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

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"

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.

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.

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.

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."

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 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.

In an interview earlier this year, former PlayStation boss Shuhei Yoshida revealed that he'd overseen the cancellation of two separate games that were $25 million deep into development. Now, he's revealed the exact nature of that pair of games. One was, it seems, the long-rumoured sci-fi project from the God of War devs.

"One was actually an internal game developed by Santa Monica Studios," Yoshida says on the most recent episode of Simon Parkin's My Perfect Console podcast. "Not a God of War game – a new IP. It has a really amazing concept, and really interesting gameplay ideas. Of course, Santa Monica Studio people are very, very capable of creating high-quality art. So we supported [them for] many years, but after $25 million, they came to me and said that we have to stop. I do not exactly remember the reason for it. The team was not able to find 'the game.' It was a great concept. Great idea. But the gameplay didn't really come to be."

Yoshida served as president of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios from 2008 through 2019, and it's not clear exactly when this new IP was in development. While Santa Monica Studio does some support work on other titles, the main dev team has exclusively made God of War games since 2005.

While canceling games isn't unusual for Yoshida, he says he usually tried to do it before $25 million worth of development resources had been spent. "I canceled so many games," he says. "No one knows most of the games, because we canceled early enough. We tried to try a new idea, do the prototype, and if it's good, continue. If it's not good, rework or stop. So early cancellation doesn't cost us much. However, if the game was kind of making progress, and very promising vision went on and on, after $25 million it was a really hard decision. But I think in that case, Santa Monica Studio by themselves, was like, 'probably we have to stop.'"

What of that other $25 million project Yoshida mentioned previously? He offers less in the way of specific details there, but apparently it was in development at one of Sony's European studios. "There were many, many good games from Europe," Yoshida says. "But one game was a big-budget project [that] didn't, in a similar way, have the core game anyway. These are the two large cancellations. But these days, a $25 million cancellation is nothing special."

Here are the upcoming PS5 games you need to know about.

Sony Santa Monica, the PlayStation-owned studio behind God of War, is reportedly working on a new game, but no one is sure what exactly that is. We've been getting teased about it since 2019, and we've just now been told that it isn't sci-fi. But that still leaves a lot of possibilities.

"Cory Barlog's game is [Sony Santa Monica's] next big thing," Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier writes on ResetEra. "Last time I spoke to anyone about it (a month or two ago), it was going well."

Barlog, the creative director of both God of War 2018 and its sequel Ragnarok, previously teased what appeared to be a sci-fi project. This would be the studio's first foray back into the genre since its initial outing, the futuristic racing game Kinetica, but Schreier's follow-up post refutes this theory.

"The sci-fi stuff (that people have apparently believed for years now?) is nonsense," he states with finality. So, what is this mysterious new game?

"I'll put it this way: it's not a new IP but it might feel like one," Schreier writes. "Maybe that's why people are confused. Please don't ask me more questions about this - if I wind up reporting more information at any point in the future, it'll be in an article, not on a forum."

"So reinventing an old IP in a way that makes it feel like basically a whole different thing, kinda like they did for God of War," writes one commenter on Reddit. Schreier's description certainly could fit that bill.

We can assume it will be some Sony IP, given the studio is owned by the company, but what, specifically, is completely up for speculation right now. Some are suggesting it will be Jak 4, which I would love, but that would probably very much be a sci-fi game. For now, we'll have to make do with this Jak & Daxter-inspired retro platformer.

Maybe Santa Monica will have a crack at Sly Cooper, the thieving raccoon game Insomniac has left in the past in favor of superheroes? With Naughty Dog and Sucker Punch, the original Jak and Sly studios, respectively busy with Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet and Ghost of Yotei, perhaps Sony will shuffle some IP around.

While we wait to learn more, check out all the confirmed upcoming video games of 2025 that you have to look forward to.

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.

As an artist, it's often difficult to see the forest for the trees. When a video game developer has spent years on a project, every aspect of the game becomes second nature to them, so they can have trouble knowing if systems are being explained properly to new players. That's why play testers are important, and why one God of War developer admits that they eventually agreed with them after getting angry at their suggestions.

Speaking during a recent God of War 20th anniversary panel, Todd Papy, a creative director at Lightspeed and former game director on God of War Ascension says: "I remember always going into those play test and being so angry, 'Why can't you just get on this climb wall here?'" He's speaking about the older God of War games.

"But at the end of the day you go home, probably have a beer or whiskey, and relax," he says. "You come in the next day and it's like, 'They were right, we have to fix it.' Those play tests were so invaluable to us."

While the God of War games old and new are both remembered for their combat and boss battles, they're also puzzle games. Kratos isn't a himbo – he's a learned Spartan general and very quick-witted, so it's not surprising a lot of early play testers got bamboozled by certain aspects of the series.

In God of War Ragnarok, Atreus infamously offers up hints to most in-game puzzles, but he does it way too quickly. There's finally an option to tone down his suggestions though.

If you prefer the combat elements of the series, check out some of the best action games you can play today.

You remember game demos, right? Trials, teasers, tasters? It’s easy to believe that most publishers don’t remember them, given how rare a free sample of a new game is nowadays. We’re not talking about time-limited betas, but something you can play at your own pace, and as many times as you like, whenever you like.

This is a list of demos that were fun, important, weird, generous, or any combination of the four. Some are no longer available – or are at least, hard to find – but you might find one that’s easy to nab and tickles your gaming fancy.

1. Sly sneaks into another game

Game: Sly 2: Band of Thieves
Platform(s): PS2
Developer: Insomniac
Released: 2004

Putting a demo for one game inside the finished version of another is a bit odd. Deciding to hide that demo is very odd – but that's exactly what Insomniac did with the Sly 2 demo in Ratchet & Clank 3, which was accessible only via a button code entered at the main menu. Eventually it became an open secret – the emphasis on 'open' rather than 'secret'. Offering several missions and the Paris hub world, the demo also unlocks a laser sword for Ratchet. Er, for use in Ratchet & Clank 3, that is, not in Sly 2.

2. Criminal cover star

Game: Grand Theft Auto
Platform(s): PS1
Developer: Rockstar Games
Released: 1998

Back in the olden days, PLAY was called Official PlayStation Magazine, and gave away demos on discs with each issue. Can you imagine? One such taster was for Grand Theft Auto, allowing players to try out the beginning of a legend before buying the game. It opens by dropping the player next to a car (a Bulldog in a fetching blue), allowing them to jump in and find the South Park public phones for their first mission... or just drive around causing chaos. How many purchases did this lead to, we wonder? You’re welcome.

3. A taste of Silent Hills

Game: PT
Platform(s): PS4
Developer: Kojima Productions
Released: 2014

We can't talk about demos without mentioning PT, can we? What a beautiful mess. Whether you consider it a teaser (PT stands for 'playable teaser'), a demo, or even a game in its own right, the fact is that this is all we ever got to see of Silent Hills, the cancelled horror sequel that Hideo Kojima was due to co-direct with movie master Guillermo del Toro. If you never got to play it, then you missed out on a genuinely unnerving and sometimes terrifying experience, one that squeezed more out of a looping corridor than you could reasonably expect. Rest in peace, PT.

4. You got a free hit...or two

Game: Hitman
Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, PC
Developer: IO Interactive
Released: 2016

This demo is essentially the beginning of 2016's Hitman in its entirety, sliced away from the rest of the murderous cake, and as such, it's one of the most replayable demos on the list. It includes not only the first two missions, but also all of the associated challenges and Mastery levels. As is par for the Hitman course, there's an apparently endless combination of entry paths, escape paths, ways to use disguises, and methods for murdering. That's a heck of a lot of content for zero pounds and zero pence. A fantastic way to reacquaint yourself with the brave and the bald.

5. Zone of the Snake

Game: Metal Gear Solid 2
Platform(s): PS2
Developer: Konami
Released: 2001

We've got all the demos the videogame industry has seen to talk about, and two for Kojima projects feature on our list? Absolutely. No such list would be complete without PT, and the absence of this – a hands-on with what was at the time perhaps the most anticipated sequel of the year – would be a pretty notable omission too. Metal Gear Solid 2 – Trial Edition was included with Zone Of The Enders (another game Kojima was attached to) as a pre-order bonus, leading to ZOE enjoying higher sales than it perhaps otherwise would have. Offering at least 20 minutes of activity (and easily much more depending on how sneaky you are and your chosen difficulty), it goes up to and slightly beyond the first boss fight in the Tanker section.

Comparing this demo to the final version of the game reveals more differences than you might usually expect (spoken dialogue is in Japanese, the Codec screen looks almost completely different, Snake has a shorter health bar, and more) but few people at the time would have known or cared about most of this. They were playing the new Metal Gear Solid! And most importantly of all, the cardboard box was present and correct. The demo begins with Snake on deck, looking for a way inside. Sneaking around corners and taking out goons with his tranquiliser gun (with the option of a less gentle way through once he gets his hands on the USP), Snake eventually finds Olga Gurlukovich and, well...it doesn’t end well for her. And we’d have to get the full game to see how it ended for Snake.

6. The Hour arrives

Game: Resident Evil 7
Platform)s): PS4, Xbox One, PC
Developer: Capcom
Released: 2016

After one entry that split opinion straight down the middle (Resi 5) and one that was almost universally panned (Resi 6), Capcom had a lot to prove. Free to download about six months before the game itself, this teaser for Resident Evil 7 – while not actually featuring any action drawn directly from the main game – showed players that the beloved series was going to come back with a big, scary, and pretty dirty bang. Beginning Hour makes it very clear, very quickly, that the pendulum of design has swung violently from action back to horror. 

For the first time since Resident Evil 4 in 2005 the camera perspective changed completely, turning Resi into a first-person experience. Graphics took a roll down the photorealism road, and your surroundings were pretty dark...and absolutely filthy. It was all very unsettling, something Capcom exploited for multiple scares. Just ask anybody who's played it about the mannequins.

Remarkably, it’s a demo that has received post-release support. There are now a total of seven endings, and five murders to solve. Nothing happens as such during most of the experience, but that’s precisely what makes it such an effective horror; your mind fills in the gaps. Although it’s not entirely reflective of the final game – there's no resource management, few enemies, and no combat as such – it does give you a good idea of what to expect, and contains many secrets in and of itself. Whether you have any interest in Resident Evil or not, this is well worth playing through. It just might surprise (and yes, scare) you.

7. All tricks, but no trick

Game: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
Platform(s): PS1
Developer: Neversoft
Released: 2000

Ask anybody old enough to remember this demo, given away on OPM #59's cover disc, and, once they've stopped complaining about their back problems, chances are they'll tell you they spent more time playing this than they did some full games. Although it's just a tiny taste of the finished product, the trick system is mostly finished, and it even included a two-player mode. Replay incentive was added via a competition where players could submit high scores on a 'website' via something called the 'internet' for a chance to win a big cash prize and even to meet Mr Hawk himself.

8. The little prince

Game: Final Fantasy 15
Platform(s): PS4
Developer: Square Enix
Released: 2016

Another self-contained teaser rather than a demo cut from the main game, the Platinum demo was a prologue that was, for reasons only understood by Square Enix, pulled from PSN a year after release. Players controlled an eight-year-old Noctis in the world of his dreams, where he was able to communicate with his furry big-eared friend Carbuncle via text messages on a smartphone and...look, it was weird, okay? He even turned into an adult for the boss fight at the end before turning back again immediately afterwards. It was unique and memorable, if nothing else.

9. Kratos' Blu mood

Game: God of War 3
Platform(s): PS3
Developer: Santa Monica Studios
Released: 2009

While the 2009 E3 demo was added to PSN in February 2010, you could've got hold of it two months earlier if you'd bought District 9 (a movie worth watching) on Blu-ray at the end of December. Put the disc into your PS3 and you'd find a sample of one of Kratos' best adventures ready to go. Considering the fact that PS3's Blu-ray player function was touted as one justification for the high price and that Sony has a big finger in the movie industry pie, it's odd that this kind of thing never became common practice.

10. Now this is loot

Game: Outriders
Platform(s): PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PC
Developer: People Can Fly
Released: 2021

This blurs the line between a demo and a trial, but one thing is clear: there's a ridiculous amount of playtime in the Demo Version of Outriders if you want it, all for free. There's roughly three hours worth of the campaign but, as it's a looter shooter, there's plenty to grind for beyond that. Online functionality is included, so you can play with friends to your heart's content. There are restrictions (your character can't progress past level 7, and the skills you can unlock are limited) but any progress you make carries over to the full game.

This feature originally appeared in Play Magazine. For more great features, interviews, and more, subscribe to Play Magazine. 

Raf Grassetti, the art director who led the visual design for 2018's God of War and its sequel God of War: Ragnarok, is leaving Sony Santa Monica after over a decade with the studio. 

Grassetti announced his departure today, May 19, seemingly confirming that it's not only his last day at the house of God of War, but at Sony in general. "It's bittersweet, but above all, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the countless opportunities I've been fortunate to have," he wrote on Twitter. "Sony has been my second home, and I'm immensely grateful to be involved so deeply with God of War. The skills I've learned, and the deep connections I've formed with incredible people will stay with me forever."

Grassetti thanked directors Cory Barlog and Eric Williams for their support, as well as internal heads like production lead Scott Rohde. Barlog and Williams were arguably the most visible and public-facing members of God of War's development team, regularly fielding development diaries and press interviews, but Grassetti was also a familiar face among fans, quickly becoming known for the personal projects and many God of War art timelapses he'd post to social media. 

The art director was an especially big proponent of the design for Ragnarok's Thor, who was an early favorite among many God of War players. 

"I am extremely confident in the studio's continued success, and I hope we can create together again in the future," Grassetti said of Sony Santa Monica, concluding with a tease that, "I will share more news on what's next for me next week." It sounds like he'll land in another senior art position within game development, but that's no guarantee. 

Ragnarok is still going strong, dropping a new game plus update with a bunch of new gear last month. 

God of War Ragnarok's studio is currently "spread out on a lot of different things."

That's according to Ragnarok creative director Cory Barlog, speaking this past week with The LA Times. The creative director, who also directed 2018's God of War reboot, doesn't give away too much information, declining to go into specifics on what sort of projects these "things" are.

Eric Williams, God of War Ragnarok's director, is in a slightly different mindset. Williams apparently quickly added, after Barlog's comment, that it wouldn't be a shame if Sony Santa Monica was to devote itself full-time to the God of War series going forward.

"I remember talking to someone from another game company, where they were trying to get me to leave," Williams said to The LA Times. "They said, 'Do you just want to be known as the God of War guy for the rest of your life?' That was your big pitch to dissuade me? Because yes, I kind of do."

In the past however, Barlog and Williams have been adamant about God of War Ragnarok concluding the current Norse saga for the franchise. That's chiefly because Barlog didn't want a trilogy being told across roughly 15 years, given how long it takes to develop gigantic AAA games like 2018's God of War and Ragnarok.

From the comments given by Williams and Barlog this week, it seems like the future isn't entirely set in stone for Sony Santa Monica, even if the studio does have multiple projects in the works.

Head over to our God of War Ragnarok Ravens guide if you're currently playing through the latest adventure of Kratos and Atreus.

One particularly awesome moment in God of War Ragnarok is getting major props from players.

God of War Ragnarok launched on PlayStation this week and despite the tremendous hype surrounding the sequel, developer Santa Monica Studio hasn't failed to deliver an experience that thrills and delights every bit as much as its predecessor. Kratos' latest Norse myth-inspired adventure is filled with spectacular moments, but there's one in particular that has well and truly blown fans away. 

It's worth noting that the below contains spoilers for God of War Ragnarok, so if you've not played the game yet and would rather not know what lies ahead, look away now.

An early section of God of War Ragnarok sees Kratos engage in an epic battle with Thor. The God of Thunder is a formidable foe and has serious beef with our gruff hero, making for the kind of intense showdown the series is renowned for. During the battle, Thor attempts to overpower Kratos, forcing you into a quick time event where you must mash the circle button to survive. Except the prompt is nothing but a red herring. It turns out that no matter how fast you push circle, the son of Odin eventually gets the better of our protagonist, killing him with a mighty swing of Mjolnir.

But all is not as it seems. As Kratos falls to the ground and the loading screen appears, you assume that you just weren't fast enough to pass the QTE, but in a moment of sheer brilliance, Thor's voice can suddenly be heard saying, "Oh no, I say when we're done." The game then cuts back to Kratos, where we see him being revived by Thor, and the struggle resumes once more. 

It's a stroke of genius from Santa Monica Studio, and fans have taken to Twitter to share their reactions. "I thought I failed the QTE.. and then God Of War became my game of the year," says Twitch streamer Lord Balvin. Twitter user Craig is equally impressed, saying, "This is the single coolest thing I've ever experienced in a video game". User Suzi Hunter writes, "I can't believe Sony Santa Monica pulled a Kojima in God of War Ragnarok," and shows their appreciation for the assist adding, "Thanks for pulling me out of the loading screen Thor."

We awarded God of War Ragnarok 4.5 out of 5 in our review, describing it as "a fitting close for Kratos' Viking adventure".

For what to play after Ragnarok, check out these games like God of War.

The studio that helped port God of War to PC is continuing to work on the series, as well as on a Sony "flagship IP" with a live service focus.

As first flagged by a ResetEra thread yesterday on September 29, the Vancouver-based Jetpack Interactive recently updated its LinkedIn page with new information. Firstly, the company states that it "continues to work with Sony Santa Monica on the God Of War franchise."

This could be a major hint that God of War Ragnarok will launch on PC at some point further down the line. This wouldn't exactly be a massive surprise, given that numerous PlayStation first-party games like God of War have come to PC well after launch, but Sony Santa Monica so far hasn't announced a PC port for the sequel.

Elsewhere, Jetpack Interactive reveals that it's now "excited to embark on a new live services title with Sony," and welcomes potential new recruits to apply for the project. The company also reveals that this new project will be based on one of Sony's "flagship IPs."

Earlier this year, PlayStation laid out big plans for live service games going forward. PlayStation already plans to launch two new live service titles this year in 2022, with three such games following next year, and four live service games launching in 2024. Finally, 2025 will see two new live service games from PlayStation.

Considering this focus on live service games, it isn't a surprise one of Sony's support studios is now turning an established IP into a live service title. One such project could well be the rumored Twisted Metal reboot that's been floating around for around a year, and elsewhere, Guerrilla has been hiring for a multiplayer game, which could well be a Horizon Forbidden West spin-off. 

Check out our full upcoming PS5 games guide for a complete look at all the other games coming to Sony's new-gen console. 

Ahead of Elden Ring's launch this month, a bunch of PlayStation Studios devs from Naughty Dog, Insomniac, Bend Studio, and Sony Santa Monica have revealed their favorite bosses from the Dark Souls series.

The devs' responses were compiled into a list on the PlayStation Blog. As a bit of a foreword, FromSoftware director Hidetaka Miyazaki reiterates that his all-time favorite boss from the Souls games is Old Monk from Demon's Souls, which also happens to be the top pick from Thomas Hart, associate community manager at Insomniac. 

Hart was surprised to find that their second attempt at beating Old Monk revealed a completely different move set from the boss fight, and so they Googled some tips. Of course, if you've played Demon's Souls, you know why the boss's behavior changes with each battle. "I was hit with the revelation that I wasn't fighting a computer… it was other players," Hart said. "PvP boss fight! Mind blown!"

Bend Studio technical artist Tucker Cole reckons their favorite boss is Nameless King from Dark Souls 3, a battle Cole found to be equal parts spectacular and punishing. "Perhaps as intimidating as his offense is his tendency to walk calmly towards the player between attacks, displaying the patience and composure of a seasoned warrior," Cole explained. "Defeating this formidable foe imparts a comparable sense of mastery, along with the pride of having defeated the boss that stood at Lothric's absolute peak."

If you ever hear a battle described as a "dance," you know it's some serious business. Ivanna Liittschwager, environment artist at Sony Santa Monica, says the fight with Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower in Bloodborne was the most challenging and beautiful she'd seen from the series.

"Lady Maria has to be my most favorite boss in all of these games because of how much it felt like a dance, with Lady Maria leading me ... Phase one is a rhythmic dance to her quick attacks. Phase two is a faster pace with longer-range attacks where she uses her blood as a whip of sorts. Phase three, she's using blood AND fire that you must dodge until you miss a step and you're dead. What a wonderful experience it was to fight her for the first time."

Naughty Dog narrative lead Joe Pettinati found deciding the best Souls boss to be a daunting task, but ultimately settled on Guardian Ape from Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. What appears to be a gag fight ultimately turns into a gloriously grotesque spectacle after you decapitate the giant monkey and it turns into a... centipede?

"The thing I love most is how From animated a fairly credible gorilla in the first phase, then completely flips the script in phase two as this ape torso slithers and slinks around – part snake, part ballet dancer.

"Somehow, pulling a giant centipede out of its neck-hole in the end starts to clarify things. You were fighting a bug, living inside a gorilla, tugging it around like a marionette. No cutscene explains that. No scribbled note. It's all told through arresting visuals."

Check out the full article for everyone's picks, as there are contributions from developers from Firesprite, Bluepoint Games, and Nixxes Software as well.

In anticipation of its impending launch, check out our hands-on Elden Ring preview from November.

The list of PlayStation Studios has been met with some changes in recent times. The industry facing various challenges that has sadly seen some studio closures. But the teams that fall under the PlayStation Studios umbrella continue to showcase a wealth of creativity and deliver some of the most exciting new games.

Here, we've brought together a full breakdown of all of the PlayStation Studios, highlighting some of the most notable releases we've seen, as well as any future projects we know are currently in the works. That means it's here that you'll see some of the best PS5 games and most impressive PS5 exclusives we've seen and are yet to come – thanks to the hard work of industry-leading first-party PlayStation Studios such as Naughty Dog, Sony Santa Monica, and many, many more.

With lots of unannounced projects said to be the works within the studios, there's always the chance we could learn more about the upcoming PS5 games and upcoming PSVR 2 games in development during the Summer Game Fest schedule 2025 lineup of showcases - here's hoping! Known formerly as Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios, read on below to find the full list of PlayStation Studios.

Full PlayStation Studios list

Every Sony owned, first-party studio:

• Bend Studio
• Bluepoint Games
• Bungie
• Firesprite
• Fabrik Games (Support studio of Firesprite)
• Firewalk Studios
• Guerrilla Games
• Haven Studios
• Housemarque
• Insomniac Games
• London Studio
• Media Molecule
• Naughty Dog
• Nixxes Software
• Polyphony Digital
• San Diego Studio
• San Mateo Studio (Support only)
• Sony XDev
• Savage Game Studios (Mobile games)
• Sucker Punch Productions
• Team Asobi
• Valkyrie Entertainment (Support only)

Bend Studio

Notable releases: Syphon Filter (PS1, 1999), Days Gone (PS4, 2019 PC 2021), Days Gone Remastered (PS5, 2025)

Currently working on: TBA

Acquired in: 2000

Sony Bend spent much of the PS3 era working on handheld spinoffs for some of PlayStation's biggest franchises, including Uncharted and Resistance. With 2019's Days Gone, however, the studio elevated itself into AAA territory.

Following a surprise announcement, Days Gone Remastered for PS5 and PS5 Pro also released in 2025, with Bend partnering with Climax Studios to bring the zombie-infested adventure to Sony's latest consoles with improved graphical fidelity and additional bells and whistles. The studio has been rolling out updates following the game's launch, and with its focus on Days Gone for the time being, we don't yet know if there are any new projects in the works.

Bluepoint Games

Notable Releases: Shadow of the Colossus Remake (PS4, 2018), Demon's Souls Remake (PS5, 2020)

Currently Working on: Unannounced new IP

Acquired in: 2021

Since its founding in 2006, Bluepoint Games has carved out a reputation as the modern masters of the remake and remaster. Whether it's the fantastic collections of God of War, Team ICO, and Uncharted games, or the stunning remakes of Shadow of the Colossus and Demon's Souls, Bluepoint is synonymous with breathing new life into old classics. That's set to change following the studio's acquisition in 2021, with reports indicating that it is working on an unannounced new IP.

While we're still awaiting news about the mystery project, Bluepoint Games' head of technology reiterated that the team is still working on an "original title" back in 2024.

Bungie

Notable Releases: Halo: Combat Evolved (Xbox, 2001), Destiny 2 (PS4, 2017)

Currently Working on: Marathon

Acquired in: 2022

Bungie may have once been the crown jewel of the Xbox empire – responsible for creating the Halo franchise and helping to revolutionize online multiplayer for console – is now a part of the PlayStation Studios platform. While Destiny 2 continues to be available on all platforms, Bungie is gearing up to release its new PvP FPS, Marathon, which is set to PC and consoles on September 23, 2025.

Firesprite

Notable Releases: The Persistence VR (PS4, 2018), Horizon Call of the Mountain (PSVR 2, 2023)

Currently Working on: TBC

Acquired in: 2021

Founded in 2012 by former developers from WipeOut developer Psygnosis, Firesprite has been working with Sony to deliver innovative and experimental releases ever since. It has collaborated with Japan Studio on The Playroom and spent much of the last few years building PSVR exclusives such as The Playroom VR, and Horizon: Call of the Mountain. Firesprite acquired Fabrik Games in 2021 to help facilitate its next project for PlayStation platforms.

We're still waiting on the studio to officially reveal its next game, but job listings suggest a "dark, story-driven next generation Narrative Adventure" is in the works.

Guerrilla Games

Notable releases: Killzone (PS2, 2004), Horizon Forbidden West (PS5, 2022, PC 2024)

Currently working on: TBC

Acquired in: 2005

Guerrilla is known for two franchises, both of which couldn't be more different from one another. Well, it also made Shellshock: Nam '67 in 2004, of course, but no one remembers that one. Founded in 2000, Guerrilla is hard at work developing video games which showcase the PlayStation platform – Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered and Horizon Lego Adventure being its most recent releases.

We're still awaiting official confirmation on the studio's next project, but word is the studio is reportedly working on an multiplayer co-op game, Horizon Online.

Haven Studios

Notable Releases: N/A

Currently Working on: Fairgames

Acquired in: 2022

Founded in 2021 by Jade Raymond – the executive producer behind Assassin's Creed 2, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, and Watch Dogs – Haven Studios was acquired by Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2022 to lead the company's charge into live service territories.

In 2023, the studio revealed its Pay Day-like shooter Fairgames, with an update on the project coming in 2024. The latest news, however, has confirmed that Raymond has parted ways from the studio allegedly following external tests of the game. We're still awaiting word on what this will mean for the project going forward.

Housemarque

Notable releases: Resogun (2013), Returnal (2021, PS5, 2023, PC)

Currently working on: Saros (2026)

Acquired in: 2021

Housemarque has made a lot of great games over the years, but you may know the studio best for delivering Resogun – arguably the best game on the PS4 at launch. Housemarque is the oldest active developer in Finland and brings decades of experience to the PlayStation Studios group, as well as a talent for building games that look and feel incredible.

The studio is now hard at work on Saros, a new action game that's set to explore a "haunting story of a lost off-world colony".

Insomniac Games

Notable releases: Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Multi, 2020), Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (PS5, 2021)

Currently working on: Marvel's Wolverine (PS5, TBC)

Acquired in: 2019

Insomniac has a rich and storied history with PlayStation, yet was only acquired by Sony as a first-party studio in 2019, following huge success with its Spider-Man PS4 game. The developer is now the poster child for PS5, following the success of Miles Morales and Ratchet and Clack: Rift Apart. Insomniac is hard at work on its next big platform exclusives, Marvel's Wolverine, which remains TBC.

Media Molecule

Notable releases: LittleBigPlanet (PS3, 2008), Dreams (PS4, 2020)

Currently working on: TBA

Acquired in: 2010

Media Molecule is one of the few British studios within the PlayStation family, but what a studio it is. Following three LittleBigPlanet games (and the equally brilliant Tearaway), it is unknown what the studio is working on now. Media Molecule announced that it was ending support for Dreams back in 2023, as it begins to focus on an "exciting new project" for PS5. What that is exactly is still yet to be confirmed.

Naughty Dog

Notable releases: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3, 2007), The Last of Us Part 2 (PS4, 2020)

Currently working on: Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet

Acquired in: 2001

One of the most respected studios in the PlayStation family, Naughty Dog has given Sony two titanic franchises for its platform over the last two generations, with both Uncharted and The Last of Us respectively. Following the release of The Last of Us Part 2, we also saw the release of a Last of Us remake, as well as The Last of Us 2 remastered.

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is the studio's next game, with the upcoming action-adventure set to put us in the role of a bounty hunter who finds herself stranded on a dangerous planet.

Nixxes Software

Notable releases: Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (2016), Marvel's Avengers (2020), Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut (PC)

Currently working on: TBC

Acquired in: 2021

There's a good chance that you haven't heard of Nixxes Software. The studio specializes in porting video games across different platforms, most famously working with Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix to help ensure everything from Avengers to Tomb Raider work smoothly on all consoles. Nixxes was likely acquired as Sony continues to invest in bringing its games to Steam and PC, which has already been seen in the likes of Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut, and The Last of Us 2 Remastered launching on PC, both of which Nixxes worked on.

Polyphony Digital

Notable releases: Gran Turismo (PS1, 1997), Gran Turismo 7 (PS5, 2022)

Currently working on: TBC

Founded in: 1994

Polyphony Digital is one of the leading experts on simulation racing games, following its work with the Gran Turismo franchise over the past two decades. The studio released Gran Turismo 7 to critical acclaim in 2022 and followed it up with support for the new PSVR 2 platform. It's unknown whether Polyphony is turning its attention to something new now, or whether support for GT7 will continue long into the future.

San Diego Studio

Notable releases: The Mark of Kri (PS2, 2002), MLB , MLC The Show 2025 (2025)

Currently working on: TBA

Founded in: 2001

While Sony has big ambitions in the live service space for PS5, it's been largely down to SIE San Diego to carry the torch. This studio has been hard at work on the MLB: The Show franchise for over 15 years now, with MLB: The Show 2025 being the latest release in the series. Given its expertise in baseball, expect to see San Diego Studio continuing to make games in this field in the years to come.

Sony ExDev

Notable releases: N/A

Currently working on: N/A

Outside of PlayStation Studios, Sony has a number of what it calls ExDev partners; which are best described as independent, third-party teams working with PlayStation to bring exclusive titles to its platform, and thus not to be confused with any of its first-party developers.

These partnerships are handled by an internal group at Sony called Sony ExDev, and can sometimes last for years, and quite often lead to PlayStation acquiring the studio outright. Presently, PlayStation ExDev partners include Sumo Digital (Sackboy: A Big Adventure), Lucid Games (Destruction AllStars), and Wild Sheep (Wild).

Sony Santa Monica

Notable releases: God of War (PS2, 2005), God of War Reboot (PS4, 2018) God of War: Ragnarok (PS5, 2022)

Currently working on: TBC

Founded in: 1999

Sony Santa Monica is better known as the God of War studio, having produced five games in the critically acclaimed action franchise over its 21 year history. Following the hugely well received soft reboot of the series with 2018's God of War, the team saw continued success with God of War: Ragnarok for PS5 in 2022. It's thought that the studio is working on a new IP for its next project, but we're yet to learn anything more.

Sucker Punch Productions

Notable releases: Infamous (PS3, 2009), Ghost of Tsushima (PS4, 2020)

Currently working on: Ghost of Yotei

Acquired in: 2011

Founded in 1997, Sucker Punch's first release was 2002's Sly Racoon, and the studio quickly made a name for itself before turning to the world of superheroes with the Infamous series during the PS3 era. Following the launch of Ghost of Tsushima and its expansion, Iki Island, work on a sequel has been underway, with the studio set to bring us Ghost of Yotei in 2025.

Team Asobi

Notable releases: The Playroom (PS3, 2013), Astro's Playroom (PS5, 2020), Astro Bot (2024)

Currently working on: TBC

Founded in: 2021

You may know Team Asobi by another name: Japan Studio. While SIE closed the legendary developer behind such oddities as Ape Escape, LocoRoco, and Patapon, the decision was made to shutter Japan Studio in 2021, with Team Asobi created out of the ashes. This team is credited with creating platform showcases, such as Astro Bot Rescue Mission for PSVR and Astro's Playroom for PS5.

The latest release, Astro Bot, showed the team's creativity is still in top form, and we're curious to see what they might do next.

God of War's lead level designer has joined That's No Moon, a new studio working on "an ambitious AAA single-player, third-person action adventure".

The Smilegate-backed studio founded by former developers from Naughty Dog, Infinity Ward, and Sony Santa Monica announced Rob Davis' arrival as its new design director on Twitter. Davis jumped in to add that he loved the pitch from That's No Moon game director Jacob Minkoff and creative director Taylor Kurosaki "from minute one," calling for more developers to join the project by linking to the studio's careers page.

Davis' biggest claim to fame is his work as lead level designer on God of War, though his credits reach back to work on The Saboteur and Destroy All Humans 2 at Pandemic Studios, and beyond. According to his public LinkedIn profile, he also worked as a lead designer at Apple between his roughly 8-year stint at Sony Santa Monica and joining That's No Moon.

While we still only know the top-level pitch about That's No Moon's first project, the studio is wasting no time in assembling a dizzying selection of talent from high-profile backgrounds. Given the fact that the studio is still visibly coming together, it will likely be a while until it's ready to share any more specifics about its game with folks outside the company.

While we're waiting to learn more about what Davis and the rest of the gang are working on next, you can see what we're already excited about with our guide to new games 2021.

Sony plans to start "aggressively investing" in its first-party studios in the year ahead, which means you can expect even bigger things from teams such as Naughty Dog, Santa Monica Studio, and beyond.

CFO Hiroki Totoki discussed his company's plans for its gaming efforts in the latest Sony quarterly financials conference call. Totoki noted that the company plans to increase "development, personnel and other costs in our in-house studios" by 20 billion yen, or about $180 million USD, in its current financial forecast. He also cited PlayStation partnering with Jade Raymond's new studio for a PlayStation exclusive as an example of increased investment in external partner studios.

"We aim to strengthen the PlayStation platform through action such as the recently announced partnership with Haven Entertainment Studios, which was established by Jade Raymond, the creator of the famous game Assassin's Creed, and our additional investment in Epic Games," Totoki said. "Along with the rest of the Sony Group, we will also work to enhance the social and platform capabilities of games."

Why is Sony juicing its game development efforts so hard? Well, Totoki also revealed that global playtime on PlayStation platforms was up 20 percent in March as compared to in March 2019, and it expects players to stay just as engaged in the fiscal year ahead - so Sony had better get busy making more stuff for them to play.

Hopefully this extra push from Sony means we'll have even more to add to our list of upcoming PS5 games in the months and years ahead. 

God of War developer Sony Santa Monica could be working on a new fantasy game.

A new job listing for a senior character concept artist was posted to the official Sony Santa Monica website earlier this week. Within the responsibilities section of the job, Santa Monica asks for an individual who can help develop the "rule sets for fantasy-based worlds."

This phrase pops up again underneath the requirements section of the listing: "Strong design skills with the ability to render realistic believable fantasy-based characters" is one such requirement for the role, again pointing to the fact that Sony Santa Monica's next game could be a fantasy-based IP.

Of course, God of War fits the bill for a fantasy setting, but the adventures of Kratos and Atreus aren't the only game in development at the studio, and the listing specifically mentions that the role pertains to "a new unannounced title." The studio appears to be starting the hiring process for its new game in earnest; in January, a job listing for a new art director position at the studio wanted an individual to help with the "development of a new unannounced title," separate from its next God of War project.

Currently, it would seem as though Sony Santa Monica is working on releasing God of War: Ragnarok, before turning its full attention to this forthcoming game. Ragnarok was first revealed last year, just a few months before the PS5 launched in November. We know precious little about the God of War sequel so far, but the ending of the 2018 reboot undoubtedly pointed to a showdown with the Norse gods.

Around the time of the PS5 launch last year, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan was pressed on whether God of War: Ragnarok was a true next-gen exclusive for the PS5. The CEO wouldn't confirm or deny the query, leading some to believe that Santa Monica's sequel might also be coming to Sony's current-gen console.

For a complete list of all the games confirmed to be launching on Sony's next-gen console so far, head over to our upcoming PS5 games guide for more.

Alanah Pearce, former games journalist for IGN and most recently a presenter for Funhaus, announced that she will be joining Sony Santa Monica Studios as a video game writer.

The announcement came from a tweet where the former games journalist of 8 years revealed that her next role at the AAA studio would be as a video game writer. Pearce also uploaded a new video to her YouTube channel where she went into more detail on the position, saying “I am writing a video game at one of my favourite studios in the entire world.” 

In the video, Pearce also jokingly expressed how she will now have to preface each video with the fact that she is now a Sony employee, as she will still be making YouTube content alongside writing for Santa Monica Studios.

Pearce, who left Rooster Teeth’s Funhaus team in October to pursue the new opportunity, will be working alongside Cory Barlog, director of the God of War, and will more than likely be part of the team writing for the sequel God of War Ragnarok, although nothing has been confirmed.

Barlog also commented on Pearce’s new position at Santa Monica Studios in a new tweet: 

This isn’t the first time Alanah Pearce has worked on a video game. In September, she revealed that she will be joining the cast and make an appearance in the highly anticipated Cyberpunk 2077 as an NPC. Pearce has also previously voiced NPCs in a few other video games including Night School Studios’ AfterParty, as well as Gears 5. 

Head over to read everything we know about God of War Ragnarok on PS5, so far.

The gameplay director for Sony Santa Monica has strongly hinted that the studio will be showing "what the future has in store" at this week's PS5 Future of Gaming showcase.

Just what Sony Santa Monica could be debuting or detailing at the PS5 Future of Gaming stream is currently unknown, but naturally the gaming hive mind is leaning towards a God of War 2 confirmation or teaser trailer. As we previously reported, Sony Santa Monica has been hiring people with previous and next-gen experience, so it's not a stretch to consider that the PS5 event could debut a God of War 2 teaser. That Jeet Shroff, the gameplay director for God of War, would implore you to join the studio at the PS5 event in order to get details certainly adds fuel to the God of War 2 rumor fire. There could be a chance though that he's just drumming up support for the show in general.  

Back in January of this year, GamesRadar reported that Sony Santa Monica's narrative animator Kim Newman shared a picture of herself in a mo-cap suit on Twitter, which may have implied the God of War sequel was already in the works. And within this year, Cory Barlog has also spoken about what God of War 2's story could focus on in a PlayStation Access interview. 

As we previously reported, the PS5 Future of Gaming showcase was moved from Thursday, June 4 to this Thursday, June 11 at 1pm PDT / 4pm EST / 9pm BST to honor the Black Lives Matter movement and "allow for more voices to be heard."

Don't forget, the Future Games Show will be bringing you exclusive announcements, trailers, and more on June 13! 

Sony Santa Monica, the first-party PlayStation studio behind 2018's hit PS4 exclusive God of War, is hiring for multiple new recruits experienced in martial arts for its new big project. 

The two job listings are for an Assistant Cinematic Director and Cinematic Artist respectively, both of which would be involved with Santa Monica's motion capture shooting, and specifically state that the ideal candidate would have "experience in martial-arts [sic] or dance."

Now, there's a number of ways in which you could interpret these new postings. Martial arts, of course, instantly conjures up the renowned fighting styles of Eastern Asia, such as Karate or Taekwondo. As it so happens, God of War takes place in a world of many realms based on the different cultural mythologies of the world, and the God of War ending explicitly acknowledges Japan's own rich folkore with the appearance of a symbol associated with Shinto war deity, Hachiman (see below in the bottom left-hand corner of the wall).

Of course, that symbol was also displayed alongside an Ancient Egyptian hieroglyph and Celtic Triskelion, but Santa Monica's interest in bringing martial arts aficionados does add validity to the idea that East Asia is next on Kratos and Atreus' grand tour of religious world history. 

That said, while none would describe Kratos' fighting style as anything close to the grace and tact associated with martial arts, this desired skillset listed in the vacancies could simply be highlighted as relevant experience to lean on for staging fight sequences in real time on the mo-cap stage. In short, we shouldn't read the listings as a guarantee that Kratos will be taking on Asia's pantheon of deities for his next adventure. 

God of War creative director Cory Barlog himself has expressed interest in heading to Ancient Egypt for a future installment in the action RPG series, while a previous teaser (hidden in a PS4 theme) suggests the Norse apocalypse of Ragnarok is still on the cards for our Greek demigod. Former Santa Monica Studio job listings have also implied that a God of War sequel is in the works, and that it'll be coming to PS5. Fingers crossed that we'll learn something more official soon. 

For more, check out all the biggest Black Friday game deals to expect later this month, or watch our latest episode of Dialogue Options below.

Sony Santa Monica is working on something "freaking huge," and God of War II director and writer Cory Barlog is coming back to the studio to head it up.

"What am I working on, you ask? Good question," Barlog wrote on the PlayStation Blog. "Sadly, I cannot tell you... yet. But I can say that it is freaking huge, and it will live up to the standards that I helped establish here at Santa Monica Studios."

Barlog took over for God of War creator David Jaffe, who left Sony in 2007, to direct and write God of War II. Barlog left Sony Santa Monica in 2007 after making early contributions to God of War III and Ghost of Sparta.

He traveled the world and worked on various creative projects since then, most recently partnering with Crystal Dynamics to direct Tomb Raider's cinematics.

Sony Santa Monica shipped God of War: Ascension in March, and it's collaborating with Ready at Dawn on PS4 steampunk shooter The Order: 1886. Now Barlog's putting together a new internal team to work on his project.

Santa Monica Studio has issued a job ad seeking a senior staff concept artist to join the God of War team. Available immediately, the new recruit would be required to move to California and join the Sony-owned developer in the creation of a “Military/Combat” game for the PlayStation brand.

While the mystery project isn't mentioned by name, Santa Monic Studio's posting could point to a full God of War console sequel. Not that the existence of a sequel was ever in question, mind you, just that Sony has been relatively quiet about when it plans to bring Kratos back to the PS3.

Kratos' return was also predicted earlier this year in an April edition of the UK game mag PSM3, which reported, “PSM3 has heard from another source that God of War 4 is coming, and will hit in September 2012.”

God of War or not, this is a cool opportunity for industry concept artists. Previous game making experience is desirable, but not required, so if you've got a degree in something resembling the Fine Arts and think you can design kickass Gods and/or Titans, it can't hurt to apply. Read the complete job duties and requirements at the official posting.