How to Play the God of War Games in Order

God of War’s Norse-set masterpieces has cemented it arsenic 1 of PlayStation’s astir iconic franchises. Born during the PS2 era, the God of War franchise made a sanction for itself with fantabulous enactment gameplay, an intriguing communicative of divine revenge, and a memorable pb successful the Spartan demigod Kratos. 20 years later, God of War has grown into gaming’s seminal action-adventure series, blending that progressively fine-tuned enactment with deeper lore and a stronger communicative hook, anchored by an older, much empathic Kratos.

With God of War Ragnarok having earned its spot successful the pantheon of all-time greats, we’ve created this chronology of the bid for those funny successful playing (or replaying) it from the start.

Jump to:

• How to play chronologically
• How to play by merchandise date

How Many God of War Games Are There?

Sony has released 10 God of War games successful the series — six connected location consoles, 2 connected portable consoles, 1 connected mobile, and 1 text-adventure connected Facebook Messenger.

We’re excluding its 2nd mobile release, God of War: Mimir’s Vision, arsenic this AR crippled doesn’t adhd to the ongoing communicative but alternatively provides players with inheritance lore from the satellite of God of War. We’re besides excluding PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale successful this chronology, contempt its comical inclusion successful the God of War canon.

There are respective God of War stories told done novels and comics arsenic well, though this database lone includes games.

Which God of War Game Should You Play First?

Although technically the archetypal crippled successful the bid chronologically was God of War: Ascension, realistically you'll astir apt privation to commencement with God of War (2018). Not lone is it disposable connected some PS4 and PS5, you tin besides play it connected PC. It's a large starting constituent for anyone conscionable getting into the series.

God of War Games successful Chronological Order

These blurbs incorporate mild spoilers for each game, including characters, settings, and communicative beats.

1. God of War: Ascension (2013)

Ascension, the seventh God of War crippled by merchandise day but the archetypal chronologically, is simply a revenge communicative that explores the aboriginal days of Kratos’s translation from a Spartan demigod into the God of War.

Ascension takes spot months aft Kratos was manipulated into sidesplitting his woman and girl by the Greek God of War Ares (more connected this nether the archetypal God of War conception below). Kratos, traumatized by the killings, refuses to grant the oath helium swore to Ares, mounting into question the communicative of Ascension. Ares seeks revenge done the game’s antagonistic Furies, 3 beings tasked with punishing betrayal, whom Kratos indispensable termination successful bid to escaped himself from his oath. The communicative ends with Kratos leaving his Spartan location behind, inactive tormented by his grief.

2. God of War: Chains of Olympus (2008)

Kratos’s adjacent escapade is told successful the PSP crippled aptly named God of War: Chains of Olympus. Olympus takes spot halfway done Kratos’s ten-year servitude to the gods (five years earlier God of War) — a servitude that, erstwhile completed, volition escaped him from the torturous visions of his past.

The main crippled tasks Kratos with rescuing Helios, the Titan God of the Sun, from the underworld astatine the behest of Athena. There, helium encounters the game’s superior antagonist Persephone, Queen of the Underworld. Persephone presents Kratos with an accidental to reunite with his daughter, and Kratos wrestles with the apocalyptic repercussions of that reunion and his committedness to instrumentality Helios to the gods.

3. God of War (2005)

Set astir 10 years aft Ascension, the archetypal God of War crippled begins with Kratos succumbing to his grief and jumping disconnected a cliff into the Aegean Sea. Before helium hits the water, we flash backmost 3 weeks to observe what led the Spartan disconnected the brink.

Kratos, nearing the extremity of his servitude to the gods, is fixed 1 last task by Athena: decision Ares and prevention the metropolis of Athens from his siege. With the committedness of forgiveness for his past atrocites arsenic his reward, Kratos sets retired to get Pandora’s Box and termination Ares. The task takes him to hellhole and back, with Kratos yet facing disconnected against the God of War. Victorious yet nary little troubled by his past, Kratos leap disconnected the bluff arsenic we saw successful the game’s opening. Athena pulls him from the h2o and offers him a throne connected Olympus, completing his 10-year ascension to becoming the God of War.

Throughout the game, a narrator provides important backstory astir Kratos’s beingness done chopped scenes. Kratos erstwhile served arsenic a revered skipper successful the Spartan army. On the verge of decease and decision against a monolithic unit of barbarians, helium offered himself to Ares successful speech for victory. Ares answered the call, defeated the barbarians, and claimed Kratos arsenic his servant, fusing his arms with the Blades of Chaos.

4. God of War: Ghost of Sparta (2010)

Ghost of Sparta, the series’ 2nd PSP game, takes spot betwixt God of War and God of War 2. The subtitle references the nickname fixed to Kratos owed to his pale-white appearance, the effect of an oracle’s curse that fastened the ashes of his woman and kid to his skin.

Ghost of Sparta provides closure to 2 familial communicative threads: Kratos travels to Atlantis wherever helium encounters some his mortal parent and his long-lost member Deimos, who was kidnapped by the gods during puerility to forestall the fulfillment of Olympus’s prophesized demise.

The climax sees Kratos and his member reunited, doing conflict with the Greek God of Death, Thanatos. Despite victory, it’s different unhappy ending for Kratos. By the clip the credits roll, Kratos has grown adjacent wearier and much furious with the different Olympians.

5. God of War: Betrayal (2007)

This mobile 2D sidescroller is officially portion of the God of War canon, according to Sony Santa Monica animation manager Bruno Velazquez. The gods, displeased with Kratos’s bloodlust, effort to halt his latest conquest with Argos, a many-eyed elephantine that serves Hera, Queen of the Gods. Kratos is framed for the sidesplitting of Argos by an unidentified assassin successful an effort to further fracture his narration with Olympus. Later, Zeus sends a messenger to enactment an extremity to Kratos’s continued destruction. Kratos responds with violence, erstwhile again defying the different gods. Betrayal leaves players with this message, mounting up the events to travel successful God of War 2: “Soon, the fury of Zeus would rainfall down upon [Kratos].”

God of War: Betrayal was released successful 2007, earlier the emergence of smartphones, and isn’t disposable connected modern mobile storefronts. It tin beryllium skipped without consequence, but those who privation to play it volition person to entree it via a Java emulator.

6. God of War 2 (2007)

God of War 2 pits Kratos against Zeus, the King of Olympus. Kratos, already ostracized owed to his yearslong rampage, rejects Athena’s plea for bid and continues wreaking havoc passim Greece. It’s the last straw for Olympus; Zeus descends to the battlefield and kills Kratos.

Kratos finds a caller state successful Gaia, the parent of Titans and Earth. She provides Kratos with a mode to rewrite the past and prevention his ain life. After a travel to the Underworld, Kratos follows Gaia’s instructions, starring him to the Sisters of Fate. After much bloodshed, Kratos takes power of the Loom of Fate and returns to the country of his death. Kratos’s program to termination Zeus is thwarted erstwhile different Olympian steps successful beforehand of his blade. It’s present that we (and Kratos) larn astir his existent parentage. Kratos uses the powerfulness of the Loom to enlistee the Titans of the past to his aboriginal war. Back successful the present, Kratos leads the Titans successful an battle connected Mount Olympus, mounting up God of War 3.

7. God of War 3 (2010)

Taking spot straight aft the erstwhile game, God of War 3 concludes Kratos’ Greecian saga and resolves his warfare with Zeus and the Olympians.

Kratos and the Titans conflict with the Olympians to catastrophic effect. Kratos (once again) has his spot betrayed and (once again) descends into the Underworld. There, Kratos teams up with an aged state to instrumentality down Zeus erstwhile and for all. Back connected Earth, Kratos faces the wrath of Titans and Gods alike, starring him connected an epic sidesplitting spree toward a last showdown with Zeus.

Kratos declares an extremity to his vengeance, and with the satellite successful ruin, makes a sacrifice to merchandise anticipation to mankind.

8. God of War: A Call from the Wilds (2018)

God of War: A Call from the Wids is simply a Facebook Messenger text-adventure released up of 2018’s God of War. The ~30-minute communicative introduces Kratos's lad Atreus and provides inheritance connected the character's extrasensory abilities, portion adding a spot of spirit to his relationships with Kratos and his mother, Faye. The communicative is acceptable sometime earlier God of War 2018 erstwhile Faye is inactive alive.

A Call from the Wilds seems to nary longer beryllium playable, though similar God of War: Betrayal, this is simply a communicative that tin yet beryllium skipped. Those who privation to acquisition it tin find implicit playthroughs connected YouTube.

9. God of War (2018)

Set galore years aft God of War 3, 2018’s God of War transports Kratos from Greece to the Norse realm of Midgard, wherever Kratos present resides with his son, Atreus. Kratos and Atreus program to fulfill Faye’s dying wish: to person her ashes dispersed from the apical of the highest highest successful the Nine Realms.

Their travel is nary straightforward hike; the duo question done aggregate realms, encountering friends and foes from Norse mythology, including Baldur, Freya, Thor’s sons Magni and Modi, the past surviving elephantine Jörmungandr, and Mimir. Along the way, Kratos struggles with fatherhood and the truths helium keeps hidden from Atreus — astir his past and Atreus’s identity.

Following their adventure, the Nine Realms participate Fimbulwinter, a three-year-long precursor to Ragnarök, the extremity of the world.

10. God of War Ragnarok (2022)

God of War: Ragnarok, the astir caller and story-rich God of War game, is acceptable 3 years aft 2018’s God of War, arsenic the Nine Realms adjacent the extremity of Fimbulwinter and the opening of Ragnarök.

Many characters instrumentality from 2018, alongside newcomers specified arsenic the All-Father Odin and his lad Thor, but it remains focused connected the adventures of Kratos and Atreus with a greater accent connected the latter, who explores his recently discovered identities and powers. As Kratos and Atreus, you’ll traverse each 9 realms and the Realm Between Realms connected idiosyncratic quests of individuality and a greater quest to decision the Asgards and past Ragnarok.

We won’t spoil the journey, but Ragnarok leaves the doorway unfastened for aboriginal God of War stories to beryllium told. Though you tin play the God of War Ragnorok New Game Plus mode if you've already finished the game.

What’s Next for God of War?

Sony has yet to denote different God of War game, though fixed the captious and commercialized occurrence of God of War (2018) and Ragnarok, we expect aboriginal entries successful the series.

A God of War TV bid is besides successful the works, joining a big of upcoming video crippled adaptations. The live-action show, successful improvement for Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service, volition accommodate the communicative of 2018’s God of War. Production deed a snag successful 2024 pursuing the departure of showrunner Rafe Judkins and enforcement producers Hawk Ostby and Mark Fergus. The bid is present being led by Ronald D. Moore, whose credits see Star Trek: The Next Generation, For All Mankind, and Battlestar Galactica's 2000s reboot. We got the accidental to talk with Moore astatine Comic Con earlier this year, learning much astir what drew him to the God of War franchise and however he's approaching the amusement adaptation.

Jordan covers games, shows, and movies arsenic a freelance writer for IGN.