You’ve seen the memes. Kratos, the screaming bald guy with red tattoos, ripping heads off hydras and eventually becoming a somewhat tired, bearded dad in the woods. But honestly, if you think this series is just about pressing "Square" to win, you’re missing the actual point.
The story of every God of War game isn't just a gore-fest. It’s a twenty-year experiment in how to evolve a character without losing his soul.
It started on the PlayStation 2. Back then, Kratos was basically a walking personification of "black metal" music. He was angry. He was loud. He was, frankly, a bit of a jerk. David Jaffe and the team at Santa Monica Studio weren't trying to make a deep character study; they wanted to make the most brutal action game ever seen. And they did. But as the series moved from the Greek sun to the Norse snow, something shifted.
The Greek Era: Rage, Hubris, and Handhelds
Most people remember the big numbered titles, but the Greek saga was actually a sprawling mess of spin-offs that you kinda had to play to understand why Kratos hates himself so much.
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God of War (2005) set the stage. Kratos kills Ares. He becomes the new God of War. Simple, right? Except the game ends with him trying to take his own life because the gods won't take away his nightmares. That’s dark for a 2005 mascot.
Then things got weirdly busy.
- God of War: Betrayal (2007): Yeah, there was a mobile game. A 2D side-scroller for Java phones. It’s canon, but basically nobody played it.
- God of War II (2007): This is widely considered the PS2’s "swan song." Kratos gets betrayed by Zeus and decides to literally murder the entire concept of Fate.
- Chains of Olympus (2008): A PSP title that actually showed Kratos’s soft side. He finds his daughter, Calliope, in the underworld and has to choose between staying with her or saving the world. He chooses the world. It’s the first time we see his rage is actually a mask for grief.
- God of War III (2010): The grand finale. Total chaos. Kratos kills everyone—Poseidon, Hades, Helios, Hermes, Zeus. He leaves Greece in a literal apocalypse.
By the time God of War: Ghost of Sparta came out on the PSP in 2010, fans were starting to get "Kratos fatigue." How many more gods could he punch? This game explored his brother, Deimos, and his mother, Callisto. It was tragic, but the formula was wearing thin.
Then came God of War: Ascension (2013). It was a prequel. It had multiplayer. It was... fine. But it proved that the "angry Kratos" era was officially over. People wanted something different.
The Norse Rebirth: A House Built from Studs
In 2018, everything changed. Cory Barlog, who directed the second game, came back and decided to "tear the house down to the studs."
God of War (2018) wasn't just a sequel; it was a total reimagining. Kratos has a son, Atreus. He has a beard. He uses an axe instead of those iconic chained blades. The camera never cuts away—it’s one continuous shot from beginning to end.
The shift from Greek to Norse mythology wasn't just a change of scenery. It was a change of tone. Kratos isn't trying to destroy a pantheon this time; he's just trying to scatter his wife's ashes. But since it's God of War, he ends up killing a few gods anyway.
Then we hit God of War Ragnarök (2022).
This game was huge. Like, "too big for its own good" huge. Directed by Eric Williams, it took the father-son dynamic and blew it up into a world-ending epic. You’ve got Thor. You’ve got Odin. You’ve got a giant wolf that eats the sun. It’s a lot. But at its heart, it’s about whether people can actually change their nature.
The "Valhalla" Epilogue and the Future
The most surprising thing happened in late 2023. Santa Monica released a free DLC called Valhalla.
If you haven't played it, it’s basically a therapy session with axes. Kratos enters Valhalla and has to face his past—literally. He sees Greek enemies, hears Helios’s head mocking him, and eventually sits on a throne and talks to his younger, angrier self.
It’s the perfect ending for every God of War game released so far. It bridges the gap between the "monster" of the PS2 era and the "God of Hope" of the PS5 era.
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What You Should Do Next
If you're looking to dive back in or start fresh, don't just play the newest ones.
- Play God of War III Remastered: It still looks incredible on a PS5 and shows you exactly why the 2018 reboot felt so different.
- Don't skip the Valhalla DLC: Even if you finished Ragnarök and felt "done," the ending of Valhalla is the most important character moment in the entire twenty-year history of the franchise.
- Watch the "Raising Kratos" Documentary: It's free on YouTube. It shows the actual human struggle of making these games. It’ll make you appreciate the 2018 game ten times more.
The series is currently at a crossroads. With Atreus off on his own journey and Kratos finding peace, the next chapter could go anywhere—Egypt, Japan, or somewhere we haven't even thought of. But for now, the saga of the Ghost of Sparta is finally, truly, complete.