🗂️ Series: God of War
Launched in 2005 on PlayStation 2, Santa Monica Studio's God of War tells of Kratos — the Spartan warrior who sold his soul to Ares, the god of war, then spent ten years hunting that very god to escape his nightmares. The series spans two eras: the Greek era, with its war against Olympus, and the Norse era beginning with the 2018 game, where Kratos is a father facing the gods of the North.
One thing to note: God of War's release order and story order differ — Ascension came out in 2013 yet is the first chapter in the in-game timeline. The list below is arranged in true story order, so you can read seamlessly from Kratos' past to Ragnarök.
🏢 About the developer — Santa Monica Studio
Santa Monica Studio is a Sony studio founded in 1999 in California, USA, part of PlayStation Studios. It is best known for developing the entire God of War series from the first game in 2005 to today, while also supporting other PlayStation exclusives.
God of War: AscensionGod of War: Ascension Story Explained: Six Months After the Tragedy and the Three Goddesses of Vengeance
Six months after the night he killed his own wife and child with his own hands, Kratos breaks his blood oath to Ares — and is imprisoned by the three Furies in a prison carved into the body of a Titan. The opening chapter of the entire series: an oath, a friend, and the price of freedom.
God of War: Chains of OlympusGod of War: Chains of Olympus Story Explained: The Day the Sun Vanished and Kratos's Cruelest Choice
The sun god is kidnapped, the world sinks into Morpheus's eternal sleep, and deep in the Underworld, a father finds the only paradise of his life — then must abandon it with his own hands a second time. Chains of Olympus is the small PSP prequel that contains the most heartbreaking chapter of the entire God of War series.
God of WarGod of War (2005) Story Explained: Ten Years of Nightmares and the Price of Killing a God
A Spartan general sells his soul to the God of War, one fateful night leaves the ashes of his wife and daughter clinging white to his skin, and ten years of nightmares are traded for an impossible task: killing a god. This is where the legend of Kratos begins.
God of War: Ghost of SpartaGod of War: Ghost of Sparta Story Explained: The Forgotten Brother and the Prophecy of the Marked Warrior
Ten years after the night Ares tore Deimos from his family's arms, Kratos — now the God of War — follows the nightmares of his past to find his lost brother. But the Domain of Death lets no one go, and the prophecy of the "Marked Warrior" is about to come true in a way no one could have foreseen.
God of WarGod of War (2018) Story Explained: A Father and Son Scatter the Ashes — and the Name Loki
A Greek god fleeing a blood-soaked past, a son who does not know godly blood runs in his veins, and a journey to scatter a mother's ashes from the highest peak in the nine realms — where every step was already drawn by the giants in prophecy.