Can I get God of War 1 on PS4?
The original God of War, first released for the PlayStation 2 in 2005, can be played on the PS4 thanks to Sony‘s backwards compatibility services – namely PlayStation Plus Premium and PlayStation Now. While you can‘t directly insert and play a PS2 God of War disc on the PS4, these subscription services give you streaming access to the classic hack and slash adventure that kicked off Kratos‘ epic saga. Keep reading to learn how!
God of War 1‘s Legacy as an Action-Adventure Great
For those unfamiliar with the PlayStation 2 classic, the original God of War introduced players to a brutal and unforgiving world of Greek mythology seen through the eyes of the vengeful Spartan warrior Kratos. After being tricked into killing his wife and daughter by the Greek god Ares, Kratos sets out on a quest for vengeance against the pantheon of Olympian gods like Zeus, Hades, and Ares himself.
God of War 1 wowed gamers in 2005 with its tight, responsive hack and slash combat, immense boss battles, clever puzzles, and fully realized mythological world brimming with lore adapted from ancient Greek legends. Selling over 4 million copies and hailed as an instant classic upon release, God of War generated massive buzz for its cinematic presentation and visceral feel that simply couldn‘t be matched at the time.
God of War 1 Critical Reception and Accolades:
- Over 4 million units sold worldwide
- 94 average critic score on Metacritic
- "Game of the Year" awards from multiple gaming publications in 2005
- Often included on lists for "Greatest PlayStation 2 Games of All Time"
Simply put, God of War was a system-seller that played a pivotal role in cementing the PlayStation brand as the premier home for cinematic action-adventure games. It also spawned an entire franchise of acclaimed sequels and spinoffs over the years on PS2, PS3, and PS4. In 2018, the God of War series was successfully rebooted in spectacular fashion on PS4 as well to high praise.
But for many gamers, myself included, the original will always have a special place in our hearts as a genre-defining classic that still holds up incredibly well over 15 years later.
Playing God of War 1 on PS4 vs PS2
As mentioned already, you can‘t directly insert and play your PS2 God of War disc on modern PlayStation hardware like the PS4 or PS5. This is because the newer consoles dropped support for true backwards compatibility.
However, thanks to the capabilities of PlayStation Plus Premium and PlayStation Now, we can revisit past console gems in a streaming format. Let‘s compare the experience across each platform.
| PlayStation 2 | PlayStation 4 | |
| Resolution | Up to 1080i/720p for HD models | Up to 1080p |
| Performance | Capped at 30 FPS originally | Stable 30 FPS |
| Load Times | 20-40 seconds typically | Around 10-15 seconds |
As shown above, the visual enhancements and improvements in stability and loading make for a smoother experience playing God of War 1 on PS4. You won‘t benefit from higher 60 FPS frame rates, but streaming avoids some of the performance issues that the PS2 was prone to.
However, for gaming purists who prefer their titles "the way they were meant to be played", tracking down a PS2 and disc copy is still a great for reliving God of War with that nostalgic, last-gen feel. I personally like having both options!
Accessing God of War 1 via PlayStation Plus Premium
PlayStation Plus Premium is Sony‘s highest tier subscription service starting at $17.99 a month. A main perk it offers is access to an expansive library of PS2 games via cloud streaming that grows monthly.
As of this writing, the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games included span beloved series like Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, the original trilogy of Sypon Filter stealth titles, and yes – our very own God of War from 2005!
Simply boot up your PS4 or PS5, log into your PSN account with an active Premium membership, head to the Classics Catalog and you‘ll have instant access to Kratos‘ inaugural original adventure against the gods. You can immediately stream God of War 1 in up to 1080p resolution with enhanced stability and shorter loading sequences compared to playing on actual PS2 hardware.
The convenience and value here for nostalgic gamers like myself is incredible! And Sony frequently adds new retro selections as well. For example, legendary PS1 franchises like Tekken 2 and the original Ridge Racer have been added for streaming just within the past few months.
Who knows? Perhaps God of War II or God of War III will arrive on Premium sooner than later! But at least for now, we can revisit where it all started for Kratos thanks to modern convenience. Well worth the monthly fee in my opinion for long-time PlayStation fans.
PlayStation Now – Another Streaming Option
For those without a Premium membership, PlayStation Now is Sony‘s standalone game streaming service allowing you to access hundreds of PS2, PS3, and PS4 games across PlayStation devices. This includes the ability to stream God of War 1 directly to your PS4 just like Premium!
PlayStation Now does not offer near as many coveted PS1 and PS2 classics accessible through Premium, but God of War 1 luckily made the cut as one of the more notable last-gen options available.
Pricing breaks down to:
- $9.99 monthly
- $24.99 quarterly
- $59.99 yearly
So while a bit more expensive annually than PlayStation Plus Premium, you aren‘t forced to commit to nearly as long when curious to revisit God of War 1 specifically. Although I‘ll reiterating the expanding retro library does add tremendous value for Premium memberships long-term for nostalgic gamers.
But the bottomline is PlayStation Now serves as a direct, cheaper path to streaming God of War PS2 on supported devices PS4 and up. Performance and visuals mirror the same enhancements talked about earlier. Well worth checking out on its own for easy access to Kratos‘ incredibly first quest.
Closing Thoughts
I‘m thrilled Sony enabled solutions for keeping legendary last-generation games alive on modern hardware. While lacking true backwards compatibility, services like PlayStation Plus Premium and PlayStation Now fill the void nicely with growing libraries veterans and new fans alike can enjoy thanks to the convenience of streaming.
God of War 1 kicking off Kratos‘ iconic saga against the gods of Olympus absolutely deserves revisiting or discovering for the first time. The original still holds up with its enthralling mythological world, gory cinematic combat, and epic scope capped off masterfully at the time with PS2-era technical magic. I personally consider it required playing even with the excellent recent PS4 reboot.
So in summary – Yes, thanks to Premium and PlayStation Now, you can absolutely experience God of War 1 on PS4 and PS5 beyond dusting off old consoles. I highly recommend all PlayStation fans jump back into Kratos‘ brutal original quest for vengeance today! Let the gods feel your wrath once again!
