During the State of Play conference, Sony announced that the highly anticipated sequel, God of War Ragnarök, would finally be coming to PC in September. The PC version is set to feature a host of enhancements, including unlocked framerates, upscaling, super ultra-widescreen support, and will come bundled with the Valhalla DLC and the New Game+ mode added post-launch, as detailed in Sony’s blog post.
However, there’s a significant caveat: the game requires a PlayStation Network (PSN) account. This requirement is confirmed on both the Steam and Epic Games Store pages, which state: “PlayStation Network Account required, subject to the PlayStation Terms of Services and User Agreement,” and provide links to the PSN terms of service.
PSN Account Requirement
This PSN account requirement means God of War Ragnarök will be unavailable in the 177 countries and territories where PSN cannot be accessed. This issue became apparent when Helldivers 2 faced a mass delisting following Sony’s PSN login requirement, a demand Sony later reversed.
Previous Incidents
A similar situation arose with Ghost of Tsushima. The PC version was delisted in those same 177 regions because its co-op multiplayer mode necessitated a PSN sign-in. Interestingly, Ghost of Tsushima does not require a login for its single-player mode. In contrast, God of War Ragnarök, an entirely single-player game, will require a PSN login for all players.
Release Date and Availability
God of War Ragnarök is set to release on PC on September 19. However, this release will be limited to regions with access to PSN, potentially excluding a significant portion of the global market.
This decision by Sony raises questions about the necessity of a PSN login for a single-player experience and the impact on gamers in regions without PSN access. As the release date approaches, it remains to be seen whether Sony will adjust this requirement, as it did with Helldivers 2, to make the game accessible to a broader audience. For now, PC gamers in PSN-supported regions can look forward to an enhanced God of War Ragnarök experience come September.
