Everyone is looking for the next thing. After the massive emotional weight of God of War Ragnarök and its surprisingly generous Valhalla DLC, the gaming world is basically vibrating with anticipation. You’ve probably seen the rumors. They’re everywhere. Some people swear we’re going to Egypt, others think Kratos is finally retiring for good to let Atreus take the wheel. But if we actually look at the breadcrumbs left by Santa Monica Studio, the reality of a new God of War is a bit more nuanced than just "Kratos vs. Anubis."
It’s been a wild ride since 2018. We went from a rage-fueled Spartan killing everything in Greece to a weary father trying to be better in the Norse realms. That transition wasn't just a change of scenery; it was a total mechanical and narrative overhaul. Now, the studio finds itself at a crossroads. They’ve finished the Norse saga—confirmed by Eric Williams and Cory Barlog—which leaves a massive, god-sized hole in Sony’s upcoming release schedule.
The Atreus Problem and the Future of the Franchise
Is Atreus ready? That’s the big question.
At the end of Ragnarök, we saw the boy—well, young man—set off on his own path to find the remaining Giants. It was a poignant moment. It also felt like a very deliberate setup for a spin-off. Think Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Sony loves that model. It lets them reuse assets, refine the engine, and keep the brand alive while they spend five or six years building the next "main" entry.
Honestly, playing as Atreus in Ragnarök was polarizing. Some players loved the agile, ranged combat. Others found it a bit thin compared to the visceral, crunchy impact of the Leviathan Axe. If a new God of War title focuses solely on Atreus, Santa Monica Studio has a massive hill to climb in terms of gameplay depth. They’d need to move beyond just "bow and arrow plus some wolf magic" to make it feel like a full-priced experience.
But here is the thing: Kratos is the face of PlayStation. He’s the icon. Can you really have a God of War game without the God of War? Probably not. Even if Atreus gets his own adventure, Kratos is likely looming in the background, perhaps taking on a more sedentary role as a "God of Hope." It’s a weird shift for a character who spent three games ripping heads off, but it’s where the story has naturally led him.
Job Listings Don't Lie
If you want to know what’s actually happening, look at the hiring boards.
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Santa Monica Studio has been posting jobs for "Combat Designers" who have "knowledge of God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarök." They aren't hiding it. They are looking for people who understand the specific "feel" of their combat systems. One listing specifically mentioned experience with "large scale boss encounters," which is basically the series' bread and butter. You don't hire those people if you're making a cozy farming sim.
There’s also the "unannounced project" that Cory Barlog has been working on for years. The speculation is that this is a sci-fi game, something totally fresh. If Barlog is off doing space stuff, that leaves the new God of War in the hands of the Ragnarök team. This is good news for fans of the current engine but might mean we aren't seeing a radical shift in perspective or mechanics for a while.
Why Egypt Might Actually Be Next (And Why It Might Not)
The Egyptian pantheon is the low-hanging fruit. It’s the one everyone wants. Even the official God of War comics have teased it. Kratos has literally been there. In the Fallen God comic series, he wanders through the desert, haunted by his past, and interacts with Egyptian themes.
Imagine the scale. Fighting a boss the size of the Great Sphinx? Navigating the Duat? It’s a visual designer's dream. But there’s a trap here. Going to Egypt feels almost too predictable. The series has always thrived on subverting expectations. In the Greek games, we expected a hero and got a monster. In the Norse games, we expected a sequel and got a reboot about fatherhood.
Some insiders have whispered about Mayan or Japanese mythology. The Japanese setting would offer a totally different aesthetic—slicker, faster, perhaps more focused on blade-work than raw power. But the new God of War needs a hook that isn't just "Kratos kills different-looking monsters." It needs an emotional core. Ragnarök ended on a note of peace. To start a new war, you need a very good reason to pull Kratos out of his hard-earned retirement.
- The Case for Egypt: Familiar, high-stakes, massive gods, established lore in the comics.
- The Case for a Spin-off: Focuses on Atreus, smaller scope, bridges the gap between major releases.
- The Case for Something Wild: Mayan or Celtic myths that haven't been "done to death" in AAA gaming.
What the Valhalla DLC Taught Us About the Next Move
If you haven't played the Valhalla DLC, you're missing the blueprint for the future.
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It was a roguelite mode, sure, but it was also a deep dive into Kratos’s psyche. It proved that Santa Monica is interested in experimenting with gameplay loops. They took the established combat and added layers of randomization and "build-crafting" that weren't really there in the base game. This suggests that the new God of War might lean harder into RPG elements or perhaps offer more varied ways to play.
More importantly, Valhalla reconciled the "Young Kratos" with the "Old Kratos." By having him literally sit on a throne and look at his past, the developers closed the loop on his Greek history. They’ve cleared the deck. There are no more lingering ghosts from Sparta. Whoever Kratos fights next, he’s doing it as a whole person, not a shattered one. This is a huge narrative shift. He’s no longer running from his past; he’s leading his future.
The Technical Leap to PS5 Pro and Beyond
We have to talk about hardware. Ragnarök was a cross-gen game. It had to run on the base PS4. That means the level design was held back by slow hard drives—hence all the "crawling through cracks" and "squeezing through rocks" transitions that acted as hidden loading screens.
The new God of War won't have those shackles.
Built from the ground up for modern hardware, the next game could feature seamless realm-shifting. We saw a glimpse of this with Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, where you jump through portals instantly. Imagine a boss fight where you are being slammed through different dimensions or mythologies in real-time with zero lag. That is the kind of "next-gen" experience fans are actually waiting for.
Addressing the Rumors of a "Remaster"
There is a lot of chatter about the original trilogy getting a facelift. Some people are calling this the "new" project.
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While a remake of the 2005 original would be incredible—seeing the Hydra fight with modern graphics would be a religious experience for some—it’s unlikely to be the main focus of the primary team. Sony usually outsources remakes to studios like Bluepoint. If a remaster happens, it’s likely a side dish to the main course. It would serve as a great way to introduce newer fans to why Kratos is so grumpy in the first place, but it’s not the future of the series.
The "New" game is almost certainly a continuation. Whether it's a direct sequel or a standalone Atreus adventure, the engine is ready, the assets are there, and the fan base is starving.
How to Prepare for the Reveal
Don't expect a trailer tomorrow. Sony has become incredibly protective of their big IPs, often waiting until a game is 12-18 months from release before showing anything substantial. God of War is their crown jewel.
If you want to stay ahead of the curve, watch the State of Play events, but keep an eye on the smaller details. Watch for trademark filings. Watch for voice actors accidentally mentioning "mo-cap" sessions on their resumes. Sunny Suljic (Atreus) and Christopher Judge (Kratos) are usually pretty tight-lipped, but even they drop hints during convention panels.
The new God of War is coming. It’s a matter of "when," not "if." The Norse saga was a massive commercial success, moving tens of millions of units. Sony isn't going to let that brand sit on a shelf for a decade. We are likely looking at a teaser in late 2025 or early 2026, with a release following a year later.
Actionable Steps for Fans
- Finish the Valhalla DLC: It is literally the bridge between the Norse era and whatever comes next. If you haven't finished it, you're missing the final piece of Kratos’s character arc.
- Read the 'Fallen God' Comics: They provide the only "canon" look at what Kratos did between Greece and Midgard. It’s the best hint at how he handles other mythologies.
- Lower Your Expectations for 2025: High-quality games take time. Santa Monica Studio is known for polish. Let them cook.
- Watch the Credits: Seriously. In the Valhalla credits and the base game, look at the names. Often, new lead designers or directors are promoted from within, giving us a hint at whose "vision" the next game will follow.
The road ahead is long, but if the last two games are any indication, the wait for a new God of War will be worth it. We’re moving from the "Father and Son" era into something potentially much more global and expansive. Whether we're fighting Egyptian gods or exploring the ruins of a lost civilization, the core will remain: a man trying to be better than the monster he was born to be.