v0.6.1 — Stable in-game menu, native save slots, shipped PGO and reliable keyboard QTEs

v0.6.1 · 2026-11-13 · Changelog

A native PC port of God of War (PS2). The game's executable is statically recompiled from MIPS to C++ and built on your machine from your own compatible disc image. No game files are included or downloaded.

v0.6.1 is the stable release of the 0.6 series. It contains everything tested in the v0.6.0-rc.1 pre-release (new in-game menu, native save slots, altar backups, device-aware button prompts, the integrated renderer work) plus fixes found during its testing: movies no longer flash old frames, keyboard stick QTEs are short and reliable, automatic QTE also performs stick turns, and the setup ships a pre-trained PGO profile.

The project is still in development. Stable 60 FPS remains the target; performance depends on hardware, settings and the scene.

Download

• gow-native-pc-setup.exe — Windows, recommended: installs or updates the launcher for your user, without administrator rights.
• gow-native-pc-windows.zip: the Windows distribution without the installer (also used by the launcher's automatic update).
• gow-native-pc-linux-x86_64-ubuntu26.04-experimental.run — Linux, experimental: installs the native launcher and build scripts.
• gow-native-pc-linux-x86_64-ubuntu26.04-experimental.tar.gz: the same Linux distribution for manual extraction.
• SHA256SUMS.txt: checksums of every file above.

Updating an existing Windows installation (v0.5.0 or v0.6.0-rc.1)? Run the setup over its current folder, or accept the update offered by the launcher. Your discs, saves and settings are kept. Rebuild the game when the launcher asks: this release adds runtime patches. v0.6.0-rc.1 launchers report 0.6.0, so they are offered 0.6.1 as an update.

How to play

Windows

1. Run gow-native-pc-setup.exe and open God of War Launcher. The setup lets you choose where the game is built.
2. In Install: Download tools → Add ISO / CHD… → Install and build.
3. Keep Prepare the first play enabled: it records the game's VU1/IOP code once and builds it in as native code.
4. Choose your graphics settings, review Controls and Accessibility, then click PLAY.

This release ships a pre-trained PGO profile that matches its patch set. New installations and rebuilds use it automatically, without a training run.

Linux — experimental

Install the system dependencies described in the Linux guide, then run:

bash gow-native-pc-linux-x86_64-ubuntu26.04-experimental.run
bash "$HOME/.local/share/gow-native-pc-0.6.1/start-linux.sh"

Import your own compatible disc through the launcher's Install page to compile the game. The installer accepts a new destination directory as its argument and refuses existing destinations to protect games and saves. It does not install system dependencies.

The supplied binaries use Ubuntu 26.04 libraries. This is not a universal AppImage or a validated SteamOS package. Other distributions may require rebuilding the launcher from source.

Requirements

• Windows: Windows 10/11 64-bit.
• Linux: experimental x86-64 support; see the distribution-specific dependencies in the Linux guide.
• CPU: x86-64-v2, including SSE4.2/POPCNT.
• RAM: 8 GB; 16 GB recommended while compiling.
• GPU: OpenGL 4.3+ with the manufacturer's driver (a software renderer remains as a fallback).
• Game: your own compatible God of War disc image.

What's new since v0.5.0

In-game menu and saves

• Redesigned in-game menu (keyboard, mouse and controller): pauses the game, live graphics and audio settings, control bindings, accessibility options, cheats and the active texture pack. Supported settings persist and synchronize with the launcher.
• Native save slots: the launcher and the menu list the memory card's slots with location names, thumbnails and timestamps. Select a slot to load it through the game's own loader, including during gameplay after confirmation.
• Automatic altar-save backups with history and an in-game notification.
• Build location: the setup lets new and existing installations choose where the game is compiled.

Controls and QTEs

• Button prompts follow your device: Xbox, PlayStation and keyboard/mouse styles, honoring your remapping.
• Keyboard stick QTEs, validated in the ship cabin minigame: half turns show two keys (A > D or D > A) and the stick sweeps the arc the way the prompt turns; full turns show W with a circular arrow: hold it and the stick keeps turning that way. The guide is stable and no longer flips direction.
• Automatic QTE (Accessibility, off by default) presses recognized QTE buttons and now also performs recognized stick turns, with keyboard or controller. Shake prompts stay manual.
• Optional held-button assistance; the "Circle" stick gesture follows the prompt's direction.
• QTE and accessibility options are translated into German, French, Italian and Russian.

Movies, graphics and performance

• Fixed movies flashing an old gameplay frame (or black) between their pictures, as in the opening movie.
• Fixed the movie that never ended at the Cliffs of Madness lever (#30, USA build).
• Integrated renderer work: persistent vertex ring, primitive runs, texture reuse, per-ZBP depth, internal resolution below 1x for integrated GPUs, effect switches and a software-rasterizer fallback.
• Pre-trained PGO profile shipped with the setup (about +4.7 % FPS in earlier measurements on the test desktop).
• Leaner default VU1 execution: diagnostic checks are compiled out of ordinary play.
• Tip: keep Performance diagnostics off while playing. On the test desktop the ship's storm section ran at 42–46 FPS with them on and 51–53 FPS with them off.

Mods and texture packs

• Mods and texture packs share one launcher page; PCSX2-format PNG packs remain user supplied.

Launcher and updates

• Release candidates now report their suffix (for example 0.6.2-rc.1) and are offered the final release automatically.

Known limitations

• Heavy combat and slower CPUs can still run below 60 FPS; the ship's storm section is CPU (VU1) bound.
• Freeze after the Cronos climb cutscene (#33) is not fixed yet; the next diagnostic report will identify its cause.
• Europe/Japan builds still lack the movie end-of-file fix from #30.
• Shake (wiggle) stick prompts have no keyboard guide yet.
• Linux remains experimental and depends on compatible system libraries; real Steam Deck gameplay is unvalidated.

Report problems in Issues. Use Other → Mark a problem during play, then export a ZIP through Other → Test and bug report. Include your CPU, GPU, operating system, disc edition and whether a texture pack was enabled.