How long does it take to beat GoW: Ragnarok? Main Story & 100% Completion Time

If you’re speculating how long it takes to complete God of War Ragnarok, the number of hours vary depending on your gameplay style. However, one aspect of the answer remains the same – it’s huge!

Unfortunately for God of War fans, Sony Santa Monica’s Ragnarok will probably be the finale of Kratos’ Viking epic. There could be another game after Ragnarok but it’s not confirmed. There are certain moments in the game where it feels like the developers have squeezed in two games in one.

Across a vast campaign, a variety of side quests, and loads of map clean-ups to carry out before Kratos can finally hang his axe and blade for good, your journey to 100% completion will be lengthy.

If you focus on completing main story missions only, you’ll require around 25-30 hours to finish God of War Ragnarok. On the other hand, if you focus on completing all the side content in the game and complete the game 100%, then you’ll require around 50-60 hours.

Below is a breakdown of how long it will take to complete God of War Ragnarok under various circumstances.

1. Difficulty

God of War: Ragnarok has 5 difficulty levels as you can see in the above image, “Give Me Grace” being the easiest difficulty and “Give Me God of War” being the hardest. Game difficulty undoubtedly has an impact on your playtime.

If you’re familiar with God of War (2018)’s mechanics, then you won’t have much problem getting used to this game’s mechanics, even at higher difficulty levels. But playing the game on a higher difficulty level will significantly increase your playtime as you might get stuck on a specific mission or a specific boss.

2. Is Ragnarok longer than God of War (2018)?

God of War: Ragnarok is indeed longer than its previous entry which is expected because this is a much more ambitious game than God of War (2018). God of War (2018) was a deeply personal story for Kratos and Atreus so in terms of scale, it was just a tad bit smaller than God of War: Ragnarok, but it was still an ambitious new beginning for the franchise.

God of War (2018) clocked in around 20 hours for the main story, around 30 hours for both main story and side quests, and around 50 hours for a 100% completion run. God of War: Ragnarok has more or less the same numbers but it is undoubtedly a bigger game than God of War (2018), in both scale and playtime.

3. Is Ragnarok harder than God of War (2018)?

God of War Ragnarok’s difficulty levels are similar to its previous entry, only differences are some of the names, and another difficulty added called “Give Me Grace”. You can also change difficulty settings anytime if you feel that the game is becoming more and more challenging for you.According to most community reviews, players feel that God of War: Ragnarok is actually easier than its predecessor.

Even though the game is fairly hard on the hardest difficulty, players found God of War (2018)’s hardest difficulty harder than Ragnarok’s hardest difficulty. This is most likely because, God of War (2018) had no upgrades and only the Leviathan Axe in the beginning, while in Ragnarok, you have both your Blades and Axe with and some upgrades too.

4. Will God of War end with Ragnarok?

Perhaps the biggest question that everyone has after finishing God of War: Ragnarok is whether there will be another God of War games. The game ends with Kratos defeating Odin and becoming the All-Father of the Nine Realms and letting Atreus go on his own adventures.

There are many places that the franchise can go so it’s safe to say that God of War: Ragnarok may be the last journey for Kratos but isn’t a conclusion for the entire series. Santa Monica could continue Atreus’ story and his adventures or they could continue Kratos’ story in a different pantheon. Many fans have speculated that Kratos might visit Egypt in his next outing, if there is one.

5. 100% Completion

If you’re the kind of player who wishes to explore everything the nine realms have to offer, tie your seatbelts and pull up your socks because it’s going to be a long ride.

Fortunately, no aspect of the game is missable, so all you need to do to 100% complete God of War Ragnarok is focus on the main story and later circle back to finish the extras, so you don’t get worn out. In addition, you’ll have to tap into a ton of optional content, such as Favors, Labours, Treasure Maps, and Artefacts.  

Mentioned below are the various things you need to do in order to 100% complete God of War Ragnarok.

1. Complete the entire story (11 main missions or “The Path”)

2. Finish all 47 Favors, including:

• Kill all 48 of Odin’s Ravens
• Destroy all four Draugr Holes
• Collect a flower from all nine realms
• Find all six Lindwyrms
• Find and remove all six Hel Tears
• Find all four Seasonal Stags
• Find all 10 Remnants of Asgard
• Find all 38 Artefacts across four realms
• Find all 14 Books across four realms
• Find all the Lore Markers, Rune Reads, Lost Pages, and Scrolls (80 in total)
• Find ten buried treasures
• Open all 35 Nornir Chests
• Open all 53 Legendary Chests
• Find 10 Berserker Gravestones
• Complete all 15 Muspelheim Trials

6. Main Missions List

All the 11 main missions in God of War Ragnarok, collectively known as The Path, consist of the following.

• Surviving Fimbulwinter
• The Quest for Tyr
• Groa’s Secret
• The Reckoning
• The World of Fate
• Forging Destiny
• Reunion
• Creatures of Prophecy
• Hunting for Solace
• The Summoning
• The Realms at War
• Beyond Ragnarok (Post-Completion)

7. All Favors List (Side Quests)

If you’re pushing for 100% completion, then you’ll need to complete all the Favors that are listed below:

I. Midgard

• Animal Instincts
• Sigrun’s Curse
• Guiding Light
• Across the Realms

II. Svartalfheim

• In Service of Asgard
• The Weight of Chains
• Spirit of Rebellion
• The Lost Treasure
• A Viking Funeral

III. Alfheim

• Secret of the Sands
• Song of the Sands
• The Elven Sanctum
• Freyr’s Gift
• The Desert Door

IV. Vanaheim

• Cure for the Dead
• Garden for the Dead
• Conscience for the Dead
• The Mysterious Orb
• Freya’s Missing Peace
• Scent of Survival

V. Vanaheim – The Jungle

• Return of the River
• What Lies Below
• Trail of the Dead
• Path of Destruction
• Casualty of War: The Stein
• Casualty of War: The Toy

VI. Vanaheim – The Sinkholes

• Quaking Hollow
• The Burning Skies
• Casualty of War: The Hourglass

VII. Vanaheim – The Plains

• In the Dead of Night
• In Plain Sight
• For Vanaheim!
• Nocturnal Predator
• Casualty of War: The Brooch
• Casualty of War: The Scroll

VIII. Niflheim

• The Eyes of Odin
• The Broken Prison

IX. Muspelheim

• The Crucible
• The Final Challenges
• Defend Your Valor

X. World Favors (All Realms)

• A Stag for All Seasons
• Born From Fire
• Fit for a King
• Hell to Pay
• Nine Realms in Bloom
• The Last Remnants
• The Lost Lindwyrms

8. About God of War Ragnarok

God of War Ragnarok is an action-adventure game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was released on November 9, 2022, for PS4 and PS5.

Ragnarok is the ninth installment in the God of War series, chronologically, and the sequel to 2018’s God of War. Loosely based on Norse mythology, the game is set in ancient Norway and features series protagonists Kratos and his young son Atreus. The events of the game are expected to initiate Ragnarok – a series of events that, according to Norse lore, bring about the end of days and the death of the Norse gods.