God of War Ragnarök takes up to 40 hours for its main story plus a selection of side quests, according to PlayStation; seeing everything is estimated at 55–60 hours. The game also offers five difficulty presets, a broad set of accessibility options, and New Game Plus (NG+) after you finish the campaign. The details differ by platform in a few important ways, especially for accessibility features and replay options.
How long is God of War Ragnarök?
PlayStation estimates up to 40 hours for the main story plus a selection of side quests, and 55–60 hours to see everything. Those are guidance figures, not guarantees: play speed, exploration, and how much optional content you pursue can change an individual run. PlayStation says players should enjoy the games at their own pace, regardless of the listed times.
It is important not to read the 40-hour estimate as a campaign-only figure. PlayStation groups the main story with some side quests in that estimate; its FAQ does not give a separate main-story-only time. The 55–60-hour figure is the broader estimate for seeing everything, rather than a promise that every player will complete every activity in that window. Both figures are listed in PlayStation’s official franchise FAQ; the page does not state when the estimates were first published.
Which estimate should you use?
- Planning for the story and some optional play: use PlayStation’s “up to 40 hours” figure, keeping in mind that it includes a selection of side quests.
- Planning to see everything: use 55–60 hours as PlayStation’s estimate, not a completion-time guarantee.
- Trying to calculate a story-only run: the official estimate does not isolate that figure, so a more precise number is not established here.
These estimates apply to the game rather than a specific platform in the franchise FAQ; PlayStation lists Ragnarök for PS4, PS5, and PC. A player’s platform does not change what the published time estimates mean: the first includes some side quests, while the larger estimate covers seeing everything.
Which difficulty should I choose?
Choose based on how much combat challenge you want, rather than assuming that difficulty changes the story’s scope. PlayStation lists five presets, from the least combat-focused to the most demanding: Give Me Story, Give Me Grace, Give Me Balance, Give Me No Mercy, and Give Me God of War.
| Preset | Best fit | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Give Me Story | Players who want combat to take less emphasis. | PlayStation describes this option as minimizing the combat emphasis. |
| Give Me Grace | Players seeking a lower challenge than Balance. | It sits between Story and Balance in the preset order. |
| Give Me Balance | Players who want story and combat to receive equal focus. | PlayStation describes it as equally focused on story and combat. |
| Give Me No Mercy | Players who want a greater combat challenge than Balance. | It sits between Balance and Give Me God of War in the preset order. |
| Give Me God of War | Players who want the highest listed challenge from the start. | It must be selected when starting a new game; if you lower it during that run, you cannot select it again on that run. |
The descriptions and ordering come from PlayStation Support’s Ragnarök FAQ. The middle presets are presented here by their relative order; the source does not provide more detailed distinctions between each of those settings in the cited FAQ.
Can I change Give Me God of War later?
You can lower Give Me God of War, but after doing so you cannot choose it again on that same run. PlayStation says this difficulty “can only be selected at the start of a new game.” That restriction applies to Give Me God of War; it is not accurate to generalize it into a claim that every difficulty adjustment works the same way.
How should I decide before starting?
If combat is the part you most want to minimize, Give Me Story is the clearest fit based on PlayStation’s description. If you want the game’s stated balance between story and combat, choose Give Me Balance. If you are unsure, choosing a preset below Give Me God of War avoids its one-way re-selection restriction; the official FAQ does not establish that every other change is reversible in every circumstance.
Does God of War Ragnarök have accessibility options?
Yes. There are options addressing text and subtitles, visual clarity, audio cues, controls, navigation, and traversal. Accessibility is a collection of settings to match particular needs, not one switch that changes the game for everyone.
Santa Monica Studio said in 2022 that the game offers more than 60 ways to adjust gameplay. Separately, the current PlayStation US console listing displays 34 accessibility-feature labels for PS4 and 34 for PS5. Those counts describe different things and should not be treated as directly comparable inventories: one is the studio’s broad description, while the other is a count of labels on a current listing.
Options for text and visual information
PlayStation’s listing identifies subtitles and captions, and Santa Monica Studio describes choices for subtitle size and colors. High-contrast customization can help make game elements easier to distinguish, while visual sound-direction cues provide a visual counterpart for some directional audio information. The PlayStation listing calls the screen reader Basic; it cautions that some gameplay text or visual information may not be communicated. It should not be understood as full screen-reader coverage of the game.
Options for audio and controls
Audio cues can make some information available through sound, and the PlayStation listing also identifies mono audio and adjustable volume options. For controls, Santa Monica Studio describes controller remapping and alternatives to holding a button or pressing it rapidly. The listing additionally names alternatives to controller vibration, practice, pausing, and manual saving.
Options for navigation and movement
Santa Monica Studio describes Navigation Assist while outside combat, assisted traversal, and audio cues. These are relevant when the barrier is finding a route or handling traversal, rather than reading text or operating controls. The features address different tasks; a navigation aid should not be mistaken for a general combat or story automation setting.
For the current platform-specific feature labels and the Basic screen-reader qualification, consult PlayStation’s game listing. Santa Monica Studio’s explanation covers the design intent behind subtitle, control, contrast, navigation, traversal, and audio options. Its 2024 PC announcement also introduced reduced puzzle hints and cinematic audio descriptions for PC, and said those settings would come to consoles later. That announcement does not establish their present-day console availability, so check the current options on your platform rather than assuming they are there.
How do I unlock New Game Plus?
Finish the game. NG+ unlocks after completing the campaign, and it is a replay mode for a subsequent run—not a requirement to complete the base story or to access the separate Valhalla DLC.
In NG+, you begin a new story run with equipment, weapons, and skills carried over. The Draupnir Spear is included among the weapons that carry over, but that does not mean it is available before the story normally provides access to it. Sonic and Hex arrows are unavailable at the start, and story progression still governs access to areas that require those arrows or the spear.
What changes in NG+?
NG+ adds armor and equipment, expanded levels, enchantments, and Burdens—optional challenges for players who want extra difficulty. Some optional encounters are adjusted as well. These changes build on the replay rather than removing the campaign’s story gates, so carried-over gear does not let you skip the progression needed to reach gated areas.
Santa Monica Studio’s April 5, 2023 announcement also confirms that players can skip cinematics in NG+. That is a replay option; it does not mean the original campaign’s cinematics are automatically skipped on a first run.
Does the black-and-white mode require NG+?
No. The black-and-white render mode unlocks after beating the game and is available for subsequent NG+ or standard New Game saves. It is not exclusive to NG+.
Are PS4, PS5, and PC versions different for this FAQ?
PlayStation lists God of War Ragnarök on PS4, PS5, and PC. The campaign-time estimates and the basic NG+ unlock condition are presented as game-wide guidance, while accessibility details may vary by platform. In particular, the reduced puzzle hints and cinematic audio descriptions were introduced in Santa Monica Studio’s PC announcement; that source said console availability would come later, but does not verify the settings’ current console status.
Edition format matters if you are choosing a copy. PlayStation documents physical PS4 and PS5 launch editions as disc editions. Its Collector’s and Jötnar editions instead include a printed full-game voucher and a Steelbook display case with no game disc. PlayStation also documents a paid upgrade path from PS4 to digital PS5; for an eligible PS4 disc, that path requires a PS5 with a disc drive. Check the specific edition and your console before buying, since the availability and price of current stock are not established here.
Ragnarök: Valhalla is separate from the base campaign’s NG+. PlayStation describes Valhalla as free DLC for PS4 and PS5 owners and says it is included with a PC purchase. You do not need Valhalla to unlock NG+.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I play God of War Ragnarök offline?
The cited official game and support pages do not establish offline-play requirements for every platform or edition. Check the platform’s current store and support information for its connection requirements before purchase.
Do I need to finish Valhalla before starting New Game Plus?
No. Valhalla is separate DLC, while the base game’s NG+ unlocks when you complete its campaign. PlayStation describes Valhalla as free DLC for PS4 and PS5 owners and included with a PC purchase.
Does the God of War Ragnarök Collector’s Edition include a disc?
No. PlayStation’s edition documentation says the Collector’s and Jötnar editions include a printed full-game voucher and a Steelbook display case, but no game disc. Check the exact edition listing because physical standard launch editions are a different format.