If you’re a PlayStation fan who has kept buying an OLED TV at bay, well, now is the time to buy such a television. And that’s thanks to the excellent God of War Ragnarök.
2018’s God of War looked, and still looks, absolutely fantastic with gorgeous detail, lighting effects, and materials that flexed and moved realistically. His direct sequel, God of War Ragnarök, further raises the standard. And that really shines on a TV that can deliver deep blacks, huge contrast levels, and a rich bouquet of colors.
Of course, Ragnarök isn’t necessarily a huge leap forward over its predecessor in terms of overall graphics, as the game is available on both PS4 and PS5. But many small tweaks and better details, plus an extra layer of refinement, create a game where you can spend a lot of time slowly rotating the camera to absorb all the richly textured environments.
While I loved how cool the first chapter of the new God of War games looked on my Samsung 4K LCD TV, seeing the new game on an LG C1 OLED raised the bar for exploring the lands of Norse mythology. The blazing fires appear almost three-dimensional as they contrast with the deep black shadows cast around them, while the orange-red explosive light effects saturated by the Blades of Chaos communicate the blazing heat emanating from the improbable weapon.
Ragnarök’s new color palette, from snowy Midgard to humid, humid and craggy Niðavellir, really shines on an OLED. At least that’s the case with LG’s excellent panel, which sets an enviable standard for display technology without charging mouth-watering prices.
Thanks to the powerful image processing, the game looks fantastic on the LG C1 OLED. This is also true when running in Ragnarök’s performance mode, which aims for 60 frames per second at variable resolution, rather than native 4K. Add a low-latency game mode and playing can feel like peering into a portal to another world.
Speaking of immersion, one of the benefits of having a game-centric OLED TV means access to a 120Hz refresh rate and VRR (variable refresh rate) support. God of War Ragnarök supports both in a dedicated mode in the game’s display settings.
While the PS5 can’t deliver true 120 fps to match the screen’s 120 Hz refresh rate, it offers smoother action than previous God of War games. Increasing the frame rate feels like a true next-gen game, with no need for much in the way of visual downgrades. The resolution simply drops slightly, which isn’t a big deal if you have a TV that can magnify an image well to fit a 4K panel.
In short, God of War Ragnarök justifies an upgrade to an OLED TV. And thanks to the first Black Friday deals we’re already seeing, now is the perfect time to get such a TV.
If I hadn’t already taken the big step towards OLED last year (even with a Black Friday deal), I’d probably want the LG C2 OLED. It’s basically an evolution of the excellent C1 and comes with some decent discounts.
Alternatively, if your budget is tight, you can buy the LG A2. This range of TVs are cheaper than the C series, but still offer an LG OLED display to take advantage of deep blacks and rich colors. Don’t expect to play any games above 60Hz.
To dive deeper into God of War Ragnarök, check out our God of War recap. This covers everything you need to know before starting Atreus and Kratos’ second adventure.
