God of War Ragnarok will not receive a free next-gen upgrade

God of War: Ragnarok will not receive a free upgrade between PS4 and PS5 editions, as Sony moves to abandon the system.

In an update to its blog post confirming cross-gen plans around Horizon: Forbidden West, Sony president Jim Ryan said that the company had "missed the mark" in its decision to not provide a free next-gen upgrade for Horizon: Forbidden West, confirming that that upgrade will no longer cost $10.

However, Ryan also stated that "moving forward, PlayStation first-party exclusive cross-gen titles" - those releasing on both PS4 and PS5 - "will offer a $10 digital upgrade option from PS4 to PS5." Specifically, Ryan name drops both "the next God of War and Gran Turismo 7, as well as "any other exclusive cross-gen PS4 & PS5 title published by Sony Interactive Entertainment."

That means that any and all future Sony titles will be subject to the upgrade fee, but Ryan's comments don't apply to third-party titles like Call of Duty: Vanguard or Dragon Age 4 - those decisions will fall to their respective publishers.

The confusion around Horizon Forbidden West stemmed from its original position as a PS5 launch game, but the title's eventual delay to February 2022 pushed it beyond what Sony considered its launch window. The God of War sequel is also set to release in 2022, and Ryan's decision to name-drop it here could mean it's due to launch not too long after Aloy's next game. With a PlayStation Showcase set for later this week, we might get our first proper look at Ragnarok - and perhaps even a release date.

2022 is gearing up to be a big year for Sony fans - here's a list of upcoming PS5 games.