So, you’ve finished the Valhalla DLC or you’re just staring at the credits of Ragnarök for the third time, feeling that specific kind of void only a Kratos-sized adventure can fill. We've all been there. You want that weight. The crunch of a shield. The way the camera hangs over the shoulder like it’s glued to the protagonist's sweat. Finding God of War type games isn’t actually about finding another guy with an axe, though. It’s about finding that rare intersection of "prestige" storytelling and combat that feels like it has actual physical consequences.
Most people think any third-person action game fits the bill. They’re wrong. You can play a lot of things that look like God of War but feel like floaty arcade games. If the combat doesn't make your controller feel like it's vibrating apart, is it even a God of War clone? Probably not.
The DNA of the "Modern" God of War style
When Sony Santa Monica rebooted the series in 2018, they didn't just change the camera angle. They changed the math of action gaming. Director Cory Barlog famously fought for the "no-cut" camera, which created a sense of intimacy that basically ruined other games for a lot of us.
But let’s talk about the combat. It’s "heavy." That’s the word everyone uses. In technical terms, it’s about hit-stop—those tiny micro-pauses when a blade hits an enemy—and high-quality haptic feedback. If you're looking for God of War type games, you’re looking for a specific pacing. It’s not the frantic, 100-hit combo style of Devil May Cry. It's more deliberate. You’re committed to your swings.
Why the "Souls-like" label is a trap
A lot of people will point you toward Elden Ring or Dark Souls. Don’t get me wrong, those are masterpieces. But they aren't God of War. God of War is a power fantasy. You are a god. You are supposed to feel dominant, even when the boss is forty feet tall. In Dark Souls, you’re a guy in a tunic trying not to get poked by a skeleton. The power dynamic is flipped.
If you want the God of War vibe, you need a game where the protagonist has a "cinematic" moveset. You want finishers. You want the camera to zoom in when you rip a wing off a Valkyrie-style boss.
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The heavy hitters you actually need to play
Honestly, Ghost of Tsushima is the closest you’ll get to the polish and "prestige" feel. While Jin Sakai isn’t flipping over mountains, the combat has that same crisp, intentional feel. When you parry in Tsushima, it feels like the world stops for a second. It’s got that Sony "first-party" DNA where every animation transition is buttery smooth.
Then there’s Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. This is a weird one because it borrows from everyone. It’s got the interconnected maps of a Metroidvania, the bonfire mechanics of a Souls-like, but the combat? The combat is very Kratos. Especially the dual-blade stance. It’s fast, but there’s a distinct weight to the lightsaber that Fallen Order didn't quite nail as well as the sequel does.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice and its sequel. This is the "God of War but for your mental health" version. The combat is simpler, but the perspective—that tight, claustrophobic over-the-shoulder view—is identical. It’s heavy on the mythology, though it leans into Celtic and Norse lore from a much more grounded, terrifying angle.
Lies of P. I know, I said Souls-likes are a trap. But Lies of P does something different. The "Perfect Guard" mechanic feels much more like the shield-clash from God of War than the parrying in Bloodborne. It’s mechanical. It’s loud. It’s got that "crunch" we crave.
Ryse: Son of Rome. Look, it’s old. It’s basically a series of QTEs (Quick Time Events). But if you miss the 2005-era God of War—the brutal, linear, "I just want to kill a thousand soldiers" vibe—this is the one. It’s still one of the best-looking games ever made, which is wild for a 2013 title.
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What about the "Old" God of War style?
We often forget that before the beard and the boy, Kratos was a whirling dervish of blades and rage. If you’re looking for God of War type games that channel the Greek era, you’re looking for "Character Action" games.
Bayonetta is the gold standard here. It’s flashy. It’s ridiculous. It’s incredibly deep. But if that’s too "anime" for you, check out Dante’s Inferno. People mocked it at launch for being a literal carbon copy of God of War, but honestly? It’s a great copy. It takes the Divine Comedy and turns it into a gore-fest where you fight giant unbaptized babies. It’s exactly as metal as it sounds.
The surprising importance of the "Dad-ification" of games
You can't talk about these games without talking about the narrative. God of War (2018) worked because we cared about Atreus. This "escort mission but the NPC is actually helpful" trope has become a staple.
The Last of Us Part I and Part II are the obvious parallels. While the combat is stealth-based and survival-focused, the weight of the world is the same. There’s a scene in The Last of Us Part II involving a lead pipe that feels more like God of War than most actual fantasy games. It’s that visceral, "I can't believe they showed that" level of violence that serves a story about trauma.
Technical things that make a game "feel" like God of War
If you’re a developer or just a nerd for mechanics, you’ll notice that God of War uses a lot of "buffer" in its inputs. This means the game "remembers" you pressed the button even if Kratos is still in the middle of a previous animation. This makes the game feel responsive rather than clunky.
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A lot of indie God of War type games fail because they don't get the "hit-lag" right. When Kratos hits a draugr, the game freezes for maybe 2 or 3 frames ($1/30^{th}$ or $1/20^{th}$ of a second). It’s almost imperceptible, but it tells your brain that the object you hit has density. Without it, you’re just waving a stick through a ghost.
Final Fantasy XVI actually did a great job with this. They brought in Ryota Suzuki, who worked on Devil May Cry, but they tuned the Eikon battles to feel massive. It’s a mix of that high-speed action and the "god-tier" scale that Santa Monica Studio pioneered. When you're playing as Ifrit, you feel the weight of every step. That is God of War DNA through and through.
Don't sleep on the "Slasher" genre
Sometimes you don't want a deep story about fatherhood. Sometimes you just want to kill things in a specific way. Shadow Warrior 3 is basically a first-person God of War if Kratos had a gun and a sense of humor. The "Finisher" system is lifted straight from the modern God of War playbook—you fill a meter, press two buttons, and get a cinematic kill that grants you a temporary weapon. It’s fast, it’s bloody, and it understands the "power" part of the power fantasy.
A quick word on the "Black Myth: Wukong" hype
As of 2024 and 2025, everyone is talking about Black Myth: Wukong. Is it a God of War type game? Mostly, yes. It has the boss-rush focus. It has the spectacular visuals. But it’s much more "boss-centric" than God of War. God of War gives you breathing room with puzzles and boat rides. Wukong is a gauntlet. It’s fantastic, but be prepared for a higher difficulty curve. It’s less "Dad of War" and more "Boss Rush of War."
Actionable insights for your next playthrough
If you're hunting for that specific itch, don't just look at the back of the box. Look at gameplay videos and watch the camera.
- Check the Camera Distance: If the camera is far away (like Diablo or V Rising), you won't get that God of War intimacy. You want that tight, over-the-shoulder "3rd person" view.
- Listen to the Sound Design: Use headphones. In God of War, the "clink" of the axe returning to Kratos' hand is a masterpiece of sound. If a game sounds "tinny," the combat will feel light.
- Look for Narrative Stakes: The best God of War clones understand that the violence needs a "why." Look for games with "Highly Rated" stories on Steam or Metacritic.
- Prioritize "Impact" over "Speed": If you have to choose between a game that lets you hit 50 times a second and a game that lets you hit 2 times a second but shakes the screen, go with the screen shaker.
To truly replicate the experience, start with Ghost of Tsushima for the polish, Hellblade for the atmosphere, and Dante's Inferno (if you can find a way to play it) for the pure, unadulterated 2000s-era rage. If you’ve already played those, Black Myth: Wukong is your current-gen gold standard. Just remember that no game is going to be a 1:1 replacement. Santa Monica Studio spends hundreds of millions of dollars to make Kratos feel that way. Most other studios are just trying to keep up.
Go for the games that focus on "feel" and "feedback" rather than just "fantasy setting." That’s where the real magic happens. Focus on titles that utilize haptic feedback if you're on PS5, as that "Leviathan Axe" vibration is half the battle. If a game doesn't support DualSense features, it's already at a disadvantage in this specific sub-genre. Look for the "Sony-style" tag or "Cinematic Action" in user reviews. Those are your best bets for finding your next obsession.