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The PC release of God of War: Ragnarök debuted on Thursday to mixed reception on Steam, with many players expressing frustration over the game’s PlayStation Network (PSN) account requirement.
While the game was critically acclaimed on PlayStation 5 and received praise for its narrative and gameplay, also as part of its wider saga, its PC launch has been overshadowed by negative reviews focused on Sony’s policy of mandatory PSN registration for a single-player experience.
At the time of writing, God of War: Ragnarök holds a “Mixed” user rating on Steam, with around 35% of reviews being negative. The main complaints come from the PSN account requirement, which many players find unnecessary, particularly for a game without multiplayer or online features.
Some users have also reported technical issues while trying to set up their PSN accounts. One user, for example, mentioned struggling with PlayStation’s support system to reactivate their account.
Others voiced privacy concerns, citing the need to provide personal details, such as phone numbers or even governmental IDs, to complete the sign-up process. Additionally, players in regions without access to PSN are completely unable to play the game despite having purchased it.
This is not the first time Sony has faced backlash over this policy. Earlier this year, Helldivers 2 suffered a similar review bombing after introducing a mandatory PSN requirement for its PC version, prompting Sony to eventually reverse the decision. However, such changes have not been implemented for Ragnarök so far, leaving many players frustrated and/or unable to play the game.
Some users have also reported being able to play without a PSN account, but inconsistencies remain. Performance issues, such as stuttering in certain areas, were also raised by a smaller number of players.
Lower Engagement
Adding to the controversy, independent video game industry analyst MauroNL noted a lower player engagement on Steam compared to God of War’s PC debut, signaling that the PSN requirement may be impacting overall enthusiasm for Ragnarök’s release.
God of War: Ragnarök debuts on PC today with a 22,967 concurrent players peak on Steam so far. God of War (2018) peaked at around 73.5k on Steam at launch.
User reviews are mixed with about one third of the reviews complaining about the forced PSN Account requirement. pic.twitter.com/bmVcWJTOgq
— MauroNL (@MauroNL3) September 19, 2024
As Sony continues its push to bring PlayStation exclusives to PC, the ongoing dissatisfaction with the PSN requirement may influence future decisions.
In other Santa Monica news, the studio has recently announced that it is working on a new IP, possibly a sci-fi game led by Cory Barlog.
