Summary
God of War Ragnarokofficially launched on Steam on September 19, but its release has been somewhat anti-climactic as over 40,000 fewer users have booted up the game at launch compared to its 2018 predecessorGod of War, which was released on Steam in 2022. WhileGod of War Ragnarokwas a smash hit for developer Santa Monica Studios and publisher Sony, its PC launch has already been met with controversy.
WhenGod of War Ragnarokhit PlayStation 5 back in 2022, critics praised the sequel, calling it one of the best games of the year. It would go on to receive a massive eleven nominations at the 2022 Game Awards but failed to pick up the coveted award, losing out to FromSoftware’s critically acclaimedElden Ring. Despite being loved by many,God of War Ragnarokis already being review-bombedon Steam, with many citing its forced PSN account-linking requirement as the reason for leaving a negative review.
Although there’s no way to know the exact reason,Ragnarok’s PSN requirementmay havehad a massive impact on its player count at launch. As spotted byMP1st,Ragnarok’s player count is drastically lower than its predecessor’s,God of War. When the 2018 title made its way to Steam in 2022, it peaked at just over 73,000 users at launch. Now, two years later,God of War Ragnarokfinds itself in a dire situation as the title has peaked at less than 30,000 concurrent players in its first couple of days.
God of War Ragnarok Is off to a Poor Start on Steam
It is worth noting thatGod of War Ragnarok’s player count will likely continue to grow as we move into the weekend, but it’s got a long way to go if it wants to get anywhere close to its predecessor’s record. But despite the fact that it’s a long way off fromGod of War’s highest concurrent player count, it’s still not the worst-performing PlayStation title on Steam in terms of concurrent players. WhenMarve’s Spider-Man: MilesMorales wasreleased on PCin November 2022, it only managed to peak at 13,539 players, despite being part of one of PlayStation’s most popular IPs.
PlayStation has had some huge successes with Steam releases though, such asHelldivers 2,which had a monumental rise on the platform and managed to reach 458,709 players concurrently. Unfortunately, the popular shooter was met with controversy when PlayStation attempted to enforce an account-linking requirement months after the game had launched on Steam. The decision was met with backlash and negative reviews, which resulted in the publisher reverting the policy.
Many PlayStation titles that have been released on Steam afterHelldivers 2have had the same PSN requirement enforced from the get-go, which could be one of the reasons as to whyRagnarok’s player count is so much lower thanGod of War. However, there are also a plethora of players who are unhappy withRagnarok’s massive file size on PC, which could also be another reason for users opting to skip Santa Monica’s smash-hit sequel.
God of War Ragnarok
WHERE TO PLAY
Embark on an epic and heartfelt journey as Kratos and Atreus struggle with holding on and letting goFrom Santa Monica Studio comes the sequel to the critically acclaimed God of War (2018). Fimbulwinter is well underway. Kratos and Atreus must journey to each of the Nine Realms in search of answers as Asgardian forces prepare for a prophesied battle that will end the world. Along the way they will explore stunning, mythical landscapes, and face fearsome enemies in the form of Norse gods and monsters. The threat of Ragnarök grows ever closer. Kratos and Atreus must choose between their own safety and the safety of the realms.
