A new God of War game starring dad of war Kratos is already in development at Sony Santa Monica, and it's set to tie in to the events of the upcoming God of War Laufey quite deeply.

Speaking during a San Diego Comic-Con panel attended by GamesRadar+, Sony Santa Monica creative lead Cory Barlog seemingly slips up and mentions that he was recently chatting with "the director of the next Kratos game earlier this week about all the different things that are going on - oh, f***, did I just announce the next Kratos game?"

The Kratos-led God of War game didn't receive a title, an estimated launch window, target platforms, or any firm details, but Barlog did offer some light information: "Kratos is in another game immediately after this [that] directly connects to the events of the Laufey game, but don't say anything about it to anyone," he quips. "The franchise is going in some amazing directions"

"Everything we are doing in the Faye game is a continuation of what came before and to set up and expand what comes next," he adds. "Phranque [the gelatinous cube] has been around since the beginning. It's interesting to see how to build this world out. Everything in the game is setting up for something so amazing."

Just don't expect that next game to drop anytime soon since the studio is still finishing up God of War Laufey, which was also announced to be coming on February 16, 2026. The upcoming PS5 game follows Faye, Kratos' lover and Atreus' mother, who finds herself stuck in an afterlife full of some very hostile gods and visions of her god-killing husband. The game has apparently been in the studio's plans for nearly 10 years, though it intends to also "always tell stories about Kratos."

Sony Santa Monica confirms "God of War Laufey will be available on disc" despite PlayStation's war on physical

Quickly following an action-packed reveal a few short months ago, PlayStation has put a concrete release date on God of War Laufey: February 16, 2027.

Sony Santa Monica creative head Cory Barlog announced the PS5 exclusive's new launch date at a San Diego Comic-Con panel, which was followed by a short and sweet clip posted to PlayStation's official social media that shows a brief golden logo. While God of War Laufey is available to wishlist now on the PlayStation Store, pre-orders and pricing information aren't yet available.

For those out of the loop, God of War Laufey is the first game in the bloody action series to not have main man and titular god-killer Kratos in the driver's seat. We instead follow the wife he lost before God of War 2018's introduction, Faye, as she travels an afterlife for the gods and potentially bumps into deities her lover once butchered. (Awkward.)

PlayStation debuted the game with a lengthy look at its epic opening and aerial combat just earlier this summer, perhaps making a release date of next February quite surprising. And, yes, the studio is also working on a Kratos-focused game coming sometime after.

Despite Sony planning to axe physical disc production the following year, developer Sony Santa Monica have confirmed the game will launch on a proper disc, not a code-in-box.

Next February is also shaping up to be another scarily packed month for new games. God of War Laufey is joining a crowd of blockbusters hoping to find refuge after GTA 6's huge impending launch, which includes Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis (February 12), Persona 4 Revival (Februay 18), and Xbox's Fable reboot (February 23).

God of War's Cory Barlog has been planning Faye's story for a decade, says Laufey director, and her actor has "had to keep this under wraps" the whole time

If you were paying attention to audience reactions to God of War Laufey, you likely noticed the ever-predictable objections to a female-led spin-off. You know the type to complain, and they're as laughably pathetic as ever. Deborah Ann Woll, the voice of our eponymous protagonist, was asked for her take, and she's simply unbothered.

While she was signing at Florida Supercon, a fan asked Woll about misogynistic backlash, recording her response for TikTok. "I mean, genuinely, I thought I was going to be much more affected by it," she explained.

"One, I'm not on social media, so that helps," she continues. "And two, I don't know, I feel totally unbothered because I just know it's great. Like, it’s okay if it’s not your cup of tea, but in no universe is it bad."

We don't have much to go on at present, but what's available about God of War Laufey paints a strong picture. For a start, the game is developed by Sony Santa Monica, the same studio behind the mainline God of War series. This more or less guarantees the same flowing, weighty combat, gorgeous visuals, and solid writing of the last two Kratos-led, triple-A releases.

And then we have Laufey herself, who'll be a breath of fresh air compared to the literal decades we've had of grumpy, old Kratos and his blades. The concept of God of War Laufey being a narrative parallel to the first game, as Laufey explores the afterlife, assisting her child and widowed partner, is also a strong one, and I'm fully expecting to get choked up while playing and mutilating whatever demons get in my way.

Is the gelatinous cube kind of weird? Sure. But in context, it'll probably be fine. It's not the first time we've all been sold on a simple cube in a major video game, is it?

Sony Santa Monica confirms "God of War Laufey will be available on disc" despite PlayStation's war on physical.

God of War Laufey will be available on a physical disc, developer Sony Santa Monica has confirmed. This strongly suggests the game will launch before the PS6, which is strongly expected to be a digital only console.

In the before times, this wouldn't be much of a story, but in a world where the biggest game to release this century, GTA 6, seemingly has no plans for a traditional physical launch, and more pertinent to this story, where PlayStation is ending production of physical discs, it's pretty big news. For physical game collectors, it's one of the biggest upcoming PS5 games on the horizon and one more they'll be able to save a space for on their shelves, like the good old days.

Responding to questions on Twitter, the official Sony Santa Monica account confirms: "We can confirm God of War Laufey will be available on disc."

God of War Laufey is the next mainline game in Sony Santa Monica's God of War series and the third game in the Norse saga. Instead of being a direct sequel to 2022's God of War Ragnarok, Laufey's story picks up directly following the scene depicting Faye's funeral from 2018 God of War, serving as a sort of connective link between God of War and God of War Ragnarok. And as you might expect from the title, longtime series protagonist Kratos isn't the lead protagonist here. Instead, players take control of the much more agile, but equally powerful, Laufey, Kratos's second wife and the mother of Atreus.

There's no release date for God of War Laufey yet, but again, if it's getting a disc, it's likely to launch as a PS5 game instead of a PS6 exclusive. Analysts think the PS6 could launch around 2028.

God of War Laufey proves women are still gaining ground in gaming, and I'm thrilled Kratos is sitting this one out

Daredevil actor Deborah Ann Woll has revealed that God of War Laufey was already planned before the 2018 game was released.

God of War Laufey was announced earlier this month as the finale to the Summer Game Fest season's PlayStation State of Play, with 20 minutes of footage being shown off from the upcoming PS5 game. While rumors of an Egypt-focused God of War have been around for a long time now, it turns out Faye's scraps with Egyptian gods – and gods of all pantheons, it turns out – have been in the works for a while.

In a panel at Game Con Canada (via CGMag), Woll is asked about the upcoming game, and says: "I've known about this for nearly ten years, and I haven't been able to talk about it." Woll explains that she found out in 2018, but it was planned even before then, as she adds: "When Cory [Barlog] brought me in to talk about doing Ragnarök and show me the 2018 game, he already had a poster for the Laufey game with me and a cube. A cube that's been there since the beginning. It's deeply a part of the lore."

Woll calls the role as the face of a new God of War title a "privilege," adding: "I feel nothing but gratitude and responsibility." She says, "I pinch myself that I get to be a part of this and that I get to lead the charge for a little bit of this kind of new direction. The other direction is going to continue going forward. But we're going to put a little time and focus on expanding this world and really trying to say, this is us doubling down on the world of God of War.

"We want this to be huge." Woll continues. "We want you to feel like there's such an untapped universe. And this is just the beginning of a step into some of that."

God of War Laufey's Faye allowed Sony Santa Monica to merge the series' old and new eras: "Can I have chocolate and peanut butter together?"

We're getting a new God of War game, and Kratos has a brand new look! He has long, luscious hair, a proclivity for magic, a slim, feminine build, and even appears to have lasered off his body-length tattoo – wait. Hold on a moment; I'm getting reports that this is not Kratos, but in fact Laufey the Giant, his late wife and the star of God of War Laufey.

This is a huge deal – God of War is Kratos' series. Kratos could be perceived as an "alpha male," although he contains far too much emotional intelligence and willingness to mature, but the impact of shelving him in favor of a woman should not be taken for granted. Streamer Asmongold took offense to God of War starring a "43-year-old suburban mom," while Domino's Pizza UK Twitter account decided it wanted people to hate its pizza even more, and compared a lack of Kratos to a lack of pepperoni on a pizza. Santa Monica Studios didn't let the remark slide, responding with a sardonic “ok thanks for the feedback, dominos pizza corporate account.”

Playing as a woman in an action-adventure game or an RPG isn't unheard of. Lara Croft is a veritable OG, The Last of Us has certified badass Ellie Williams, and while her gender is optional, Mass Effect's Captain Shepherd is a beloved leader. Women in leading roles still face loud pushback from misogynists, but their vitriol is being ignored. In the last year alone we've seen Atsu in Ghost of Yotei, Grace Ashcroft in Resident Evil Requiem, a tiny mouse lady named Mina in recent indie hit Mina the Hollower – and now Laufey will be leading her very own God of War game.

Her turn

While women in gaming are medievally criticized for their looks, the argument that Laufey isn't attractive is not only false, but irrelevant. I wasn't aware that being attracted to the playable character was a requirement to enjoy a game, because as a lesbian that would mean I forgot to hate the majority of the games I've played. The claim that Laufey is a downgrade in terms of combat and strength is also laughable: while she may have a different fighting style, we know from God of War Ragnarök that the woman went toe-to-toe with Thor, leaving behind a frozen lightning bolt as evidence of their realm-shaking battle.

The story being offered by Santa Monica Studios is also undeniably intriguing. We know Laufey as Faye, and from the very start of the God of War reboot, she's a wife and mother who has recently passed, the cause not revealed to the player. But her influence permeates throughout the first story, as she leads Kratos and Atreus to Jotun, the land of the Giants, so Atreus can learn who he really is. Now, we get to follow Laufey as she wakes up after her body has been burnt on the pyre, and she must fight through the afterlife of the gods, Everywhen, to protect the journey laid out for Kratos and Atreus.

A wife and mother fighting to protect her family even after her living body has perished. How is that not the sickest shit you've ever heard?

The fact of the matter is, the majority of gamers are excited. I saw a handful of reels on Instagram already of men showing excitement for Laufey's story. And this extends to other games as well, as I recall another video of a man dancing in excitement about the announcement of the Resident Evil Veronica remake. Women are taking up more space as protagonists in games, rather than simply being customizable character options or living solely within a few beloved game series, and their presence is being increasingly welcomed.

Their stories are being shared, not just in the periphery or in-tandem to a male protagonist, but from the player's viewpoint. Stories of female hardship and victory are being pushed to the forefront in both the indie scene and mainstream, and it's being done successfully. Hades 2 traded out their fan-favorite protagonist, Zagreus, for his sister Melinoë, and her story resulted in one of the best games of 2025. Silent Hill f forces players to reconcile with the suffocating reality of a Japanese schoolgirl in the 1960s as Hinako, and has earned itself a place in the series' hall of fame.

Female stories are being told, whether they be hopeful and victorious, or brutally real and devastating. And players are flocking to them. The vitriol we're seeing towards Laufey is that of a loud minority; one that's going to get left behind. This is the future of gaming, and it's better for it.

Is God of War Laufey about to join the ranks of the best PS5 games ever? Time will tell...

In many respects, God of War Laufey is merging the series' old and new games, its Norse and Greek eras, and it's in large part thanks to the game's new protagonist Faye, according to game director and long-time God of War developer Ariel Lawrence.

While speaking to GamesRadar+ about the upcoming PS5 game, Lawrence touched on how Faye's new move set allowed Sony Santa Monica to play around with the original trilogy's more mobile and aerial combat, while still holding on to the newer game's more serious tone.

"I mean, I definitely cut my teeth on the first God of War," Lawrence says, pointing to how much she loved the original games' "pick up and play aspect." Juggling enemies, chaining combos, and having dynamic movement options "was always something that I love doing," she adds.

But Lawrence is also a fan of God of War (2018) and GOd of War Ragnarok's "more kind of grounded, visceral, just really up close combat," as many people are. "I like both of those things, so it's really one of those, 'Can I have chocolate and peanut butter together, right?'"

When it came to choosing a protagonist that can effectively fuse together the series' stylish roots and newer, grounded tone, Lawrence had a few questions. "What does it look like for those things to come together, and who can do that the best for us? And, you know, offer that agility, that flexibility, but still, you know, stand toe to toe with who we need to?" Faye was the eventually the answer.

God of War Laufey director says there's "definitely" some "long-term potential" in bumping into the many gods that Kratos has butchered

This Summer Game Fest graced us with our first look at God of War Laufey, a brand-new God of War title from Santa Monica Studio and Sony Interactive Entertainment.

The big reveal came during the PlayStation State of Play showcase, promising a game that places us in the shoes of Kratos' late wife Faye rather than the demigod son of Zeus.

It's undeniably stunning, but a quick watch of God of War Laufey's new trailer sparks a very important question – might we see gods that Kratos himself killed in the series' past titles, judging by the new deities we'll evidently run into?

GamesRadar+ had the opportunity to ask director Ariel Lawrence if allowing players to run into previously butchered gods is something Santa Monica has considered at all – and, yeah, the future looks bright.

"I think that's definitely the kind of long-term potential for a franchise that has killed as many gods as we have," explains the lead, "being able to see what happens in a place where those folks could come together."

Understandably, though, Lawrence doesn't want to give away too much – although it sounds like whatever gods we do bump into will have to fit into the grander story.

"But we also want to make sure that the people that you're running into, that all [is supported] in the story," she says. "I'm not going to make promises about how many of those people we may or may not come in contact with, but yes, I think as a possibility… absolutely."

That's certainly exciting to hear – heck, it almost sounds like God of War Laufey itself could perhaps re-introduce some of these older gods… but I suppose that only time can tell now.

Thankfully, there's likely not too long left to wait. Judging by all of the gameplay that Sony highlighted during its event, the new Santa Monica title appears to be quite far in its development already. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a 2027 release, personally.

Until then, there are plenty of brutal beasts and gods to take on in God of War Laufey's iconic predecessors… so I'll be doing just that for the time being.

As God of War Laufey puts Kratos to one side, its director hopes "we can keep telling stories about everybody going forward."

Devastating news, folks: They did not, in fact, perform motion capture on a cube for God of War Laufey. At least not in a way that was critical for animating The Boys star Jack Quaid's geometric character Phranque.

Speaking to GamesRadar+, God of War Laufey director Ariel Lawrence said the ridiculous-looking PVC mocap rig Quaid wore in the Meet the Cast video was mostly for show.

"We mocap a little bit, like we have a marker for him to be able to be directional on set," she explained. But instead of actually translating the rig into a 3D model, it helps the team figure out the blocking, or where the actors should be standing, for each scene.

Regardless, Lawrence said strapping a bunch of PVC pipes to Quaid is "not super required, but it is a lot of fun."

I can't blame Sony Santa Monica for that. If you have the opportunity and the resources to do that to a Hollywood actor, you might as well. Say what you will about Sony's obsession with cinematic storytelling in its games, but you can't deny that it commits to authenticity no matter what.

And you can already see it in the relatively small bit of God of War Laufey that we saw earlier this week. Doborah Ann Woll plays Faye as a stubborn warrior who has no sympathy for the nasty gods of the afterlife, even spitting in their faces when she has no upper hand. The fact that Sony went through the effort to put the actors behind the talking cube and sword in the same room is impressive and grounds an otherwise absurd group of characters.

Frankly, I need to know how many hours Quaid spent looking like he's wearing a work-in-progress Halloween costume. The PVC wouldn't weigh you down much, but it certainly might cause some problems maneuvering around groups of people. We can only hope Sony is filming a full documentary so we can see more.

God of War Laufey director Ariel Lawrence hopes Faye is a character "we can keep telling stories about"

Two things jumped out during the God of War Laufey reveal. Firstly, Faye, guardian of the Giants and Kratos' long-dead wife, is now clashing with other gods in the divine afterlife. Secondly, she's got a big, silly cube friend named Phranque. The internet seems equally infatuated with the two, but also slightly worried that Phranque could conflict with the tone of the series, which is already seeing major changes with Kratos sidelined for now. But Laufey director Ariel Lawrence says the cube is serious, and so is the game.

GameSpot asked Lawrence about the fears "around the Marvelification or the Joss Whedonification of God of War" following Phranque's introduction. Lawrence notes that we don't get a great grasp of Phranque's personality or role in the limited slice of the game shown at the June State of Play showcase, as he only "got six or seven lines in the reveal," suggesting there's much more to him. But Sony Santa Monica knows what it wants to do with him, she says, and the plan is not to crowbar in gags or one-liners.

"I would say as we are still in development on all of these things, we’re treating Phranque as we would any companion character," she says. "His earnestness, his honesty about being in the moment is kind of integral to his character, but that doesn’t make him completely unserious. For us, we want to find his humanity.

"And as we’ll discover, in the world of Everywhen things are not great right now. So for him, I think it’s really about helping Faye see the world as it is. So he’s not meant to be a joke in that kind of capacity."

Lawrence points out that, when the focus was on Kratos in God of War 2018 and Ragnarok, "levity of other people stands in contrast" to his gruff, serious personality, which doesn't change all that much outside rare moments of vulnerability and introspection. The Huldra brothers come to mind – often crass and comedic, but never distracting, and consistently loved by fans. Phranque seems to be slotting into Laufey in a similar way.

"I think we have real people as much as we can, but I think the reveal is just a very small section of the Everywhen, and so as we kind of open up the world to see the next things, Phranque fits into that part," Lawrence adds.

In a "meet the cast" video, Phranque actor Jack Quaid said, "When you start playing this game, you get the feeling that the Everywhen is in trouble and Phranque will stop at nothing to protect all the living creatures that inhabit this world."

Phranque has also stoked discussion around the mythology or theology that seemingly inspired his character. Laufey features myriad gods, which leaves the door open for all manner of celestial powers, potentially including Metatron's Cube.

God of War Laufey star Deborah Ann Woll says "Kratos gameplay is so fantastic because he's such a heavy hitter," but new protagonist Faye is "just as strong and just as good a warrior."

God of War Laufey might not have sad dad Kratos front and center in the spotlight, but it's still just as much of a God of War game as any God of War game before it, according to its director Ariel Lawrence.

Speaking to GamesRadar+ about the upcoming God of War Laufey - another third-person action spectacle, this time starring Kratos' beloved Faye in an afterlife realm for the gods - Lawrence explains she's simply glad that so many people are having strong reactions to its 20-minute reveal, positive or negative.

"We have to honor that everybody has their connection with a God of War story, and I think that a lot of people have a lot of different opinions, so some of them are hesitant, some of them are all in, and I think for me, I'm just happy that everybody cares about this," she says. "I think if we had put something out and people had been like, 'it's okay,' I think it would have been more disheartening. But if people have feelings, great, I hope to win over the skeptics in the future."

As for developer Sony Santa Monica, Laufey is considered "every bit as God of War as all of the things that we've done, and I think this is just taking a different person and seeing what they can do in this world."

To Lawrence, she describes the essence of the franchise as a series of intimate stories wrapped in a disproportionately grand wrapper. In her words, "the soul of a God of War story is a human story in an epic mythological world." She then points to how Kratos' violence and rage also stem from "a really human experience and the reasons that are driving him are very human."

Faye's journey in God of War Laufey is somewhat similar, she says. There might be explosions and epic set pieces and buff, scaley gods out for blood and a... err... bouncy cosmic cube, but "Faye's experience is a human experience in this really epic mythological world."

And for anyone missing the collected calm of our bald, muscly man, Sony Santa Monica said it will "always tell stories about Kratos." It's just that this upcoming game is a rare chance for the series stewards to surprise us.

"God of War Laufey can be enjoyed completely standalone," says Sony, but you should play 2018 God of War and Ragnarok "to fully appreciate the world."

The first lesson you learn when reading about mythological gods is that a lot of them are self-centered jerks. God of War is basically an entire series about this fact, and God of War Laufey will be no different.

"They're all assholes," Sony Santa Monica's head of creative Cory Barlog told IGN of the gods you'll meet in the upcoming game. It's not just the towering Mongolian god of war and his violent Egyptian partner who we saw in the initial footage that will be a thorn in your side. Everyone with a divine past in the Everywhen, God of War Laufey's new setting, will be insufferable to be around.

Barlog compares it to an island full of billionaires: "They think they're gonna have a happy life. No, they're all going to fight each other, they're all going to be in this strange sense of conflict because they're locked in a prison."

It probably won't help that the Everywhen is the afterlife for gods, a big bucket of bitter beings who didn't all die willingly. On some level, I can understand why it might be frustrating to have to deal with a stubborn woman and her talking cube and sword friends on top of everything else. Like a ridiculous sitcom plot, I fully expect their refusal to communicate will be the reason protagonist Faye's journey will be dozens of hours longer than it needs to be.

Nobody playing a God of War game will complain if that also means taking these miserable gods on in one-on-one combat, though. Part of the pitch for God of War Laufey seems to include the catharsis of putting some of these gods in their place. That Mongolian brute Begtse absolutely deserved everything Faye did to him in the boss battle we saw.

All of this begs the question though: If Faye isn't technically a god but a giant, does she count as one of them? I imagine we'll learn a lot about her past when God of War Laufey comes out and that might include some things that aren't necessarily flattering.

"God of War Laufey can be enjoyed completely standalone," says Sony, but you should play 2018 God of War and Ragnarok "to fully appreciate the world"

The recently revealed State of Play showstopper God of War Laufey is the upcoming third game in Sony Santa Monica's Norse Era, serving not as a prequel but as a continuation of the saga running in tandem with the first game, and PlayStation is handing out the green light to play Laufey without knowing anything about its predecessors.

Obviously, PlayStation is the expert on its own games – and has a commercial interest in making its new releases look approachable – but I'm gonna go ahead and say you should probably disregard its guidance here and just play 2018 God of War and God of War Ragnarok before Laufey.

In the FAQ section on the official PlayStation website, Sony says "God of War Laufey can be enjoyed completely standalone," but even the publisher itself can't deny the status of the previous two games. "To fully appreciate the world and characters, players should play both God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarök – both of which are available on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 consoles, and on PC." (Laufey, however, seemingly won't come to PC, just like every other future, major, first-party, single-player PlayStation game.)

That is the way. As hyped as I am for God of War Laufey – and I really am excited – you'd be doing a disservice skipping the other games, both from a narrative perspective and simply because they bang. Chiefly, though, new protagonist Faye's journey through the the afterlife of the gods, Everwhen, will surely feel more impactful if you understand the weight of her relationship with Kratos and Atreus, which serves as the emotional bedrock of the first game and is a major narrative thread in Ragnarok as well.

As if I haven't already pitched you a lot of God of War to play, I'd also make the argument that the old Greek games are worth playing ahead of God of War Laufey if you have the time. They're not nearly as crucial as the Norse games, but playing them will definitely add some color and history to the world, and to Kratos, and give you an added layer of appreciation for Laufey's more acrobatic fighting style.

God of War Laufey is exactly how I want the series' combat to evolve, from the return of aerial combos to hitting dudes so hard their souls fly out.

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Kratos is out and Faye is in. The God of War series is shifting away from our titular hero and his boy over to the Everywhen, where Faye is fighting through her own story within the wider Norse narrative. Until God of War Laufey officially hits the shelves, though, merch is still very much limited to Kratos himself.

It's been four years since God of War Ragnarok released, so if you're using the next few months to catch up on all the action before Faye returns to the big screen you might want to do so with a few companions on your side. I've journeyed across the airwaves to bring the best God of War merch to Kratos-ify your setup as you relive the 50-odd hours of newer releases.

From plush toys to PlayStation's own figures, t-shirts to recipe books, there's no shortage of God of War collectibles to aid you on your quest. You'll find all my top picks just below.

We're also rounding up all the best Hideo Kojima merch and the top Resident Evil merch as well.

Everyone clowned on him. No one took him seriously. Phranque, the talking cube guy from the God of War Laufey reveal trailer took a lot of crap for cramping everyone's otherwise pristine style with its gelatinous spatial symmetry, but I knew all along there's more to Phranque than meets the eye. Even here at work, watching the showcase with my normy peers, I was forced to defend him from all sorts of slander. "Everyone hates Frank the gelatinous cube," said one GR+ news editor Iain Harris. I seethed, praying for cube's redemption, and it came quicker than I expected.

All over the internet, hardworking amateur historians are piecing together the puzzle like a mythological Rubik's Cube, and miraculously, a genuinely convincing theory has emerged. The first, as highlighted by GameSpot, is that the cube is a physical manifestation of Metatron's Cube, a device used by Archangel Metatron of Jewish celestial tradition to oversee the flow of energy bridging the mortal Earth and the immortal wisdom of the divine.

According to Learn Religions, in the field of sacred geometry, Metatron's Cube "represents the patterns that make up everything God has made" and "contains every shape that exists in the universe God has created, and those shapes are the building blocks of all physical matter."

More importantly, the publication points to works such as Doreen Virtue's 'Archangels 101'; which says Metatron uses his cube "for healing and clearing away lower energies" and that "you can call upon Metatron and his healing cube to clear you"; and 'Metatron: Invoking the Angel of God's Presence', in which Rose VanDen Eynden writes that the cube can be used to facilitate "human spiritual progression." Both of those uses sound pretty, well, useful to God of War protagonist Laufey as she finds herself trapped in the horrible afterlife realm of Everywhen.

Still not sold? "The geometric perfection of Metatron's Cube represents the underlying order of the cosmos," per Pardesco. Everywhen, essentially the afterlife for the gods, is frequently described as a chaotic realm of disorder where power-hungry gods vie for control in a constant state of disarray. Something like Metatron's Cube could really come in handy there, don't you think?

Again, this is just a theory, and there are certainly others that make some sense, but my money's on Phranque being some sort of representation of Metatron's Cube. He's clearly positioned as a companion to the player character, offering up assists in battle, but PlayStation says he'll also "do whatever it takes to protect his friends and the creatures of the Everywhen." Seeing as Metatron's Cube is frequently cited as a symbol of protection in ancient geometry, and, you know, it's a cube, it seems a reasonable enough stab in the dark while we wait for the game to release and answer all of the universe's mysteries.

God of War Laufey's release reportedly isn't "years away," but don't expect a PC launch

Sony Santa Monica stole the show at last night's State of Play with 20 minutes of gameplay footage from the newly announced God of War Laufey, the next installment in the studio's reboot series. The not-prequel stars a brand new protagonist in Kratos's second wife and Atreus's mother, Faye, and her distinctly agile move set was put on full display toward the end of the showcase, revealing a huge contrast with Kratos's brawny, lumbering movement.

In a 'meet the cast' video accompanying God of War Laufey's announcement, Faye actor Deborah Ann Woll compares the two protagonists' very different playstyle's, describing Kratos as "a heavy hitter" and Laufey as "acrobatic."

"I love how acrobatic Faye is. I think the Kratos gameplay is so fantastic because he's such a heavy hitter and he has that brute force," she says. "And Faye is just as strong and just as good a warrior, but her gameplay is spinning and whipping and flipping, and it's in the air, and we can show that there are so many ways to be a warrior."

As someone who generally prefers fast, fluid, theatrical combat to the high-gravity feel of 2018 God of War and Ragnarok, I'm absolutely psyched for Laufey. Don't get me wrong, those previous games both have great combat, but I played them more for the worldbuilding and lore, and now Laufey looks like it offers a fresh perspective on that universe as well as a combat system that's a little more up my alley.

Talking to IGN, God of War Laufey director Ariel Lawrence explains how the upcoming game and new hero's combat were influenced by Santa Monica's long history with the series, including the Greek-era God of War games, which featured much more hack-and-slash-style combat compared to the 2018 reboot and Ragnarok.

"Kratos is like a brick wall, and he's a little stoic, but it's just that his brutality is different," Lawrence says. "How do we show somebody who's his equal as she is? So when we looked, we got to think about all the [Santa Monica] games. The Greek era had an influence on Faye. The Norse era has an influence on Faye. So going to our more agile combat roots but also retaining our companions, our gritty closer combat. How do those marry together and then make something that's uniquely Faye-feeling while still being a Santa Monica game?"

God of War Laufey's release reportedly isn't "years away," but don't expect a PC launch

God of War Laufey will be the first time the series abandons its titular god Kratos and focuses instead on someone else's magic – in this case, Kratos' dead wife Laufey, or Faye, as the giantess navigates the perilous afterlife run by power-starving deities. The 20 minutes of footage developer Sony Santa Monica shared at PlayStation State of Play June 2026 makes the game look prettier than usual, with so many sparkles, purple flowers, and exceptionally cool aerial combos, but head of creative Cory Barlog says it's not really a series "departure."

He elaborates in a conversation with God of War Laufey game director Ariel Lawrence recently posted on the PlayStation Youtube. Barlog acknowledges that zooming in on the soft, kind, formidable mother Faye is "a different thing" than focusing on the permanently scowling dad Kratos, but God of War Laufey is "still part of the larger tapestry of what we truly, really want to explore, all of these different characters in there."

Crucially, for fans who already miss their frowning father, Barlog confirms that "there's always going to be Kratos games." He reiterates this in a new IGN interview, too, reminding fans Sony will "always tell stories about Kratos."

But with Kratos being a given, God of War Laufey instead gives "us some place" for the now nearly 10-year-old reboot series to make us "surprised and see how things connect," Barlog says. "So for us, it's not a departure; it's more of an expansion."

Nevertheless, even game director Ariel Lawrence says she was "a little shocked" to learn she would lead a game about Faye rather than "another Kratos game," since she had assumed "I would be telling stories about [Kratos] for the rest of my life."

But Barlog says, "For me, it's really exciting because, again [...] Kratos is sort of the" – "the trunk of our tree," Lawrence interjects. Barlog agrees, describing stoic Kratos as the 1,000-pound truck that "drives the franchise forward, and we want to follow him. But there are so many interesting characters that we created along the way."

I think Laufey, in particular, has been a looming shadow for so long, it's made me desperate to know her. It's her death that sets Sony Santa Monica's God of War series in motion, after all, and other characters speak of her with such reverence, I feel like I have to experience what she's like for myself. So I see God of War Laufey as finally addressing that need, at the perfect time (because I'd find any time perfect).

God of War Laufey is exactly how I want the series' combat to evolve, from the return of aerial combos to hitting dudes so hard their souls fly out.

God of War Laufey stars the recently deceased Faye (short for Laufey) instead of her husband Kratos, but the next entry in the deity-smashing epic looks to be no less violent, with exhilarating, crunchy combat still at the fore. As you'd expect from Kratos' partner and Atreus' mother, Faye is more than capable of packing a punch – after all, she is the Golden Hand of the Jötnar, and proved more than a match for Thor.

In fact, Faye's combat chops are in some ways more God of War than modern Kratos himself, with her fast and fluid combat style bridging the gap between the original PS2 trilogy and the softly rebooted, closer-to-the-shoulder scraps in 2018's God of War and God of War Ragnarok. Just as Kratos learnt some fighting tricks from Faye (his Leviathan Axe that's become synonymous with the Norse pantheon saga was originally Faye's), she appears to have learnt some from him too. With plenty of nods to the Greek era in how Faye plays, this is exactly how I wanted the series to evolve after two games worth of Kratos' extra meaty wallops.

Airing grievances

Throughout God of War's Norse saga, Kratos can perform some devastating attacks, but so far it's been more grounded than his Greek-set adventures. Perhaps in the years that passed, Kratos got creaky knees. Cue meeting Faye, and him looking up at her Willem DaFoe-style as she air juggles enemies just like he used to back in the day.

Faye's quick attacks and high mobility is a deliberate nod to the Greek era of God of War according to the developers, and it's great to see that legacy respected as being just as important to the series' DNA as the more recent ones. So far we've seen her wield a sword wrapped with a talking ribbon, with which she's able to dextrously slash and spin around hands-free using magic. But, she can also perform a launcher attack to lift enemies into the air, following them up to continue the combo unbroken before slamming them down into the ground again.

It's a bit Devil May Cry 5, which, if you recall, is the style of character action that God of War used to be in closer conversation with – God of War Laufey is reaching back to pull classic God of War concepts forward into the modern day. The 20 minutes of gameplay we've seen of Laufey in action appears to be relatively early, so I'm hoping to see more extensive aerial combos in the full thing, perhaps with different weapons. After all, God of War Ragnarok had some really neat arsenal-swapping combos. Faye having similar capabilities with a more mobile moveset really has me itching to try out combos for myself, and given "building and maintaining momentum" is the crux of her combat style according to Grace Orlady, Santa Monica Studio's comms director, it feels like I'm in for a real treat.

But, Faye isn't only about modernizing classic combat techniques. Thanks to her soul magic, she's got some tricks of her own, with her powers reactivating and possibly even evolving once she begins to shake off the whole being dead thing (God of War Laufey takes place in Everwhen, a cross-culture afterlife of the gods). If you think controlling enemy bodies in a battlefield dense with enemies is peak character action, how about also comboing their spirits too?

By using her Golden Hand technique, she can palm strike an enemy so hard their soul literally detaches from their body, their physical form floating in the air while she continues her chain of attacks on the remaining ethereal form. Just like how air combos can detach foes from groups and then become projectiles as they're slammed back down, so can souls, with Faye displaying one finisher move where she punts the remains of an enemy soul into a group where it explodes with a golden splash, sending a whole squadron flying.

Faye's combat is flashy, super fast, and combat against screens filled with enemies, rather than looking irritating, instead promises to become a spectacle as you use special abilities to send them flying. While the previous two God of War games were certainly impressive, I'm already getting the sense that evolving in this way is God of War Laufey really leaning into what being a PS5 exclusive makes possible.

Sure, I love my slow-paced cinematic games as much as the next PlayStation enjoyer, and I'm sure I'll be hooked on Faye's storyline. But, as someone who's always up for another run through a stylish action game for the pure joy of keeping combos going, I'm pleasantly surprised to see that spirit still strong in God of War's next proper entry, and what's sure to be one of the biggest upcoming PS5 games. I'm soul-d.

Check out the best games like God of War for more adventures while we await a release date for God of War Laufey!

The next God of War game, God of War Laufey, has been officially revealed, but despite no hint of a release window, a reliable journalist suggests we won't be waiting too long before it's in our hands.

God of War Laufey was definitely the biggest announcement to come from yesterday's PlayStation State of Play, with 20 minutes of footage showcasing protagonist Faye – Kratos's dead wife – being sent to the afterlife of the gods, the Everywhen, and immediately finding herself taking on two enemy gods. Notably, though, no release window was given – not even a year – with its PlayStation Store page simply saying that it's "announced" with its "release date to be determined."

With that in mind, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Laufey might be a more distant release, but according to Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, that might not be the case. Taking to Bluesky after the game's reveal, he writes: "FWIW I wouldn't read too much into God of War Laufey not getting a release date or window – in contrast to a lot of other big announcements, this one *isn't* years away."

FWIW I wouldn't read too much into God of War Laufey not getting a release date or window — in contrast to a lot of other big announcements, this one *isn't* years away

— @jasonschreier.bsky.social (@jasonschreier.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-06-03T11:25:43.758Z

While he doesn't give any specifics, responding to one user who asks if Laufey could be a 2028 release, Schreier says: "Definitely not."

Otherwise, Schreier also claims that God of War Laufey isn't coming to PC. This follows previous reports that PlayStation is apparently ending PC support for its major single-player releases, meaning we supposedly won't see any more titles like Marvel's Spider-Man, Horizon Zero Dawn, or indeed, God of War arrive on Steam. If that holds true, it seems likely that anyone wanting to play God of War Laufey without a PS5 may be out of luck.

Be sure to check out our roundup of everything announced at the PlayStation State of Play June 2026 to catch up on the show, as well as our Summer Game Fest schedule to see what else is happening this not-E3 period.

Kratos is taking a back seat in his own series, as God of War Laufey actually puts us in control of Faye, his former wife and the mother of Atreus. Although the spin-off is being led by a first-time director, she goes way back with the Greek warmonger, right back to when he was a very different man entirely.

Ariel Lawrence is the game director on God of War Laufey, but as she discusses with Cory Balrog, the head of creative at Santa Monica Studio, in a Sony interview, she's intimately familiar with the world of Kratos, helping put together a trailer for his first game ever. "That was back in the day when Kratos had a blue tattoo," she remembers.

"We were still calling him Dominus," she adds. "And the team was only 30, 35 people, maybe. Small." It was an entirely different era for all involved.

Coming fresh-faced from film school, as Lawrence recalls, she was initially hired at Sony Santa Monica to assist in cutting the aforementioned teaser in August 2003. Once she'd completed the assignment, she asked about getting any more work and started contributing to various other departments, yielding credits across multiple God of War installments over the years.

Then, in 2015, she went to Riot Games for a spell, working up through the ranks of the narrative team on League of Legends, before returning to Santa Monica Studio in 2021, which leads us to now. God of War Laufey may be her directorial debut, but it's an opportunity many years in the making.

Taking place in the Everywhen right after Kratos and Atreus hold Faye's funeral, the game follows her attempts to protect her son and widowed husband from the afterlife as she faces other gods in the deity afterlife. It looks like it's going to be another slobberknocker from the studio, and it's due to arrive in 2027. We'll let you know if anyone named Dominus happens to appear.

"This is not a prequel": God of War's Cory Barlog confirms Laufey is "a continuation of the timeline."

Sony revealed the upcoming God of War Laufey at PlayStation State of Play June 2026 with a stunning 20 minutes of gameplay footage centering on Kratos's second wife and Atreus's mother, Faye, aka Laufey. Although it's been rumored that the next God of War game would be a prequel, Santa Monica Studio creative director Cory Barlog has confirmed that's not the case.

In a video published shortly after today's reveal, in which Barlog interviews God of War Laufey game director Ariel Lawrence, it's revealed that the new game takes place directly following the scene from the beginning of the 2018 God of War reboot where Faye's body is cremated on the funeral pyre.

"This is not a prequel. This is a continuation of the timeline right at the beginning of God of War 2018," Barlog says. "What happened to Faye after that funeral?"

Although reactions to these big publisher showcases are always going to vary, I was thoroughly impressed by Sony's lineup for this one. I'm psyched for Kemuri, the new co-op yokai hunting game from iconic Bayonetta artist Ikumi Nakamura. The new story trailer for survival horror game ILL looks frightening as all hell, Silent Hill: Townfall finally has a release date, and Control Resonant both got great new trailers (as well as September release dates), and Until Dawn 2 is coming in 2027!

All that said, even with so much horror for me to digest, God of War Laufey stole the show. It's gorgeous, looks like a genuine evolution of God of War and God of War Ragnarok, and I'm sorry, that little cube guy is adorable whether the internet grumps want to admit it or not. Prequel or not, I'm sat.

Here are the best PS5 games you can play right now.

I'm typing this approximately 38 seconds after Sony Santa Monica finished showcasing 20 minutes of the upcoming God of War Laufey at PlayStation State of Play June 2026, and fans are already squabbling. They're deathly serious about the cube.

Per a Sony blog elaborating on the developer's first look at God of War Laufey, the giant, gelatin cube named Phranque – pronounced "frangk," or Frank – "is a curious cosmic cube with an earnest disposition." Voiced by The Boys star Jack Quaid, the blue block of Jell-O seems like a kindly foil to giantess Laufey, who seems solemn to be navigating the violent Everywhen in a volcanic afterlife filled with gods struggling for power. But it seems some hopeful Laufey players want to put Phranque in a boiling pot and melt him back down into sugar water.

"it's a cube lol so random you get it right hahaha so quirky so random hahahahahahah omg," comments writer Jake Steinberg on Bluesky.

"This is the worst shit I've ever seen," a cube denier on Twitter adds.

"I wish nothing but the worst things to happen to Frank the talking cube. For no other reason besides that he's a God of War character named Frank. Go to hell Frank," concludes popular Twitter artist Wanderjegson.

Clearly, Phranque is making a major first impression for a big cube made of stardust, and sauce, and maybe beef collagen. He's chipper as he slides around the Everywhen no doubt leaving a trail of sticky juice behind him, and I understand that some people will find this unselfconscious behavior will either inspire disdain – for why should a cube not be as self-conscious as Man? – or admiration.

"God of war is for girls now! And they finally replaced my son with the cube I’ve always wanted…" says one fan on Bluesky.

Whichever way you fall, it's clear the guy has star power. Another cubist on Bluesky writes, "GELATINOUS CUBE WILL SELL MILLIONS." Personally, I could take or leave Phranque. I need to get to know him better first, or be informed if he's blue raspberry flavor like I suspect, or the less desirable blueberry.

"We had influenced the industry" – The Last of Us and God of War tackling "serious, emotional subjects" made the creator of a PS3 classic feel like they had left their mark.

After years of rumors that the next pantheon God of War would be taking on would be Egypt, it turns out they were right, they just missed that others were part of it too.

God of War Laufey was announced as the final part of PlayStation State of Play – with 20 minutes of footage being shown off. The upcoming PS5 game has Kratos' departed wife Faye wake up in a new realm after the events of God of War 2018's opening. The game itself looks more action-heavy akin to the Greek saga, but this very much is not set in Greece, and eventually, the answer was revealed to us.

During the gameplay segment, Faye comes into contact with a distinctly Egyptian-looking foe, who was identified by her companion as Sekhmet, the Egyptian warrior goddess. However, said companion very much did not look Egyptian.

Turns out, Faye has ended up in the Everywhen, which a follow-up PlayStation Blog post describes as "where ruthless gods from across mythology vie for power in a land overflowing with dangerous magic." To drive that home, the blog also identifies that the enemy Faye has a scrap with is Begtse, a Dharmapala who is the lord of war in Tibetan Buddhism.

The blog continues, "The Everywhen is the birthplace and endpoint to which all magic returns, a transcendent realm above those we've come to know. A location in which gods and creatures from different mythologies come together, and not always in harmonious coexistence." So yes, we are getting an Egyptian God of War, but it just so happens to also be a God of War that spans multiple pantheons.

Check out all the news, reveals, and announcements from the PlayStation State of Play June 2026 in our live blog.

Sony Santa Monica revealed God of War Laufey, a new God of War game starring Kratos' wife Faye, at today's PlayStation State of Play live show, confirming rumors and passing the torch to the wife and mother cremated at the beginning of 2018's God of War.

The 20-minute reveal sequence opens with a familiar look at Kratos and his son Atreus holding a cremation burial for Faye, before quickly jumping to a third-person perspective of Faye exploring ruins and chopping monsters in another realm called the Everywhen, the "afterlife of the gods" according to God of War Laufey's PlayStation Store listing.

Faye's fighting style is more magic- and sword-based compared to Kratos and Atreus, and that only intensifies as she attains more abilities later in the demonstration. The showcase opens with Faye's 'death,' yet somehow things get worse for her from there, as she's quickly captured by an otherworldly faction while she struggles to accept her own demise – a process which is not helped by confounding commentary from a large, talking slime cube.

The opening suggests Faye's adventure is running in parallel to the first God of War game (that is, the reboot), but anything goes when you're working with afterlife mumbo-jumbo. There's no telling how Faye's perception of time compares to Kratos and Atreus, which complicates hopes that the family will somehow be reunited.

This time around, the theological vibe is decidedly Egyptian – another longstanding rumor around the God of War series. At least, some of it is. There seem to be a lot of gods in the mix this time, this being a more catch-all divine afterlife. However, Egyptian god Sekhmet, also known as a god of war, is very intentionally singled out.

God of War Laufey is, to the surprise of no one, coming to PS5. We don't have any sort of release date yet, but the store listing says it's "coming soon."

We can seemingly rule out an eventual PC release given Sony's retreat from the platform, at least as far as single-player games go.

God of War Greek trilogy's Kratos actor T.C. Carson says Sony Santa Monica "realized that they let me go prematurely," but "they came back" to him for the remake.

The sex scenes in the original God of War trilogy are equal parts horny and corny, and the question of whether or not they'll return in the upcoming remakes has been hanging ever since the project was first announced. Original Kratos actor T.C. Carson, who's returning to the role in the remakes, thinks those scenes will return.

He was asked about the return of those "intimate romance minigames" during a panel at MegaCon Orlando. In a clip shared by IGN, Carson responded with a smile: "You know what? All you dudes – all you men – I think so."

Instantly realizing the implications of that comment, he quickly emphasized: "I said 'I think so.' I said 'I think so.'"

So no, this is not confirmation that the sex scenes will be back, but it does seem that Carson believes they'll be in keeping with whatever tone the remakes take. And really, I think tone has been the crux of the question here. The modern God of War titles have been grounded, introspective adventures through the fantastical, while the originals were campy bloodbaths unafraid of throwing in doses of prurient titillation between all the violence.

Naturally, mature storytelling doesn't preclude sex and nudity, as evidenced by games like Baldur's Gate 3. But Larian's RPG offers up steamy romance scenes as a, ahem, climax for a relationship with a fully-formed character. Old God of War's sex takes the form of a baser male-focused fantasy about nameless women throwing their perfect bodies at a chiseled hunk of masculinity.

Is that kind of thing core to the original God of War's identity, or simply a byproduct of the '00s assumption that gamers were mostly teenage boys? That's a question that I suspect Sony is still trying to figure out the answer to as the remake trilogy starts to take shape.

"The God of War sex mini-games were designed by women," former Sony Santa Monica writer says, which is why Aphrodite's bed looks "like a labia."

Kratos' original voice actor has explained how Sony approached him about returning to the role for the upcoming God of War Greek remake trilogy.

Earlier this year in a PlayStation State of Play, Sony confirmed the development of the long-rumored God of War Greek trilogy remake, with the original Kratos voice actor T.C. Carson presenting the news alongside the announcement and shadowdrop of God of War: Sons of Sparta. It was confirmed that God of War's Norse saga Kratos actor Christopher Judge has "zero involvement" with the remake trilogy, with Carson once again taking center stage for the games he originally acted in.

Speaking at MegaCon Orlando (via IGN) Carson explains: "We had been talking about it for a minute, and they came back after they realized that they let me go prematurely." He then immediately asks for assurance ("did I do that well?") that he was was being diplomatic enough, adding: "I worked on that one! I really did."

Despite his need for diplomacy, Carson explains it was a "great conversation" that led to his return. "Eric came out, we had dinner, we talked about it, and he told me what they wanted to do and I was down for it," the actor says, presumably referring to God of War veteran and Ragnarok director, Eric Williams.

"I believe that when the universe puts work in front of us, when we obtain that work, we work through that work, and when the work is over, we go and find other work," he adds.

Of course, Carson's recasting did make sense within the context of what God of War was between the two different eras. Not to say that Carson cannot do great, toned-down performances (evidenced by his work as Mace Windu in Star Wars: The Clone Wars), but Kratos in the Norse games is a far different character in terms of temperament and performance, so I'm not surprised Sony Santa Monica decided to go with a new actor.

Judge has also squashed rumors that there was a "rift" between the two actors, saying he felt immense pressure replacing the original voice, so all is well and we get the best of both worlds.

God of War's Kratos is covered in ash because dev saw unfinished art on white paper and thought it was "really cool."

One of the most striking things about Kratos' design in the God of War games - aside from his chiselled body and bald head - is his pale white skin, covered in ash, that always stands out extra hard against all the bloodshed. But the decision to have Kratos permanently dipped in ash only came about because the very first pieces of concept art created for the action game were drawn on white paper and already looked badass enough.

The first game's lead environment artist, Stig Asmussen, who eventually directed God of War 3 and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, said as much in the latest issue of Retro Gamer.

"We had a lot of white marble and we were able to do reflections, so the bloody bodies fell onto things that were stark and that worked as a contrast," Asmussen recalled. "Kratos himself was white too, so we were able to define the massacre he was creating because he always stood out in it."

"Kratos being covered in white ash was decided early on," he added, explaining that the first game's director David Jaffe "had seen an illustration where lead concept artist Charlie Wen hadn't done the skin treatment yet, so Kratos was still white on the page, and Dave said that was really cool. I don't know if he thought of the ash at that point, but that might have been a catalyst."

There you have it: PlayStation's most recognizable mascot got one of his most iconic features by circumstance.

Elsewhere in the character action series, Sony Santa Monica is now remaking the first three God of War games. That's in addition to a rumored "new franchise within the God of War universe" that a former series dev accidentally let slip.

Former God of War dev thinks "the plan was to do Egyptian at some point," but Sony Santa Monica went with Norse mythology for the reboot as it was "familiar but not familiar"

Just as God of War fans suspected, developer Sony Santa Monica considered taking its 2018 reboot series to Egypt before ultimately deciding to center it around Norse mythology, original God of War programmer Tim Moss confirms.

Fans found what appeared to be evidence of Sony Santa Monica's flirtation with the great gods of the Nile earlier this year, while spelunking in the 2022 God of War Ragnarok files. Unused scenes reveal a companion for Atreus who can only repeat its own name, "Mau," which is also the ancient Egyptian word for cat, or a manifestation of the sun god Ra. It's compelling evidence for the rumored direction of the God of War franchise, but Moss' memories recounted to Retro Gamer help make it a little more convincing.

He recalls, while working on the 2018 reboot as development support, "The main myths we looked at were the obvious ones: Egyptian and Norse." Ultimately, Sony Santa Monica chose to explore Norse mythology after determining "it was familiar but not familiar."

Moss continues, "I think the plan was to do Egyptian [mythology] at some point." It's never too late for "some point" to arrive…

But Moss doesn't seem as concerned with the future of the God of War franchise as he is just glad to have been involved with its creation. Speaking about God of War 3, the 2010 game on which he served as director of technology, Moss says, "I'm proud I got to make something that will probably outlive me."

God of War actor Christopher Judge says he hopes a potential sequel will take place in Egypt, but "I have no doubt that no matter what pantheon it is, it will be great."

God of War and its sequel are some of the best PS2 games ever made, but Sony's Santa Monica Studio didn't really know what it was getting into when development on the epic mythological action game got underway. The studio's story was similar to many in the era: a lot of missed deadlines and intense overtime.

"We started God Of War in 2001, but we didn't start with the idea that it would ultimately take four years," lead coder Tim Moss explains in the latest issue of Retro Gamer magazine. "We crunched like motherfuckers. We were young and enthusiastic, and we didn't know any better, so we worked hard and kept moving the deadline. That was the way it got done."

Prior to God of War, Santa Monica Studio developed the moderately horny racing game Kinetica, and its engine both of Kratos' PS2 games – so technically, the development lineage stretches back even further than those four years. That might sound like nothing today, when games like The Elder Scrolls 6 are stretching fandom patience to the breaking point, but it was pretty unusual for a game in the PS2 era to take that long to make.

Progress on the sequel was quite a bit faster, Moss says, but it doesn't sound like it was anything smoother. "We made God Of War II in two years, but really most of the game was finished in the nine months up to its completion," Moss says. "We were very time pressured. I mean the crunch was even worse than the first one."

Moss singles out God of War 2's Pegasus sequence – where you ride atop the back of the mythical winged beast and do battle with enemies in mid-air – as a particular challenge. "Pegasus was one of the new things that we did," Moss explains. "Pegasus was difficult because it was completely different than everything else. Really it was asking for something that was slightly outside the capabilities of the engine that we had."

Studios and developers alike have thankfully pushed to reduce crunch in recent years, but as working conditions improve AAA games have simultaneously been increasing their scope to unprecedented levels. It's now been four years since the launch of God of War Ragnarok, and we have nothing more than rumors about what the next entry in the series will be. Some elements of the PS2 era – crunch included – are best left behind, but there's gotta be a happy medium in there somewhere.

Final Fantasy 14 boss man Yoshi-P says younger players "haven't really had the chance to connect" with the JRPG series as "the release intervals for new titles have gotten longer."

The original God of War trilogy is both a great set of video games and a perfect example of the M-rated excess the industry often aspired to in the post-GTA 3 glow of the '00s. The sex minigames alone are pretty grotesque reminders of the series' devotion to male power fantasies, so they'll surely be cut from the upcoming trilogy remake, right? Not so fast with those assumptions, says one former Sony Santa Monica writer – those sex scenes were, after all, largely designed by women.

"Fun fact: the God of War sex mini-games were designed by women," according to Alanah Pearce, who was a writer at Sony Santa Monica for several years, speaking in a recent stream. "In fact, I worked with one of them. They were largely worked on by women on that dev team. In fact, when you walk into, I think it's Aphrodite's chamber, this was designed – again, including a group of women – to look like a labia. It's literally designed to be evocative of a vagina. And the women were the ones who did that. When you look at it, it makes sense, but I feel like a lot of people didn't notice that. I worked with one of the women who worked on these, and she was very proud of it, and it was really fucking cool."

Pearce later identifies the woman she worked with as Ariel Lawrence, who served in production roles across the original God of War trilogy and Ascension. There's a bit of making of footage (I'll give you an obvious NSFW warning here) showcasing the motion capture process for the Aphrodite sex minigame, which takes place in God of War 3, and Lawrence speaks quite unashamedly of it there.

In that scene, you, as Kratos, walk into Aphrodite's chambers, where she's making a vaguely depicted form of love with two handmaidens – all three women are, naturally, topless – on top of a bed with very yonic curtains. She sends the handmaidens away as she propositions you. If you accept, the camera swings over to the two still-topless handmaidens, as you press buttons and swing the analog stick around while the women react to Kratos' stunning demonstration of male virility. At the end, the handmaidens are so overcome by lust at watching this display that they leap on each other with the enthusiasm of horny teenagers.

"I recognize that in God of War, like, it's a little silly the way it was in those games," Pearce admits. "But again, I think it should still be in those remakes. I think it belongs there. I don't think it was disrespectful to women. I think that, if anything, those games are quite critical of who Kratos is as a person. The rage is clearly not fulfilling to him. It almost serves the journey that he ends up going on in 2018 and Ragnarok better if you have that version of him to begin with. I don't think it should be changed personally. I definitely think they should be there."

It's worth noting that the sex scene with Aphrodite is immediately preceded by a sequence where Kratos 'rescues' a half-nude female prisoner, angrily shoves her around for a bit, and ends up wedging her into the gear works of a massive door so that he can calmly stride through. Is that a depiction of a man holding a tragic amount of rage in his heart? Sure, but the woman is also presented in a titillating enough way that the line between "story about a misogynistic act" and "pure misogynistic fantasy" gets pretty blurry.

Either way, the sex scenes in the first two God of War games are substantially tamer, and probably less of a concern for whoever has to make a decision about whether to include them in the trilogy remake. The real question is what form that remake will take. We don't yet know whether it'll be an all-new game telling the same story as we see in the first three God of War titles, or a simpler visual upgrade that keeps the original gameplay and pacing intact. Personally? I wouldn't be a bit surprised if the remake continues to show a few nipples besides those belonging to Kratos.

God of War ranks pretty highly on our list of the best PS2 games.

PlayStation subsidiary Sony Santa Monica is apparently making a sort of new franchise set within the same universe as God of War, but it's not exactly God of War, according to a former developer at the studio.

The LinkedIn account of a former senior writer at Sony Santa Monica, posted on ResetEra and reported on by VGC, seems to no longer exist or be active. Screenshots of the profile, should they be real, claim the writer spent five years shaping "narrative vision and creative direction at Sony Santa Monica Studio for a new franchise within the God of War universe, developing characters, storylines, and original lore that expanded the acclaimed IP."

It's both God of War and not God of War, then, confusingly.

The claims match up with a recent Bloomberg report by Jason Schreier, which said Sony intended to support the wider God of War series with several "sequels and spinoffs, like its own smaller version of the Marvel Cinematic Universe." Schreier previously said on social media that whatever Sony Santa Monica is currently working on next is "not a new IP but it might feel like one," which lines up with this latest bit of news quite neatly too.

Sony Santa Monica's last big release came in the form of God of War: Ragnarok, though the developer has been at the head of the action series since the very beginning. The studio also recently announced a remake collection of the original God of War trilogy, the ones set within Greek mythology that had main man Kratos taking on the entire pantheon of Greek deities.

God of War first look reveals the Prime Video show's Kratos and Atreus, but it might not be enough to silence the doubters

Some seemingly unearthed God of War Ragnarok dialogue has fans speculating over the next game in the franchise as it appears to hint at the rumored Egyptian setting.

Potential spoilers for God of War Ragnarok and the future of the series to follow

Over on the God of War Ragnarok subreddit, a user known as TheMorse_ has posted that they have found hidden content in the files of God of War Ragnarok. In this file, they claim there's unused dialogue from the ending of the 2022 release that sets up future events for the series. Notably Athena – who was a major character in the Greek trilogy, with a cameo in 2018's title – would return in a scene in which she talks about Atreus breaking the Mask of Creation at the end.

Perhaps more interestingly, the other dialogue supposedly found has Atreus traveling around other pantheons with a new companion called Mau, which can only communicate by saying the word "Mau" but Atreus understands it perfectly (TheMorse_ likens this to Groot from Marvel). They point out that Mau is the Ancient Egyptian word for cat (presumably an onomatopoeia, which I love) as well as the name of one of the forms of Ra – the Egyptian deity of the sun. And given the rumored next step for the franchise is a game set in Egyptian mythology, that's certainly an interesting link.

Of course, I have no way to verify this personally unless I too datamine the game (which I don't know how to do), so taking it with a grain of salt is always a good move (however, TheMorse_ does provide the full text scripts of both God of War 2018 and Ragnarok).

And with these scenes apparently being removed, it could imply that maybe Egypt was originally in the plans, but could potentially have been pivoted away from. That being said, these files were hidden in Ragnarok "just like the beginning of Ragnarok was hidden in the 2018 files" according to TheMorse_, so you never know. In any case, it's an interesting bit of trivia about the game.

God of War Greek trilogy remake is official, but it's "still very early in development"

Christoper Judge, the thunderous voice of Kratos in Santa Monica Studio's God of War soft reboot, is going to need everyone to calm down. Twitch streamer Fuzhpuzy just recorded him – seemingly, unwittingly – suggesting there would be a new God of War game alongside the upcoming remake trilogy, but now he's clarifying.

"Let me be crystal clear, I have zero involvement with the original games and what they involve," Judge writes in a February 19 Twitter post. "Full stop."

Announced at last week's PlayStation State of Play broadcast after many rumors, the God of War Greek trilogy from Sony will feature its original voice actor, the sonorous TC Carson. We knew that when Carson made the State of Play reveal himself, but Judge told Fuzhpuzy a bit more about the "new technology" he expected to see from the remakes when she approached him with her clip-on microphone on, possibly causing some fans' confusion.

More importantly to ravenous fans, Judge also said to Fuzhpuzy that she could learn "about what we're doing probably late summer" – which many people hoped to mean Santa Monica Studios was releasing a follow-up to 2022's Ragnarok. But that's not really what Judge meant.

"As much as I would love that everything I do in the future would involve SSM and GofW," the actor continues to say on Twitter, "I have other projects that I am super excited about. More info this summer." More info about those other, not-God of War projects, I think is what he means. That's too bad for Ragnarok sequel truthers, but good news for everyone who simply wants more Christopher Judge.

Sony shuts down Demon's Souls remake dev Bluepoint after cancelling its God of War multiplayer project.

God of War Kratos actor Christopher Judge appears to have let slip that a new game starring him is set to be revealed later this year, and based on his language, it certainly sounds like it'll be the next installment in Sony Santa Monica's series.

As highlighted on the GamingLeaksandRumours subreddit, Judge – who plays Kratos in the 2018 God of War game as well as its sequel Ragnarok – was approached by Twitch streamer Fuzhpuzy at Fan Expo Vancouver earlier this week, who had a few questions to ask about the upcoming Greek trilogy remake.

She first asks him if he's "going to be playing in the remake," to which he responds, "No, well, it's going to be TC [Carson, original Kratos actor]." This was basically confirmed in the remake's announcement, as Carson voiced the character in those three games (as well as Ascension and the adult, narrator Kratos in new Metroidvania game Sons of Sparta) and was the one tasked with delivering the reveal.

Judge continues, saying the Trilogy remake is "not a reboot," but suggests it will feature "new technology" and "more stuff," including a "new fighting system." Given that the "project is still very early in development," this might be the most we hear about it for some time.

But what about Judge's next in-game appearance? "Then you'll be hearing about what we're doing probably late summer," he adds. What that'll look like is a different matter entirely, but given the shape of the conversation, it certainly implies that he's hinting at a Sony Santa Monica follow-up to God of War Ragnarok.

I can't imagine Sony will be thrilled that Judge seemingly spilled the beans on these things, but it's worth noting that he might not have been aware he had an entire audience of Twitch viewers listening in in the first place. Before heading over to meet him, Fuzhpuzy is told she can't take photos or film the interaction without paying, or let Judge say hi to her chat, so she has a member of staff hold onto her phone at a distance instead. However, since she has a clip-on microphone to pick up her own audio, Judge's voice comes through loud and clear, too.

It feels reminiscent of the time that Assassin's Creed: Black Flag actor Matt Ryan hinted to a fan that they "might have to beat" the game "again," and that "there's a reason I say that," but at a later date backtracked while noting that "I didn't know that they actually were recording me on their phone." Judge hasn't made any further comments online since these ones have gone viral, so perhaps he's choosing to remain quiet for now.

New God of War game Sons of Sparta was originally going to be set "a little bit closer" to the classic Greek saga, but the devs thought Kratos as a kid "resonates" more with the franchise.

God of War Sons of Sparta's Metacritic score has landed after some early reviews, and so far it's not doing quite as well as the other games in the series.

When it comes to open secrets, I don't think there was anyone who didn't know that a 2D God of War game was on the way after what felt like years of rumors, and finally at the PlayStation State of Play last week, Mega Cat Games' God of War Sons of Sparta was shadowdropped featuring a younger Kratos and his brother Deimos as they trained to become the spartans we saw in the original games.

At the time of writing God of War Sons of Sparta has a 69 score on Metacritic after 17 reviews, which places it as the worst game in the series by a mile, as even the fanbase's least favorite game God of War Ascension was able to crack an 80 on the site. With the majority of the reviews being considered "mixed" by the site's metric (which consists of mostly 6 and 7/10 scores).

In GamesRadar+'s God of War Sons of Sparta review, Games Editor Oscar Taylor-Kent gave it three out of five stars and said, "God of War Sons of Sparta struggles to deliver on the best of God of War or the best the Metroidvania genre has to offer. Combat is dull and lifeless despite a handful of nice ideas, and it's visually ugly and muddy. Even lacking in brutal finishers, this all feels quite tame. It's not bad, but serviceable struggles to excite – and that's a sin for God of War."

While I agree with the sentiment that Sony would benefit from having smaller projects come out like this instead of making everyone wait 20+ years for a sequel (or however long The Last of Us Part 2 took), I'm not sure if 'God Of War Kids' was something the fanbase was really clamoring for.

Hopefully, the negative reaction to this doesn't put Sony off from things like this in the future, because, considering it doesn't really use any IP that it can't turn into a cinematic third-person action game, maybe other studios can bring back the varied and fun games the company was known for making.

New God of War game was going to be set "closer" to the Greek saga, but the devs thought kid Kratos "resonates" more.

Sony and Mega Cat have taken us back to the early days of Kratos for God of War: Sons of the Sparta, a new 2D platformer exploring the youth of him and his brother, Deimos. As a prequel, it goes back further than any installment previously, bringing us deeper into the mind of the eponymous warrior, but that was always the plan.

"Early on, we did think about maybe [making the story] a little bit closer to the events of the Greek saga games that fans are familiar with," Zack Manko, game director at Sons of Sparta developer Mega Cat Studios, told the PlayStation Blog. "I think the writers at [Santa Monica Studio] thought this is what we need to go to, because seeing Kratos as a boy here resonates throughout the rest of the series."

Really, Atreus became a north star, in the sense of how fatherhood impacts Kratos and his slightly unorthodox, shall we say, parenting style. The Greek saga has him as a ruthless maverick, merciless to his enemies and a lone wanderer, whereas the Norse games thus far have him with his own child, a dynamic he's not often great at handling.

"These formative years of Kratos, this character, seeing all these things that happen and these influences on him. It just adds so much to this character that fans are familiar with throughout the rest of the games," Manko adds.

It is remarkable how much depth Santa Monica Studio and the various other studios who've contributed to the franchise have managed to bring to Kratos, a character who was famously shallow and whose games could be extremely puerile. Now, he's seen as a symbol of a grieving, emotionally distant dad who's unlearning his deeply ingrained old habits. All while still ripping hoards of enemies.

He's multi-faceted, and Sons of Sparta is here to show us more of that. But even if you don't care for that part, you still get to mince a Cyclops. He's still the god of war, y'know.

God of War: Sons of Sparta's easiest difficulty makes an excellent reference to the 2018 reboot, and fans love it: "Whoever came up with that should get a raise"

God of War Sons of Sparta has found itself under fire by folks unimpressed by the big, final announcement of PlayStation's February State of Play being a 2D Metroidvania, but fans say we should be encouraging releases like this rather than bringing them down.

At the time of writing, Sons of Sparta doesn't have that many critic reviews logged on Metacritic, but it currently sits with a slightly mixed score of 73. Not awful by any means, but a fair number of players have been dunking on the game online. Criticisms have included its visuals, with some calling it "ugly," while others simply aren't jazzed about the genre, saying: "We have plenty of generic indie side scrollers, please make it stop."

Others, however, think that folks shouldn't be so critical, since Sons of Sparta represents a couple of different things that many have been begging for for some time. For a start, it offers some variation from the number of third-person action adventures that make up a large chunk of PlayStation's modern first-party library (its God of War reboot games included).

"Do you know how often we see people complain here that PlayStation ONLY makes the cinematic 3rd person action adventure games??? We get something slightly different, and now we have this," one fan writes, sharing a tweet poking fun at the game.

"'Give us something new.' Gives them something new. 'This sucks, give us what we want.' Gives them something they want. 'This sucks, AAA just recycles games. You have no innovation. Indie is better,'" another says, listing examples of common complaints that we've heard time and time again, including when it comes to the PS5's library of games.

"I hate that appreciation of games has just become lost," says another, calling out people who "just want to see ultra-realistic graphics." They add: "Games are ultimately about the gameplay and/or the story. Some of the best games in history are side-scrollers."

Others have pointed out how many people have been calling out the state of AAA development and its increasingly expensive budgets for being unsustainable, but yet aren't embracing something like this and its $30 price tag.

"It's kinda sad this game is getting poked fun at cause PlayStation would benefit a lot from more games like this. Smaller scale projects with conservative budgets is what a lot of companies need right now instead of $300 million for countable nose hairs," one writes.

"Honestly, Sony should be producing more of these in between their big budget AAA releases as a means of not only keeping their fans playing something new, but also to help offset the cost of said AAA games. Nintendo should not be the only Publisher doing this," comments another.

Obviously, it's still only early days for God of War Sons of Sparta, so it remains to be seen exactly how well it'll sell, and namely if it'll be enough to encourage Sony to take more risks like this. For now, though, it seems like most of the God of War hype is centered around the newly announced Greek trilogy remake, even if it's probably still a long way off.

For now, you can also check out our list of games like God of War Ragnarok for more titles similar to Sony Santa Monica's rebooted action adventures.

The motto of the God of War franchise may as well be "Boy," said in as strong a Christopher Judge impression as you can manage, for how synonymous that's become with Kratos since the 2018 soft reboot. It definitely seems like something of an in-joke among people involved in the property, since new side-scrolling Metroidvania God of War: Sons of Sparta makes a direct nod to Atreus in the difficulty menu.

When looking at how you'd like to play Kratos' latest outing, you're given three options: Spartan as the hardest, because of course; Cadet as medium, which makes sense; then Boy for easy mode, just to rub it in a little that you're picking the lowest. Just as the little son of Kratos spends all of the 2018 game and its sequel, Ragnarok, earning his father's approval, so too must you when picking the easiest mode.

It brings to mind the legendary, "I'm Too Young To Die" from Doom, denoting you telling the game, actually, you're not ready for the trials and tribulations of the harder settings. If the goal from developers Mega Cat Studios and Sony Santa Monica was to encourage people to try and step it up a notch, it seems to have worked.

"Now I have to choose Spartan because I don't want to be called BOY," says one fan on Twitter. People are enjoying the clever wording. "Whoever came up with that should get a raise," says another response. "Second best name for a difficulty level after having God Mode as the Normal Mode in God of War 3," a third says.

Of course, there are some jabs over the description, which explicitly points out this is for people who just want the story. How anyone else chooses to play a game is up to them, and this seems like a simple little joke rather than some kind of actual insult. Besides, those lower difficulties start to look very appealing when you spend hours stuck on a particular encounter. We may all end up playing on Boy mode at some point.

God of War Greek trilogy remake is official, but it's "still very early in development" and the devs want to "ask for your patience."

God of War Sons of Sparta's take on Kratos might not be the muscled master we know and love, but the major beats of this prequel adventure show that developer Mega Cat Studios at least knows which boxes to mark off to ensure the mythical flavor remains intact. The problem is, these ticks are messy at best. Within seconds, young boy Kratos is going spear-to-eye with a massive cyclops, with his brother Deimos coming in clutch to assist, but the combat is floaty and slow, and player and enemy animations are clunky and ugly. When the cyclops keels over, I'm left shrugging instead of filled with the bombast and adrenaline God of War usually leaves me with.

In some ways, this makes sense. Barely in double-digit age, Kratos and Deimos have only just earned the Spartan right to travel outside of the city to prove themselves. Each map pleasingly flags interconnected pathways as they spiral out from Sparta at the center. This God of War's stakes are far lower than the grandiose ones in the main series. It's more Hardy Boys in tone, with Kratos the bratty Spartan rules nerd who nevertheless knows how to leverage its warrior teachings to justify whatever action he wants to take, while Deimos is headstrong, passionate, and ready to run off to follow what his heart tells him is right (often literally, giving a reason for Kratos to explore solo before they reunite at cutscenes). Though Kratos irritates, it's not a bad narrative premise, but can all too often feel like an extensive anti-bullying PSA.

Kratovania

That doesn't mean jumping around God of War Sons of Sparta's Metroidvania-style areas has to feel as unsatisfying as it does. Each screen is so large that the action can get lost when it happens, not that blocking or rolling to evade damage before mashing out attacks requires too much attention. When complexity is added, it's all through testing color-based knowledge. Red attacks you can't block, you have to dodge. Blue attacks you can't dodge, you have to block. Yellow attacks you must time with a parry. Purple attacks you must completely avoid. Enemy aura shields meanwhile, can glow specific colors you can negate with either spirit or magic attacks. It can feel a bit exhausting, feeling like a rote test of matching responses rather than any real natural sense of combat flow.

At least on normal difficulty it's not particularly hard, so the color matching won't make you sweat too much. As the game gets harder, most enemies simply get bigger health bars that are more tedious to reduce, still just grumbling and barely reacting before inelegantly flopping to the floor.

A stun meter can be filled up to allow Kratos to deliver finishing moves the game calls 'brutal kills', but while this does result in gory blood splatter, the animations are dull, tame, and weightless. I can't help but think of the constant gory executions you can perform in Blasphemous or The Last Faith, and it feels like God of War Sons of Sparta is gunning for a similar rhythm, but completely stumbles when it comes to having any sense of impact. Finishers here aren't just repetitive, but uninspired, Kratos simply swatting a foe using the tool he has in his hand and leaving some colorful particle effects briefly behind – there's no sense of impact to these whatsoever. It's actually a bit shocking considering brutal finishers are what the original God of War is best known for on PS2, and feels like an oversight.

Even boss fights can feel a bit limp, and not up to God of War's usual standards. Mostly, these are fairly standard clashes (though one specific blood-powered boss did get my pulse racing, I admit). Larger, set-piece bosses invoke God of War's usual energy but fall down trying to evoke it, with the sea serpent from the trailer letting me down the most, just being a sequence of platforms as the boss repeats a handful of attacks while Deimos constantly repeats the same warning voice line over and over again.

Mechanically, there are some nice ideas. Objects in the environment can be flung around, like punting some pottery on an enemy to deal some damage and stun build-up, but it doesn't feel particularly integral. Likewise, the constant orb drops from foes (color coded, naturally, between red currency, blue magic, yellow spirit, and green health) can be nudged based on the skills you use. Spirit attacks, for instance, generate more stun but less damage, and also drop health on hit. Though, the orb drop amounts feel so nominal that I've yet to feel as if keeping this in mind has been make or break in any encounters – it's far from cementing a Doom-style resource loop. As often seems to be the case in God of War Sons of Sparta, it's often best to just mash away while dodging.

The same goes for Kratos' unlockable gear and skills, presented similarly to those found in, say, God of Ragnarok. Most aren't very exciting, and I found myself sticking with early equipment to increase critical chance to reduce time spent depleting tedious health bars, and beyond a handful of abilities on the skill tree I mostly kept unlocking more to have something to do rather than really noticing the difference.

Bigger upgrades come from temples, which also house fast travel points. Each time you find one, Kratos acquires a new powerup that doubles as a weapon in combat and also a way to navigate obstacles and open up new paths. A sling, for instance, can hit switches from afar, or bonk enemies on the noggin. Likewise, a flaming branch can both set enemies alight, or burn away pesky thorns blocking passages. Optional challenge gauntlets that have you bash away at enemies give you gifts for the gods, which can then be brought back to temples to, say, boost Kratos' spear attack damage, or increase magic. It's simple stuff, but as always in the Metroidvania genre there's some satisfaction to be had in unpicking paths through maps to get your mitts on goodies to tick off upgrades.

God of War Sons of Sparta guns for a retro aesthetic. But the result can be quite ugly. While the dense, detailed backgrounds can work well, they often miss the awe inspiring vistas of something like Blasphemous, Hollow Knight Silksong, or Death's Gambit. Only a smattering of areas, like one early quest through a Dionysian temple that's become overwhelmed by thick strands and bubbles of blood where wine should flow, really stand out. Others, from lush forests to caves and icy mountains are serviceable, but can blur together by the end, most locations lacking a real sense of unique space.

Player and enemy models on the other hand are just kind of ugly, which beyond being unappealing feel like they can muddy the action. More Nintendo DS-core than evoking the glory days of SNES or PS1 Metroidvania classics, they're constantly in movement in a way that creates a fuzz of color and silhouette. Clashing visual techniques just feel like they end up distorted, which don't look good in motion to me, nor do they feel good to interact with. A lack of definition goes some way to explaining why combat feels a bit lifeless.

God of War Sons of Sparta definitely isn't a bad game, but it is disappointing. The main God of War series has set a high bar when it comes to satisfying, crunchy action, and its absence in this prequel is a let-down. It's especially rough when others in the busy Soulslike-flavored Metroidvania genre have been able to deliver exactly that throughout adventures that are much more gripping. God of War Sons of Sparta is simply perfectly serviceable, which, as part of such a monumental series, and in a genre with so many all-timer bangers, makes this a swing, a miss, and a tumble right off the colossus.

God of War Sons of Sparta was reviewed on PS5, with a code provided by the publisher.

If God of War Sons of Sparta has you wanting to play more like this, there's a whole heap of the best Metroidvania games that you might want to consider instead. Take a look at our games like God of War list for more adventures that channel a bit of Kratos' energy.

The latest PlayStation State of Play arrived tonight, providing us with plenty to look forward to this year and beyond – including one very surprising shadow drop, in the form of a 2D God of War spin-off, dubbed Sons of Sparta.

Sure, the God of War Greek trilogy remake is exciting, but Sons of Sparta is something entirely new... and entirely different, to boot. As per Sony's accompanying blog post on the upcoming game, it's a 2D action platformer following Kratos' youth as he trained at the Agoge alongside his brother, Deimos. Although it's visually different from the mainline series, the studio points out that its story is 100% canonical.

Not only that, but God of War Sons of Sparta is available right now on PS5 via the official PlayStation Store, with the standard edition coming in at $29.99 and a digital deluxe version priced higher at $39.99. For anyone interested in the more expensive version, it comes with a digital artbook, soundtrack, and a PlayStation Network avatar of young Kratos looking especially serious.

As for how God of War Sons of Sparta plays, Kratos will be employing the use of his trusty spea rand shield while also harnessing powerful divine artifacts called the "Gifts of Olympus" to take on various formidable foes. As Sony describes it, the new 2D gem "features the return of iconic classics recreated" with "stunning hand-drawn pixel animation" – but also creatures fans haven't seen before.

It is inspired by Greek mythology, after all, so expect some very cool beasts. Seeing as it's coming from the OG writing team at Santa Monica that worked on God of War and Ragnarok, as well as Mega Cat Studios, I'm certain that Sons of Sparta won't fall short of impressing the community. It's not like we have to wait to play it, either... so, boot up that PS5 and start downloading for more Kratos in 2026.

Looking for something else to wishlist? Be sure to browse our roundup of the best new games coming this year and beyond for even more to anticipate.

In today's PlayStation State of Play broadcast, Sony confirmed that it's begun development on the long-rumored God of War trilogy remake. This project will rebuild the original Greek trilogy for the modern era, but there's not much detail on what it'll look like, as the devs say it's not very far along just yet.

"This project is still very early in development," according to a PlayStation Blog post, "so we ask for your patience as it will be a while before anything else can be shared. When we can come back with an update, we aim to make it a big one!"

If you want to hear Kratos himself, by which I mean original voice actor TC Carson, deliver the news, check out the video below. He's clearly very excited about it.

I'm very curious to see just how substantial this remake is. Sony's previous remakes, like with The Last of Us, have often felt barely necessary, but the original God of War trilogy is much older, and truly modern versions of those games would look much different than the OGs. But equally, it's tough to imagine Sony committing to fully rebuilding the three massive originals as one all-new game, unless this is remake project on the Final Fantasy 7 scale. I'm very eager to find out what shape the game takes.

That's not the only big news for God of War fans, as today also saw the announcement and shadowdrop of God of War: Sons of Sparta, an equally long-rumored project that offers a look at Kratos' early days in a 2D action platformer format.

"As we look to the future," the devs say, "we also want to invest in the past and tend to the series’ roots that got us to where we are today. We know that remaking the Greek saga has been a frequent request – the genuine, passionate interest from fans to see the original games return is something we’re very thankful for and can’t wait to share more when the time comes!"

Check out our full guide to the biggest upcoming PS5 games.

There was a surge of news surrounding video game adaptations this week. Not only did Sophie Turner get Tomb Raider-ready as Lara Croft, but Amazon also announced their pick to become the former Ghost of Sparta, aka Kratos, in their upcoming God of War series.

Former Sons of Anarchy star Ryan Hurst has been announced to take on the live-action version of the role for the show, which is being penned by Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica, For All Mankind, Outlander). For Hurst, it’s hardly new territory, given that he already went toe-to-toe with Kratos (played by Christopher Judge in the game) as this franchise's Thor in God of War: Ragnarok.

Following the announcement, Hurst took to Instagram expressing his excitement about becoming Kratos and taking up the Leviathan Axe, while sitting in front of a monster screen. “Used to play as him. Now I get to be him,” Hurst wrote. “Grateful to pick up the axe, and honored by the fans who made this story legendary.”

Thankfully, the man who previously helped bring the character back into the video game fold is happy with the choice. Judge took on the role of Kratos in 2018, leading the epic father-son journey, and recently shared his thoughts on the axe being passed to Hurst. "Congrats, Ryan!!!! You’re gonna be great… BOI !!!”

Currently, there’s no confirmed release date set for the series, but hopefully, developing news won’t be as hard to recover as Odin’s ravens. In the meantime, here’s every show heading our way in 2026 to keep us busy.

Seven years after it took home Game of the Year at the 2018 Game Awards, God of War is still collecting accolades. The one I'm telling you about today, admittedly, isn't as formal or official as the game's inclusion on Rolling Stone's 2025 list of the best games of all time, but it is far more entertaining.

The honor I'm speaking of is God of War's apparent influence on the new Bollywood Netflix film, Mahavatar Narsimha. Clips from a battle scene in the movie are circulating around social media for the simple fact that some of the animations appear to be one-to-one replications of animations from God of War's epic battle scenes.

Before I angle your eyes toward the below video, I feel a responsibility to let you know similar videos are being shared in spaces that are propagating some deeply and overtly racist views. The GamesRadar+ team, which includes someone of South Asian descent, helped me locate a video whose sharer didn't express any of those views, but I'd probably avoid comments sections on this topic generally. Just a heads up.

Anyway, in case it wasn't obvious, the scenes in the above video are chopped up and spliced together to put the God of War resemblances on clear display, but there's no denying the similarities.

However, when I watched the full battle scene on Netflix, which I strongly suggest you do, I saw clear inspirations from a bunch of different iconic media. I only watched the scene once, but I immediately saw clear homages to Mortal Kombat's brutal fatalities, old Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee movies, and even the Marvel Cinematic Universe's signature large-scale battles. It's really quite the spectacle, and frankly, sick as hell.

It's also very much worth noting that this sort of thing isn't uncommon at all in Bollywood movies, which are often heavily inspired, and in some cases frame-by-frame, by Hollywood movies. What's unique in this case are the apparent tributes to popular video games like God of War, Mortal Kombat, and Lord knows what else is hidden in there that I missed. Cool stuff!

God of War Ragnarok ranks pretty darn high on our list of the best PS5 games

Five years into PlayStation 5’s life cycle, no first-party game from Sony has had a bigger impact on me than God of War: Ragnarok. For many, it was a bigger and louder sequel. Some celebrated this while others didn’t. Three years after hitting both PS5 and PS4, it remains a bolder follow-up than most.

On paper, Ragnarok checks all the right boxes for Sony and those who adore the video game giant’s usual first-party output: It's was somehow even more cinematic than 2018’s soft-reboot, cuts much deeper with its brutal combat and stat-heavy build customization, and expands the scope of the world in ways I didn’t think possible – in just four years of development (that we knew of). Meanwhile, I'm just impressed by how much story co-directors Eric Williams and Cory Barlog – as well as narrative director Matt Sophos – crams in.

The best epics need more time, not more entries

God of War: Ragnarok feels like two games in one, both in structure and length. This makes it too lumbering for the players and critics who’d rather have a more streamlined experience, but for a Norse epic with so much ground to cover, it’s just right. Kratos’ original adventures in Greece were breezy as they were tied to the action-adventure design conventions of the 2000s, and the 2018 revival didn’t risk overstaying its welcome. Ragnarok is the first time the series embraces the density that mythological epics – and I’d include many JRPG classics – are typically known for.

The easier (and more profitable) path forward would’ve been to cut Kratos and Atreus’ second on-screen adventure in half. There are enough characters, plot points, locations and whatnot to fuel two entire games worthy of the Leviathan Axe. If you avoided all marketing and reviews, there are three-to-four big story moments where you’d go “this is the ending.”

But the game just keeps going, fluidly switching between the father and son’s points of view – which adds more layers to already excellent character work – to keep things engaging without breaking its unspoken one-shot rule.

As big-name publishers and studios desperately seek stability, securing as many Kratos-led entries as possible after an astoundingly successful reboot was kind of a no-brainer. Hell, we’re even getting a live-action show that will retell the same tale. The hunger for more Kratos – a character I personally believe we should collectively let go of – is there, yet the creatives and (shockingly) the powers that be at Sony made the hardest but more sensible choice for this specific saga.

The Norse saga is completely done by the time the credits roll. All those realms teased in the original as it was running out of time to close up its fairly restrained narrative? Visited. The Fimbulwinter? Dealt with. The Asgardian family drama? Explained and resolved in depth. We even got to spend far too long with Angrboda in Jötunheim, messing about as Ragnarök approached. Few second entries in gaming are as ambitious as this duology capper.

Cinematic language and game design flexibility

I love vast worlds in video games, regardless of whether they’re enchanting sandboxes or interconnected areas like in these last two God of War installments. But few massive game worlds feel truly connected to the narratives supposedly holding the entire shows together. Sony Santa Monica knows how to steer Ragnarok to keep it in that difficult lane, giving us just enough air to soak up the views, help each realm’s locals, and learn more about the outstanding cast as we fight through hordes of Draugr, maddened Dark Elves, and anyone dumb enough to oppose the Ghost of Sparta and his offspring.

God of War: Ragnarok allows itself to slow down, trusting that folks who jumped into its jumbo-sized odyssey loved its characters and many worlds enough to stick around during the more quiet sections. In the age of instant gratification and too many games dangling ‘content carrots’ in front of players, returning to the Nine Realms feels truly rewarding in a way that’s hard to describe. Ragnarok is a collected game, a rare AAA occurrence which isn't trying to please everyone, but only the people truly invested in its epic tale. Taking things slow also makes (most of) the secondary content gain weight and feel relevant to the characters’ larger-than-life journeys. It’s hard to imagine the later beats hitting as hard as they did for me without completing the ‘Secret of the Sands’ favor, for example.

Similarly, Eric Williams and Cory Barlog’s direction is confident enough to continue to mix scenes and entire on-rails set pieces seen through a cinematic lens with lengthy sections that feel old-school video game-y in an unashamed manner that’s hard to come by in Sony’s first-party single-player output (Astro Bot innocent) these days. I love me some well-shot and beautifully rendered 3D Metroidvania adventuring which becomes a Hollywood blockbuster only when it needs to up the drama.

As the games industry – Sony’s studios included – tries to fix the problems that have inevitably come with ballooning budgets and long development cycles by making more video games that are for everyone (and often for nobody as a result), God of War: Ragnarok stands tall as a recent and successful example of the power of committing to a single specific vision that doesn’t strictly follow tired genre conventions.

Check out our best PS5 games ranking for what to play next!

Don't do this to me, Christopher Judge. It's Monday and I'm in a frail state. Don't remind me of the indiscriminate cruelty of time and how even the literal God of War and son of Zeus is subject to its detrimental qualities.

Unfortunately, that is exactly what God of War star Christopher Judge did during a panel at MCM Comic Con London (via press release), but thankfully he turned it all around by revealing his family's Tekken 8 tournaments and the fighter he chooses as his main.

"I'm 61 and my eyesight's not what it used to be, my manual dexterity's not what it used to be - honestly I got tired of my kids clowning me," said Judge. "But the thing we still do as a family is we still have Tekken tournaments. I'm Eddy - because his hair game's on point."

Honestly, valid. I can only dream of having the density to pull off those thick, flowing braids. It's worth noting that Judge himself has been known to rock the braided look in the past, like in this interview with The Washington Post from 2023.

During the same panel, Judge revealed his hopes for a potential God of War Ragnarok sequel, saying he wants the series to go back to Egypt even though he's confident that "no matter what pantheon it is, it will be great." Did he inadvertently reveal that things are in motion for a sequel at Sony Santa Monica? It kinda seems so, but nothing's confirmed at this point.

God of War and Dark Knight Rises star Christopher Judge says Christopher Nolan is a "true genius," but his directing style is "disconcerting" for an actor

Christopher Judge, the iconic booming voice behind Kratos from Sony Santa Monica's God of War series, says his hope for the series' next game is an entry taking place in Egypt, which indeed sounds pretty rad.

During a panel at MCM London Comic Con, sent to GamesRadar+ via press release, Judge seemingly let slip, and then retracted, the potential existence of a third game in Sony's rebooted God of War series. The last entry was 2022's God of War Ragnarok, which was a triumphant success critically and commercially, but has yet to spawn a follow-up, at least not that we know.

"Because I became best known as Teal'c from Stargate, to go to Egypt would be a completion of my circle," Judge said. "But whatever is decided - wait… if there is another game, I have no doubt that no matter what pantheon it is, it will be great."

A God of War game set in ancient Egypt is definitely an intriguing proposal, and presumably would be a massive visual and thematic shakeup from previous entries, not to mention a cool full circle moment for Judge.

Still, a post-Ragnarok God of War game has yet to be announced, or even teased, by PlayStation, and Judge's comments by no means confirm a follow-up. Still, both 2018's God of War and Ragnarok were incredibly well-received games with strong sales, and without spoiling anything, Ragnarok definitely leaves the door open for a sequel.

This is all to say, whether or not Judge actually goofed and revealed something he wasn't supposed to, I'd be surprised if Sony decides against continuing the series. And after three long years, I'm definitely ready to return to that world.

God of War Ragnarok lead says AAA studios should "diversify into double-A and single-A, and then perhaps indie" even if blockbuster releases result in "potentially really large" payoffs

Former Santa Monica Studio co-head and director of product development, Meghan Morgan Juinio, who was a producer on God of War Ragnarok, says more AAA studios and publishers should invest in low-budget projects to "diversify" their portfolios.

Talking to Game Developer, Morgan Juinio said smaller scale projects don't need to displace blockbuster franchises like Call of Duty and God of War, which yield "potentially really large" payoffs, but argued, "there's an opportunity right now for all of us, at any level, to really look at the strategic long-term view." Specifically, she said there's a lot of potential in indies and AA games backed by major studios.

"I do also think there is an opportunity for those big players to also look to diversify into double-A and single-A, and then perhaps indie as well right?" said Morgan Juinio. "And what size, shape, or form does that take? I don't know [...] but I think we need to look beyond the knee-jerk reaction of the pandemic and post-pandemic couple of years and really think about who do we want to be? What kind of product do we want to put out? We need to plot out intentionally how we're going to get there."

Morgan Juinio pointed to Astro Bot and Split Fiction as examples of games published by huge companies, Sony and EA, respectively, which forgo AAA conventions in favor of shorter development cycles and playtimes.

"I think gamers right now are a little bit desensitized to beautiful graphics and size and scale and scope. It's almost a given, right?" she said. "If a game isn't fun, it doesn't matter how pretty it is. If a game isn't engaging or delivering some hook, then it's not going to connect with players."

Astro Bot and Split Fiction are both beautiful games in their own right, but there's definitely something to be said for creativity and innovation over visual fidelity. Speaking for myself, Donkey Kong Bananza is my favorite game of the year so far, and it doesn't hold a candle to contemporaries like Ghost of Yotei and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 in terms of graphics and general scale. Regardless, I think we can all agree that having to wait 15+ years for Elder Scrolls 6 isn't ideal, and it sure would be nice to have smaller scale, imaginative releases from big budget studios to keep us busy in the meantime.

While we're on the topic, here are the best games of 2025 so far.

God of War actor Christopher Judge says the communal, respectful atmosphere on the game's mocap set "really changed my whole perspective on the world."

Speaking on a recent cast panel for the series's 20th anniversary celebrations, Judge was asked about how his experiences on God of War differed from his previous acting jobs. He explained that "it was interesting for me," because elsewhere, there had often been a strict on-set hierarchy, "and almost from day one, there was none of that" on the God of War set."

"There was no hierarchy. Everyone treated each other with respect, and talked to each other like adults, and respected the work that every individual was doing."

That went all the way up to game director Cory Barlog, Judge continued. "When it came time to shoot, people would come up to Cory and have different ideas, and he listened to them. And I was just watching like 'He's listening to everybody. He's not looking at his watch' [...] 'Wow, that's crazy'.

Judge went on to outline just how valuable that experience was for him personally. Outlining that he came to the role of Kratos at a difficult time in his life (much like his predecessor in the original games) when he'd stopped drinking and entered counselling after receiving two DUIs, he said that he's started to consider "what it is to be a man."

Through his counselling, Judge came to realize that "it's not about squashing people, keeping people down. It's about empowering people, listening to people and making them feel heard. The God of War set was the first time I ever saw it in practice."

"Every morning it looked like everyone wanted to be there, which was something really weird for me. There was no-one complaining. People were happy to be there. It was such a collective. It really was the first place that I had ever been that was that supportive, and nurturing, and caring, and loving. And it really changed my whole perspective on the world, and what it really means to be a man."

God of War Kratos star Christopher Judge on watching Atreus' actor grow up alongside the boy: "He's a whole new mother****er."

The actor behind angry deity killer and emotionally stunted dad Kratos in God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarok has reflected on the growth of his in-game son.

In a panel celebrating the famed action series' 20th anniversary, modern Kratos star Christopher Judge said that Sunny Suljic, the young actor who plays Atreus in the games, sometimes struggled "to keep his attention for 30 seconds" during the recording of the 2018 reboot.

"So, for Ragnarok, first of all, he knew all his lines," Judge said, "because he was older and more mature. But then, he came with notes," apparently to the shock of everyone on set. "It's been great just seeing you - the maturation process. You turned into a wonderful young man," he later said to the boy.

Narrative Director Matt Sophos then remembered how Judge, stunned at his co-star's newfound work ethic, came over and said "'He's a whole new motherfucker.'"

"There was definitely a big contrast between the first one and the second one," Suljic himself recalls. "I think I've had enough time to kind of, like, annalyze more emotions, more feelings. And I feel like, as an actor, when you're younger... I was invested in the game, but I wasn't psychologically there. So I think for the second game, Ragnarok, I got to dive into deeper emotions... I just felt more connected with the character."

In somewhat related news, publisher PlayStation isn't remastering the older God of War games as had been previously rumored for its milestone birthday, but it did add a bunch of cool skins to the latest game and revealed tons of cool merch.

OG God of War Kratos actor says all that rage was real: "At the time I was very angry. There were a lot of things going on that had me in a real nasty place"

It's been over 20 years since the original God of War was released in March 2005, and to celebrate, Sony added a bunch of stuff to God of War Ragnarok, as well as hosting panels with the developers of the series and actors comprised of both the new era's main cast and the original series' Kratos and Athena actors, T.C. Carson and Carole Ruggier.

Kratos as a character – especially in the original games – is perhaps best known for being angry all the time. The character's rage became a core facet of the series, with the character's Devil Trigger equivalent literally being called "Rage" in each game.

During the panel, Santa Monica Studio narrative director Matt Sophos asks Carson how he managed to come up with Kratos' original voice. "Kratos is T.C. 12.0," Carson says, adding, "at the time I was very angry; there were a lot of things going on that had me in a real nasty place."

However, he was thankful for the role, as "Kratos allowed me to do that. He allowed me to be able to vent all of that anger, he allowed me to be able to vent all of that rage, and I think that's the thing that people resonate with, because it was real."

Carson continues, noting that "it was like going to therapy, really," imitating the big sigh of relief he'd do after leaving a session. He adds, "I think it was just the rage inside of me is that voice."

The actor went on to voice Kratos in the series (as well as in cameos like Mortal Kombat, Everybody's Golf, and PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale) until 2013's God of War: Ascension, before Christopher Judge took over the role for 2018's reboot.

God of War (2018) was delayed 6 months because PlayStation boss was "horrified" by "multiple things not working" during his play test.