Skip to main content

God of War Ragnarok’s new free update is bigger than expected

God of War Ragnarok just got a free update, which adds a New Game+ mode to the game. The substantial update adds new gear to the game, raises Kratos’ level cap, and adds more new features.

Last December, Santa Monica Studio confirmed that God of War Ragnarok was set to receive an update in spring 2023. True to its word, the developer just delivered with its New Game+ addition, though it included a few unexpected surprises too.

New Game+ mode is accessible to players after they’ve beaten the main story. It allows them to restart the game with all of their gear and upgrades intact. That surprisingly includes Kratos’ Draupnir Spear, which is usually unlocked late during the story. The only tools that won’t be accessible from the jump are Sonic and Hex arrows.

New Game+ mode increases Ragnarok‘s level cap as well. Any level nine weapons are armor can be converted into a “Plus” version, which can be upgraded further. Enemy level caps are raising too, making them more powerful in the mode.

In addition to the new mode, the update adds a wealth of new gear to the mix. Kraros can claim four new armor sets, including ones themed around Zeus and Ares, and a Spartan Apsis shield. Players will automatically get the strength and defense-centric Armor of the Black Bear automatically when beginning New Game+.

That only scratches the surface of what’s a surprisingly substantial update. It also brings a black-and-white render mode, platinum labor tiers, new attacks for some of the game’s toughest optional bosses, and an expanded version of Niflheim that allows players to practice as Atreus and select a companion. Most intriguing, though, is the addition of new enchantments that let players mix and match perks via a new currency called Gilded Coins. The update also includes a negative type of enhancement called Burdens, which debuff Kratos for players looking for a new challenge.

You can download God of War Ragnarok‘s new update for free right now on PS4 and PS5.

Editors' Recommendations

Giovanni Colantonio
Giovanni is a writer and video producer focusing on happenings in the video game industry. He has contributed stories to…
3 big things I need to see from the next PlayStation Showcase
Peter and Miles from Marvel's Spider-Man 2.

It’s that time of the year again when industry insiders are teasing that a big PlayStation Showcase will happen around June. A third-party focused State of Play happened in 2022, but now Video Games Chronicle’s Andy Robinson and Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb are both suggesting that a more first-party oriented "Showcase" could be on the way sometime during the next month, potentially during the week of May 25.
PlayStation has had a rough start to 2023, with console exclusive Forspoken garnering mixed reviews, the PlayStation VR2 impressing critics while underperforming in sales, and The Last of Us Part 1’s PC port being broken at launch. With only Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 confirmed to be on the horizon for 2023, Sony has a lot to prove during its next showcase. There are three specific things I need to see from Sony if that PlayStation Showcase does come to fruition.
Give PSVR2 purpose
The PlayStation VR2 is an impressive piece of virtual reality technology, but it lacks killer apps outside of Horizon: Call of the Mountain. New game releases for the headset have been slow since its February 2022 launch, which is likely why the $550 headset has underperformed. Sony has opted to mainly relegate PSVR2 to State of Plays or PlayStation Blog posts, but it needs to revitalize excitement for the platform by giving some of its games a spotlight in a big PlayStation Showcase.

Hopefully, there’s more on the way in terms of new AAA VR exclusives from first-party studios, as well as much-demanded ports like Half-Life: Alyx. Already announced PSVR2 games like Journey to Foundation and Synapse could also use release dates. A PlayStation Showcase is the perfect time for Sony to put out a clear road map for PSVR2’s future game library, just as the September 2021 PlayStation did for PS5. Give me a reason to strap on that headset yet again.
Flesh out the system’s 2023 exclusives lineup
PS5 needs a strong lineup for this fall as well. With the exception of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, things look pretty barren for PS5 this year after the launch of Final Fantasy XVI. Several previously announced PS5 games still lack concrete release dates and could arrive in the second half of this year. It’d be nice to get a clearer picture of Sony’s PS5 game lineup for the rest of the year; hopefully, it includes titles like Stellar Blade, the Silent Hill 2 remake, Lost Soul Aside, Death Stranding 2, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

Read more
The best PS5 exclusives
Kratos sternly looks at Atreus in God of War: Ragnarok.

The PlayStation 5 has been out for a while, bringing us next-generation visuals, faster load times, and a slew of new features that have blown our socks off. Of course, all of these features are welcome, but the real stars of the show are the PS5's games. What good is a new console if there are no games to play on it? Luckily, Sony's next-generation system has you covered with lots of exclusives, ranging from wacky family-friendly adventures to experiences of superhuman proportions and even challenging action RPGs.

Since the PS5 is still only a few years old, its list of exclusives isn't massive, but there are still several you absolutely need to check out. In this guide, we'll round up the very best exclusive games the system has to offer. The PS5's exclusive library will undoubtedly grow throughout its life cycle, and we will update this article accordingly as more games come out.

Read more
Dreams live support is ending — and that’s a big misstep for PlayStation
Art fights a giant bird in Dreams.

Sony could’ve had its own popular proprietary game engine and metaverse. Instead, it just let it slip through its fingers.

Media Molecule is ending live support for Dreams, its highly ambitious game-creating and playing tool for PS4, on September 1. Its servers are staying online for now -- and it has a few more content updates in the pipeline before then -- but after August, there will be no new tools, ports, or events for Dreams. That means it’s not coming to PS5, PlayStation VR2, and, most critically, PC.

Read more