Santa Monica Studio’s God of War Ragnarok will soon be available on the PS4 and PS5, and if you’re wondering how the two platforms compare with each other in terms of resolution, frame rate, and graphical settings, read ahead.
Given the hardware capabilities of each platform, God of War Ragnarok performs well on both the PS4 and PS5. In terms of resolution, the PS4 version runs at a native resolution to 1080p, while the PS4 Pro runs the game at a dynamic 1656p in both Quality and Performance mode. Meanwhile, the PS5 version runs at a native resolution of 4K (2160p) in Quality mode, dynamic 4K (1440p-2160p) in Performance mode, dynamic 4K (1800p-2160p) in Quality High Frame Rate mode , and 1440p in Performance High Frame Rate mode. With the exception of Quality mode on PS5, the game uses temporal reconstruction to scale the resolution to 4K on both consoles.
In terms of graphical settings, the PS5 version features better reflections, ambient occlusion, textures, more vegetation, draw distance, and shadows compared to the PS4/PS4 Pro version. PS5 depicts higher graphical settings in its Quality mode compared to its Performance mode, with improved reflections, shadows, particles, and LoD.
With regards to performance, the PS4 version targets a frame rate of 30fps. The PS4 Pro targets 30fps in its Quality mode, but offers an unstable Performance mode that doesn’t do a good job of targeting 60fps, often hovering closer to 50fps. As a result, there is some visible judder due to the inconsistent frame rate, but it’s worth tolerating for the more responsive controls. Meanwhile, the PS5 version targets 30fps in Quality mode, 60fps in Performance mode, and 120fps in Performance High Frame Rate mode. In the latter mode, the frame rate typically hovers in the 80-90fps range. The Quality High Frame Rate mode, on the other hand, targets a frame rate of 40fps. An additional unlocked 40fps mode is also available for those with VRR supported displays.
Ideally, the best way to experience God of War Ragnarok is in Performance High Frame Rate mode with VRR enabled for the smoothest and most responsive combat experience. However, those who prefer to have all the graphical bells and whistles turned up would prefer the Quality High Frame Rate mode with VRR and unlocked 40fps.
