Is God of War free on PS5 plus?

As an avid PlayStation gamer and content creator, I‘ve been asked many times recently whether the latest God of War game is available for free on a PS Plus membership.

The short answer is no, God of War Ragnarök is not free on any PS Plus tier currently. However, there are some caveats for Premium subscribers. Let‘s take a deeper look across PS Plus Essential, Extra and Premium to understand what access is included for the different God of War games and versions.

PS Plus Tiers Explained

First, a quick recap on the PS Plus membership levels:

Essential – $9.99/month. Online multiplayer access, monthly free games (2 PS4/5 games per month), exclusive discounts.

Extra – $14.99/month. All benefits of Essential tier, plus catalog of 400+ PS4/PS5 games available for download.

Premium – $17.99/month. All benefits of Extra tier, plus 340+ additional PS1, PS2, PSP and PS3 games available via cloud streaming. Time-limited game trials also offered (length varies by title).

As of June 2022, PlayStation reported having 46.3 million PS Plus subscribers, up from 45.4 million in March. Exact split across tiers is unknown but the number reflects strong engagement with the revised PS Plus program.

God of War Ragnarök – 3 Hour Trial for PS Plus Premium

The biggest PS5 release of 2022, God of War Ragnarök is available for PS Plus Premium members to trial for free – but with strict limitations. Premium subscribers can access the full game and play for up to 3 hours before needing to purchase.

Based on my experience, here‘s how to optimize the trial period:

• Focus only on main story quests – ignore side content/exploration initially
• Upgrade weapons/skills that boost runic attacks to deal more damage
• Use Spartan Rage ability liberally during boss fights
• Save often manually not just via checkpoints! Time counts even with game suspended

With this specialized approach, it‘s possible to get up to the climax of the second main quest before your 3 hours expires. This offers a decent taster session but expect the hard sell for the full version after.

What About Access for PS Plus Essential/Extra Members?

Unfortunately God of War Ragnarök does not currently feature in the standard PS Plus monthly free games lineup, nor is it included in the wide catalog for Extra tier subscribers either.

As a big budget first party release only 3 months from launch, this is typical but after 6-12 months post-release availability via these PS Plus tiers becomes more likely. For example, Horizon Forbidden West which arrived in February 2022 has not been included in PS Plus yet.

What About Other God of War Games?

For PlayStation gamers yet to enjoy 2018‘s epic God of War reboot, there is good news! The prior game is available at no additional cost via:

• PS Plus Collection (PS4 version) – PS5 owners with an active PS Plus Essential membership can download and play the full PS4 game on their new console via backwards compatibility. Sony curated this "best of" selection to showcase previous gen exclusives.

Given extremely strong PS5 attach rates for God of War Ragnarök (64% sales on PS5 vs 36% on PS4 initially), access to the preceding game via PS Plus Collection makes perfect sense to enable franchise enjoyment for new next-gen owners.

• PS Plus Premium Catalog (PS4 version) – Subscribers on the Premium tier also have access to the full God of War (2018) PS4 game as part of the vast game catalog spanning multiple PlayStation eras. Streaming only.

So in summary – God of War Ragnarök has a short 3 hour trial for Premium members only at present. However, the prior mainline game is available in full as part of PS Plus Essential and Premium with a PS5 or streaming respectively.

Analyzing the PS Plus Premium Value Proposition

Depending on gaming preferences, PS Plus Premium presents reasonable value with the ability to trial high profile releases like God of War Ragnarök before buying. However, when compared directly against Xbox Game Pass, there are some limitations:

• New release day one access – Game Pass adds all Microsoft first party titles on launch day e.g. recent hits Forza Horizon 5 and Pentiment. PS Plus Premium trials are post-launch only.
• Depth of modern AAA catalog – Game Pass has heavier hitting third party back catalog (Day 1 access to Call of Duty on Xbox) and all Xbox/Bethesda games added forever. PS Premium relies more on trials for big 3rd party games.
• Number of platform exclusives – Game Pass drives engagement via all Xbox first party games from 23 studios present and future. PlayStation investing in exclusives primarily for outright sale instead.

Based on the differences above, Game Pass aims for maximum value to drive subscriber growth and retention, while PS Plus Premium offers more flexibility for players also interested in purchasing selected games outright after sampling trials.

Per July 2022, Game Pass subscriptions were reported at 29 million while as mentioned earlier PS Plus totals over 46 million members currently. So while Xbox is seeing incredible growth with its subscription service, PlayStation still maintains a strong position in the console gaming market with stellar exclusive titles driving PS5 hardware sales.

God of War vs Horizon – PS5‘s Killer First Party Apps

Sony has delivered two absolutely essential system-selling PlayStation exclusives already on PS5 that rank amongst the highest quality and most graphically impressive titles ever seen. Let‘s compare God of War Ragnarök and Horizon Forbidden West briefly:

Both games have achieved incredible critical and commercial success in a short space of time, driving strong PS5 console sales with stellar attach rates. God of War Ragnarök has the slight edge on review scores while both franchises perform somewhat comparably on overall units shifted.

These flagship system-sellers clearly showcase the importance of first party investment to compete effectively – an area Xbox struggled with pre-Bethesda acquisition. Great to see both Sony and Microsoft delivering fantastic exclusives that play to the strengths of their powerful home consoles.

Will God of War Ragnarök Release on PS Plus Eventually?

Based on God of War (2018) joining PS Plus in multiple forms already, while also still selling extremely well at $20 pre-owned over 4 years post-launch, I predict we‘ll see Ragnarök land on a lower tier subscription too.

Just don‘t expect it until maybe Holiday 2023 at the absolute earliest, as Sony will want to maximize sales first. Assuming the game continues shifting 5-10 million units annually, adding an extra win for PlayStation Plus down the line is likely. After the 3 hour trial whets appetites, waiting patiently for full "free" access makes sense!

For now adding Ragnarök immediately into a back catalog risks substantially curtailing sales momentum when still so early in its release cycle. We‘ll get there eventually!

Key Takeaways

So in closing, here are some concise responses around God of War availability on the revised PlayStation Plus:

• God of War Ragnarök – Not free, but PS Plus Premium subscribers can access a 3 hour game trial
• God of War (2018) – Free to download/play in full via PS Plus Collection (Essential) or Premium Catalog (Premium)
• For unrestricted access to the full Ragnarök experience now, purchase is required with no discounts for PS Plus members
• Based on Sony‘s first party release strategy, expect Ragnarök to join PS Plus Extra/Premium in 6-12 months earliest

If trying before buying sounds enticing, upgrading to the PS Plus Premium tier could offer great value. Otherwise enjoy God of War (2018) now for free, while awaiting the inevitable full Ragnarök release further down the line!

Let me know in the comments if you have any other PS Plus questions! I‘ll see you next time.