There is one major downside to widescreen patching God of War specifically: The UI.
The original game engine hard-coded the position of certain HUD elements. While the camera renders perfectly at 16:9, you may notice:
Fixes for UI issues:
The developers of PCSX2 have made this incredibly easy for modern users. You no longer need to manually edit hex codes in 90% of cases.
Step-by-step automatic installation:
How does this work? When you run God of War, PCSX2 scans the game's CRC (a unique ID) and cross-references it with a massive online database downloaded by the emulator. If a widescreen patch exists, it applies it automatically. God Of War Widescreen Patch Pcsx2
Verification: Launch the game. If Kratos stands on a bridge and you can see massive environmental details on the far left and right that were previously hidden, it worked. If it looks cropped, proceed to the manual method.
Stop stretching. Start slaying.
If you’ve tried to play the original God of War (2005) or God of War II (2007) on PCSX2 without a patch, you’ve likely noticed the issue. The game renders in 4:3 by default. Using the “Stretch” option in PCSX2 makes Kratos look like a refrigerator, and the "Zoom" mode cuts off vital UI elements.
The good news? Perfect, memory-hack-free widescreen exists.
Here is how to get native 16:9 (and even 21:9) widescreen in God of War I & II using the correct PNACH patches. There is one major downside to widescreen patching
Patch Code:
//Widescreen 16:9
patch=1,EE,001ef870,word,3c0243c0
patch=1,EE,001ef874,word,44820000
patch=1,EE,001ef87c,word,461e0003
patch=1,EE,001ef89c,word,3c040000
patch=1,EE,001ef8a0,word,3c0335a2
patch=1,EE,001ef8a4,word,8c630000
patch=1,EE,001ef8b0,word,00000000
| Aspect | Without Patch (4:3 or Fake 16:9) | With Widescreen Patch | |--------|-----------------------------------|-----------------------| | FOV | Narrow, boxed-in | Expansive, cinematic | | HUD | Stretched or off-screen | Properly anchored | | UI Elements | Health orbs appear cut | Fully visible | | Combat | Harder to see flanking enemies | Clear peripheral vision |
Pro tip: On GoW I, the patch also fixes the famous “green tint” glitch that sometimes appears when upscaling.
Configure PCSX2
Activate the Patch
Launch the Game
Once you have the widescreen patch installed, you should pair it with other PCSX2 enhancements to make God of War look better than your PS3 ever did.
Recommended settings for 1440p/4K:
Specific God of War Hack:
.pnach.