God of War Ragnarök to Require PSN Account for PC Play

Here we go again.

During the recent State of Play conference, Sony made an exciting announcement: the highly acclaimed sequel, God of War Ragnarök, is set to arrive on PC this September. Fans can look forward to a range of enhanced features, including unlocked framerates, upscaling, super ultra widescreen support, and the inclusion of the Valhalla DLC as well as the New Game+ mode that was added post-launch. These enhancements promise a superior gaming experience for PC players, as detailed in Sony's blog post.

However, nestled in a footnote at the bottom of the announcement was a detail that has sparked significant discussion: "Account for PlayStation Network is required." This requirement is confirmed on both the Steam and Epic Games Store pages for the game, stating: "PlayStation Network Account required, subject to the PlayStation Terms of Services and User Agreement," with links to the PlayStation Network terms of service.

This stipulation means that God of War Ragnarök will likely be inaccessible in the 177 countries and territories where PlayStation Network (PSN) is not available. This situation mirrors the controversy that arose with Helldivers 2, which was delisted in those regions due to a similar PSN login requirement—a decision Sony eventually reversed.

A comparable scenario occurred with Ghost of Tsushima. Its PC version was also delisted in the same 177 countries and territories because the game's co-op multiplayer mode necessitated a PSN sign-in. Interestingly, Ghost of Tsushima's single-player mode does not require a PSN account, yet God of War Ragnarök—a completely single-player game—will mandate one.

The insistence on a PSN account for God of War Ragnarök's PC version has left many scratching their heads, particularly given its single-player nature. Players in regions without PSN access will be disappointed to miss out on this eagerly anticipated title. As the release date approaches, it remains to be seen if Sony will reconsider this requirement in response to player feedback. For now, the news is a double-edged sword: exciting for some, but frustrating for others.

Stay tuned for more updates as this story develops.