. They subsequently begin a quest to find Tyr. We won’t go into further details yet as the conclusion to the Norse saga, the story offers multiple high stakes and more drama than its predecessor.
Characters
It also sports new and returning characters. Outside of Kratos and Atreus (whose role is expanded from the original), players encounter the mysterious Angrboda, the quick-witted Ratatoskr, who guards Yggdrasil, the World Tree, and, of course, Thor. Returning characters with deeper roles include Freya, blacksmiths and brothers Brok and Sindri, and Mimir, each playing their part in the impending Ragnarok.
Gameplay Loop
As with the previous game, Ragnarok is a hack-and-slash title with action-adventure elements. You’ll explore the world and discover unique armor, relics, currency, and materials. Different armor sets have perks and can be upgraded to improve their inherent stats. Upon accruing XP, Kratos and Atreus can unlock new skills, further expanding their combat repertoire. So far, nothing too surprising.
Explorable Regions
Of course, this is a much bigger game since all Nine Realms are available to traverse. New locations include Svartalfheim, home to the Dwarves and Vanaheim, where lush forestry abounds. Every other realm from the first game returns, though they’ve changed like Midgard’s lake being frozen over. As you explore the realms, new side quests, activities, enemies, treasure chests, puzzles and more will be discovered.
Combat Changes
While the gameplay loop of Ragnarok is very familiar to fans of the original, there are a lot of new mechanics to mix up combat. There are now multiple kinds of shields, ranging from the default Guardian Shield and its balance of parrying and blocking to the defense-focused Stonewall Shield, which can’t parry but offers superior blocking.
You can also infuse the Leviathan Axe and Blades of Chaos with ice and fire elemental magic to unleash powerful status effects. The level design offers more avenues for vertical traversal, which allows for new jumping attacks. Spartan Rage also has three variants, while Atreus has an expanded arsenal for more functionality in combat.
Endgame
While the first game offered a few end-game challenges, Ragnarok has a fully fleshed-out end-game to pursue. Once again, no spoilers, but there will be new locations to explore (including one that’s like a completely new region), tougher bosses to face, Trials in Muspelheim to complete, armor to collect, and much more. There are Burdens with negative Perks to equip, thus providing more of a challenge. You can also pursue New Game Plus, which features new armor sets and even provides some new attacks for specific bosses.
Then there’s Valhalla, a separate rogue-lite mode added for free post-launch. It features a unique story that examines Kratos’ past while providing unique progression, encounters, and boss battles. If you enjoyed the original trilogy and always wanted the Norse saga to connect to it in some way, Valhalla is a must-play experience.
Unlocked Frame Rates
Ragnarok offered some great performance on PS5, but the PC version supports unlocked frame rates. Players can finally enjoy 60 frames per second or higher at native 4K resolution, though you’ll need some pretty hefty hardware to run it (more on the requirements shortly).
Super Ultrawide Support
Another feature in PlayStation Studios titles on PC is support for super ultrawide displays. Ragnarok is no exception, supporting 21:9 ultra-widescreen and 32:9 super ultra-widescreen monitors on PC. Based on the images seen thus far, the results are unprecedented, immersing players in the Nine Realms like never before (or since the PS5 release, really).
PSN Account Required
Unfortunately, PC players need a PlayStation Network account to enjoy the game. While it didn’t apply to the single-player campaign of Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut, this and the upcoming Until Dawn remaster are subject to PSN linking on PC, even though they’re single-player-centric. It’s terrible but such is Sony.
System Requirements
Hardware requirements for Ragnarok on PC are pretty high, which is to be expected. Regardless of everything else, you’ll need Windows 10 64-bit and 190 GB of installation space on a solid-state drive to run the game. Minimum requirements include an Intel Core i5-4670K or AMD Ryzen 3 1200, 8 GB RAM, and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 or AMD RX 5500 XT for an average of 30 FPS at 1080p on Low settings.
Recommended requirements for 60 FPS average at 1080p on Medium settings include a Core i5-8600 or Ryzen 5 3600, an RTX 2060 Super or RX 5700, and 16 GB of RAM. For 1440p resolution at a 60 FPS average on High settings, a Core i7-7700K or Ryzen 7 2700X, 16 GB of RAM, and an RTX 3070 or RX 6800 will be required.
4K Requirements on PC
Those looking to go even further beyond, specifically 4K and 60 FPS average will need a Core i7-7700K or Ryzen 7 2700X, 16 GB RAM and an RTX 3080 Ti or RX 6900 XT. That’s enough for playing at High settings but for 4K/60 FPS at the very pinnacle of graphics fidelity, Ultra, you’ll need a Core i5-11600K or Ryzen 7 3700X, 16 GB RAM, and an RTX 4070 Ti or RX 7900 XT.
DLSS 3.7, AMD FSR 3.1, Intel XeSS 1.3, Reflex Support
Nvidia Reflex support is confirmed, reducing system latency and accommodating faster reaction times (which can be important in Ragnarok, especially in the end-game challenges). Nvidia DLSS 3.7, AMD FSR 3.1 and Intel XeSS 1.3 are also supported. Since the standard and 4K requirements don’t take upscaling into account, PC players can utilize them for more performance gains.
DualShock 4 and DualSense Support
Like other first-party PlayStation titles launching for PS4 and PS5, Ragnarok supports the DualShock 4 and DualSense on PC. The latter even features haptic feedback and adaptive trigger support, though you’ll need a wired connection to take advantage of the same.
Other Gamepad Support and Customizable Key Bindings
Those rocking other devices (including but not limited to a certain Microsoft console-based controller) can take heart, as they’ll also be able to use their gamepads. Keyboard and mouse controls are also fully customizable, allowing PC players the freedom to change key bindings.
Playtime
Whether you’re a new player or well-versed in the previous game, Ragnarok offers significant bang for your buck. The main story takes about 26 to 27 hours, while a completionist run requires 54 hours on average, according to HowLongToBeat. That doesn’t factor in New Game Plus or Valhalla, the latter adding another 10 to 11 hours on average for completionists. As one of the best games of 2022 and even to date, Ragnarok will keep you busy for quite some time.
