In 2018, the air at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles was thick with anticipation. Everyone expected a showdown. On one side, you had Rockstar Games' Red Dead Redemption 2, a technical marvel with more budget than some small countries. On the other, a risky "soft reboot" from Santa Monica Studio that turned a screaming, angry Greek god into a somber, bearded father.
When God of War was announced as the Game of the Year, it wasn't just a win for Sony. It was a massive shift in how we think about big-budget sequels.
Honestly, looking back from 2026, that win feels even more significant. We’ve seen plenty of "dad games" since then, but none quite captured the lightning in a bottle that Cory Barlog and his team managed. They didn't just give Kratos a beard; they gave him a soul.
The 2018 Sweep: David vs. Goliath
People sometimes forget how dominant the competition was that year. You had Marvel’s Spider-Man, Celeste, and the behemoth that was Red Dead 2.
While Rockstar's western took home the most trophies—four in total, including Best Narrative and Best Audio Design—the top prize went to the Ghost of Sparta. It was a "five-for-five" run across the major ceremonies. We're talking the D.I.C.E. Awards, the GDC Awards, SXSW, and the BAFTA Games Awards.
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Why the critics flipped
It wasn't just the combat. The "no-cut" camera was a technical flex that actually served the story. You stayed with Kratos and Atreus for the entire journey without a single loading screen or camera cut.
This made the quiet moments hit harder. Remember the first time Kratos almost puts his hand on Atreus' shoulder but pulls away? You saw every micro-expression. Christopher Judge’s performance (which, fun fact, didn't win the TGA Best Performance that year—Roger Clark did for Arthur Morgan) basically redefined the character.
The Ragnarok Factor: Can Lighting Strike Twice?
Fast forward to 2022, and the sequel, God of War Ragnarök, walked into a very different landscape. It was the heavy hitter of the year, snagging a leading 11 nominations at The Game Awards.
But it didn't win the big one.
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Elden Ring took the GOTY trophy. However, Ragnarök didn't leave empty-handed. It actually walked away with six awards, the most of any game that night. It swept Best Narrative, Best Score and Music (shoutout to Bear McCreary), and Christopher Judge finally got his Best Performance trophy.
The public still loved it, though. At the 2023 BAFTA Games Awards, fans voted it the EE Game of the Year, proving that while critics might have leaned toward FromSoftware’s open-world mystery, the emotional grip of Kratos' story was still the fan favorite.
What Most People Get Wrong About the GOTY Status
There’s a common misconception that winning Game of the Year is just about being the "best" game. It's often about the impact.
In 2018, God of War won because it fixed a "broken" franchise. Before that game, Kratos was a relic of the mid-2000s—angry, one-dimensional, and frankly, a bit exhausting. By moving the setting to Midgard and introducing Atreus, the developers proved that you can evolve a character without losing their identity.
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- The Combat: Moving the camera over the shoulder changed everything.
- The Leviathan Axe: It’s arguably the most satisfying weapon in gaming history.
- The Tone: It went from a "hack-and-slash" to a "prestige drama."
Why It Still Matters Today
If you play it today on a PS5 or PC, it doesn't feel like an "old" game. It set a standard for "Sony First Party" games that the industry is still chasing.
The influence is everywhere. You see it in how The Last of Us Part II handled its pacing or how Ghost of Tsushima balanced cinematic flair with tight combat.
Actionable Takeaways for Players
If you’re looking to revisit the series or are diving in for the first time, here is how to get the most out of the experience:
- Don't ignore the side content. In the 2018 game, the Valkyrie fights are where the real challenge lies. They are tougher than the final boss and require genuine mastery of the combat system.
- Play the Valhalla DLC. If you’ve finished Ragnarök, the free Valhalla DLC is essentially a rogue-lite epilogue that cleans up Kratos’ character arc beautifully. It's some of the best content Santa Monica has ever produced.
- PC Version Settings. If you're on PC, don't just crank everything to Ultra. Use DLSS or FSR to keep that frame rate high; the combat feels twice as good at 60+ FPS than it does at the original 30.
The legacy of God of War Game of the Year isn't just about a trophy on a shelf in a studio. It's about the fact that we're still talking about Kratos as a complex, vulnerable character eight years after his "rebirth."
To see how the series holds up against modern hardware, you can check out the latest performance patches for the PS5 Pro, which recently added enhanced Power Saver modes and visual stability for the Norse saga.