God of War Ragnarok graphics modes and frame rate explained

god of war ragnarok
(Image credit: Sony)

God of War Ragnarok graphics modes afford players the chance to pick between graphical quality and frame rate as a priority, deciding whether they want to the smoothest possible action, or for the nine realms to really pop. Obviously those playing God of War Ragnarok on PC will have a range more options, but for those on console, here's the best graphics mode for you to pick.

What are the graphics modes for God of War Ragnarok?

God of War Ragnarok has six different graphics modes on PS5 and three on PS4 Pro. All modes are loosely grouped into 'Favor Performance', which prioritizes the game's frame rate at the cost of the image resolution, and 'Favor Quality', which does the inverse, running the game at a sub-60FPS but with more detail.  We've got how to change the graphics mode in-game further down, but here are the specifics for all the God of War Ragnarok graphics modes:

God of War Ragnarok graphics modes

(Image credit: Sony)

God of War Ragnarok PS5 graphics modes

Those playing God of War Ragnarok on PS5 will have lots of options to choose from, but most of them require your PS5 to be connected to a compatible TV or monitor for certain features, so be aware that not all of these options may not be available to you.

  • Favor Performance - Resolution: 1440p - 2160p, Frame Rate: 60FPS target
  • Favor Performance + High Frame Rate Mode - Resolution: 1440p, Frame Rate: Unlocked 60FPS, Requires HDMI 2.1 connection and a display with a 120Hz refresh rate or higher
  • Favor Performance + High Frame Rate Mode + Variable Refresh Rate - Resolution: 1440p, Frame Rate: Unlocked 60FPS, Requires HDMI 2.1 connection and a display with a 120Hz refresh rate or higher
  • Favor Quality - Resolution: 2160p, Frame Rate: 30FPS target, Requires a 4K display to run at Native 4K
  • Favor Quality + High Frame Rate Mode - Resolution: 1800p - 2160p, Frame Rate: 40FPS target, Requires HDMI 2.1 connection and a display with a 120Hz refresh rate or higher
  • Favor Quality + High Frame Rate Mode + Variable Refresh Rate - Resolution: 1800p - 2160p, Frame Rate: Unlocked 40FPS, Requires HDMI 2.1 connection and a display with a 120Hz refresh rate or higher

God of War Ragnarok PS4 graphics modes

  • Favor Performance - Resolution: 1080p - 1656p, Frame Rate: Unlocked 30FPS
  • Favor Quality - Resolution: 1440p - 1656p, Frame Rate: 30FPS target
  • Standard - Resolution: 1080p, Frame Rate: 30FPS target

How to change the graphics settings in God of War Ragnarok

(Image: © Sony)

To change the graphics mode in God of War Ragnarok, pause the game, open the Setting menu, then choose Graphics and Camera. Under the 'Graphics' headings, you'll spot the 'Graphics Mode' setting, allowing you to choose between Favor Performance and Favor Quality, so choose your preference out of those two options.

Below that, you can also see the 'High Frame Rate Mode' option, which can be toggled on or off to add a frame rate boost to your game. Be aware that this option will be grayed out and unavailable to you if you do not have a monitor capable of running at 120Hz. You will also need to make sure you do not have the '120Hz Output' setting switched off on your PS5 - check under the Screen and Video menu in your PS5 settings.

PS5 VRR video menu

(Image credit: Sony)

Additionally, you can potentially improve the frame rate of God of War Ragnarok even further by turning VRR on, assuming your display device supports it. However, this is done through the PS5 settings and is not found in-game. Open up the PS5 settings menu, go to Screen and Video, and then under Video Output, make sure VRR is not switched off.

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Will Sawyer
Guides Writer

Will Sawyer is a guides writer at GamesRadar+ who works with the rest of the guides team to give readers great information and advice on the best items, how to complete a particular challenge, or where to go in some of the biggest video games. Will joined the GameRadar+ team in August 2021 and has written about service titles, including Fortnite, Destiny 2, and Warzone, as well as some of the biggest releases like Halo Infinite, Elden Ring, and God of War Ragnarok.

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