God of War Ragnarok drops the F-bomb

God of War Ragnarok
(Image credit: Sony)

God of War Ragnarok drops the F-bomb and shows more decapitation and dismemberment, its very mature ESRB rating reveals.

The long-awaited God of War sequel's newly published ESRB rating details the many ways Kratos and Atreus' story isn't suitable for kids. It shouldn't be a huge surprise to anyone even vaguely familiar with the IP that it's geared toward adults, but it's good to know the specifics in case there's any type of explicit content you might be particularly sensitive to. 

The rating summary says you'll explore various realms and engage in "frenetic hand-to-hand combat against human-like raiders and fantastical creatures" including centaurs, trolls, and dragons. You'll use axes (the use of the plural noun here suggests Kratos will have more than one), chained blades, and a whole new suite of elemental powers to attack foes, which of course will result in "large blood-splatter effects and dismemberment."

The description goes on to paint the game's finishing moves in a particularly bloody light. Apparently, these finishing attacks will show "close-up impalement via bladed and hand-held weapons." Also, just in case you have a need to know, "repeated axe strikes to a creature's neck results in decapitation."

Finally, we now know there's at least one potty-mouthed character in God of War Ragnarok. The rating summary confirms "the words 'f**k' and 'sh*t' are heard in the game, and we're willing to wager it's this lad doing most of the swearing:

In case you missed it, the God of War PC support studio is turning a flagship PlayStation IP into a live-service game.

Jordan Gerblick

After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer, I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.