2018’s God of War looked, and still looks, utterly fantastic with wonderful details, lighting effects, and materials that flexed and moved realistically. Its direct sequel, God of War Ragnarök, raises the standard even further. And that really shines on a TV that can provide deep blacks, massive levels of contrast and a bountiful bouquet of colors. Granted, Ragnarök isn’t necessarily a huge leap over its predecessor in terms of overall graphics, as the game is available on both the PS4 and the PS5. But a lot of smaller tweaks and better details, as well as an extra level of polish, make for a game where you can spend lots of time slowly rotating the camera to absorb all of the richly textured environments. While I loved how good the first entry in the newer God of War games looked on my Samsung LCD 4K TV, seeing the new game on an LG C1 OLED raised the bar on exploring the lands of Old Norse mythology. Burning fires look almost three-dimensional as they contrast against the deep black shadows cast around them, while saturated orange-red explosive lighting effects from the Blades of Chaos communicate the fiery heat that the improbable weapon gives off. The new color palette in Ragnarök, from the snow-covered Midgard to the damp, moist, craggy Niðavellir, really shines on an OLED. At least that’s the case on LG’s excellent panel, which sets an enviable standard for the display technology without charging eye-watering prices. Thanks to strong picture processing, the game looks awesome on the LG C1 OLED. That’s even true even when running in Ragnarök’s performance mode, which targets 60 frames per second with a variable resolution, rather than native 4K. Add in a low-latency gaming mode, and playing the game can feel like peering into a portal to another world. Speaking of immersion, one of the advantages of having a gaming-centric OLED TV means access to a 120Hz refresh rate and VRR (variable refresh rate) support. God of War Ragnarök supports both of these in a dedicated mode under the game’s display settings. While the PS5 can’t deliver a true 120 fps to match the screen’s 120Hz refresh rate, it offers smoother action than past God of War games. Increasing the frame rate feels like proper next-generation gaming, without needing much in the way of visual downgrades. The resolution simply dials down a little, which isn’t a big deal if you have a TV that can upscale 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 early Black Friday deals we’re already seeing, now is an ideal time to get such a TV. Had I not already made the plunge to OLED last year (also with a Black Friday deal), I’d probably want the LG C2 OLED. It’s basically an evolution of the excellent C1, and it’s available with some decent discounts. Alternatively, if your budget is strapped, then you could get the LG A2. This range of TVs is more budget-friendly than the C-series, but still offers an LG OLED display to take advantage of deep blacks and rich colors. Just don’t expect to play any game above 60Hz. To immerse yourself more in God of War Ragnarök, take a look at our God of War recap. This covers everything you need to know before you start Atreus and Kratos’ second adventure.
