If you're asking when do God of War come out, you're probably looking for one of two things: a trip down memory lane or a desperate search for a release date for whatever Santa Monica Studio is cooking up next. It's a heavy question. This franchise has been the backbone of PlayStation for over two decades. Honestly, it's hard to imagine Sony without the angry Spartan-turned-weary-dad.
The timeline is actually a bit of a mess if you don't live and breathe this stuff. Most people think of the 2018 soft reboot as the start, but Kratos was ripping heads off Greek gods long before he ever touched a Frost Axe.
The Greek Era: Where It All Started
Back in March 2005, the original God of War hit the PlayStation 2. It changed everything. Before that, action games were mostly about precise platforming or clunky combat, but David Jaffe and the team at Santa Monica Studio delivered something visceral. It felt heavy. It felt mean.
Then came the sequels. God of War II arrived in 2007, right at the tail end of the PS2's life cycle. It was a technical marvel. People still argue that it’s one of the best-looking games on that hardware, period. We didn't get the big finale of the Greek trilogy until March 2010 with God of War III on the PS3. That was the one with the scale that made your jaw drop—fighting Poseidon while climbing a Titan was something we hadn't seen before.
But that's just the main numbered stuff. There were the PSP games too. Chains of Olympus (2008) and Ghost of Sparta (2010) proved that you could actually fit a "big" console experience into a handheld. Eventually, the Greek saga sputtered out a bit with God of War: Ascension in 2013. It wasn't a bad game, but the fatigue was real. People were tired of the same "angry man yells at clouds" vibe.
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The Norse Rebirth: 2018 and Beyond
After a five-year silence, everything changed. When the question "when do God of War come out" started trending again in 2016 after that E3 reveal, the answer was April 20, 2018.
This wasn't just another sequel. It was a total reinvention. Cory Barlog, who had worked on the earlier games, came back to direct this one and shifted the perspective to a "one-shot" camera style. No cuts. No loading screens. Just Kratos and his son, Atreus, in the Norse wilds. It was a massive gamble that paid off, winning Game of the Year and selling over 23 million copies.
Then we waited. And waited.
God of War Ragnarök was the big one. It finally launched on November 9, 2022. It had the impossible task of topping the 2018 masterpiece while also wrapping up the entire Norse saga in just two games. It was originally supposed to be a trilogy, but the team decided to pack it all into one massive epic so they wouldn't spend 15 years on a single story arc.
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The PC Ports: A New Frontier
For a long time, if you wanted to know when a God of War game was coming out, the answer was "whenever you buy a PlayStation." Sony was protective. But the strategy shifted.
- God of War (2018) landed on PC on January 14, 2022.
- God of War Ragnarök followed suit, arriving on PC on September 19, 2024.
This was a big deal. It opened up the franchise to a whole new audience who had only ever seen Kratos in memes or YouTube clips. The port quality, especially for Ragnarök, was stellar, supporting ultrawide monitors and all the DLSS/FSR bells and whistles you'd expect in the mid-2020s.
Is There a New God of War Coming in 2026?
This is where things get tricky. As of right now, there is no official release date for a new God of War game. Santa Monica Studio is famously tight-lipped. We know they are working on something.
In late 2023, we got the Valhalla DLC for Ragnarök. It was free, which was a shocker, and it acted as a sort of epilogue for Kratos. It dealt with his past and his future. It didn't give us a date for a new game, but it definitely felt like a bridge to whatever is next. Rumors have been flying about a standalone Atreus game or maybe a move to a new mythology—Egyptian and Mayan are the big fan theories.
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If we look at the development cycles, God of War (2018) took about five years. Ragnarök took about four and a half. If they started full production on the next "big" thing in 2022, we probably shouldn't expect the next major entry until 2027 or 2028. Gaming is slow now. Assets take forever to build.
The TV Show Factor
There's also the Amazon Prime Video series to consider. It’s been in development for a while, and while it's not a game, it's the next big "release" in the franchise. Usually, Sony likes to time game releases or "remastered" versions with their big TV and film projects—look at what they did with The Last of Us.
If the show hits in 2026, don't be surprised if Sony announces a "God of War Greek Trilogy Remastered" for the PS5 and PC. The demand is there. People want to play the old games without digging out a PS3 or relying on cloud streaming.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans
If you are trying to keep track of the release schedule or just want to dive into the series, here is the best way to do it:
- Play Valhalla if you haven't. It's free if you own Ragnarök and it contains the most significant lore hints regarding where Kratos' head is at right now. It basically tells us he isn't retiring, even if he's slowing down.
- Monitor the PC requirements. If you’re waiting for the next game on PC, keep in mind that Sony usually keeps a 1–2 year window of exclusivity on PS5 before porting. Don't expect a day-and-date release.
- Check the "State of Play" events. Sony typically holds these in May or September. That is where any real announcement about "when do God of War come out" will actually happen. Everything else you see on X or Reddit is just guesswork until a trailer drops.
- Revisit the Greek Era. If you've only played the Norse games, you’re missing half the story. The best way to play them currently is through the PlayStation Plus Premium tier, though a dedicated remaster is the number one thing fans are currently lobbying for.
The wait for the next chapter is going to be long. But given the track record of this series, it’s usually worth the patience. Kratos doesn't miss.