The God of War games in order of release run from God of War (2005) on PS2 through God of War Ragnarök in 2022 and the 2D prequel Sons of Sparta in 2026. Chronologically the story now begins with Sons of Sparta, moves through Ascension and the Greek trilogy, and only reaches the Norse saga with the 2018 reboot.
God of War games in order of release
Eleven releases carry the God of War name, counting one mobile spin-off almost nobody has played and one free expansion. Here they are in the order they came out.
| # | Game | Released | Original platform | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | God of War | 22 March 2005 | PlayStation 2 | Santa Monica Studio |
| 2 | God of War II | 13 March 2007 | PlayStation 2 | Santa Monica Studio |
| 3 | God of War: Betrayal | 20 June 2007 | Java ME mobile | Sony Online Entertainment |
| 4 | God of War: Chains of Olympus | 4 March 2008 | PSP | Ready at Dawn |
| 5 | God of War III | 16 March 2010 | PlayStation 3 | Santa Monica Studio |
| 6 | God of War: Ghost of Sparta | 2 November 2010 | PSP | Ready at Dawn |
| 7 | God of War: Ascension | 12 March 2013 | PlayStation 3 | Santa Monica Studio |
| 8 | God of War | 20 April 2018 | PlayStation 4 | Santa Monica Studio |
| 9 | God of War Ragnarök | 9 November 2022 | PS4 / PS5 | Santa Monica Studio |
| 10 | God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla | 12 December 2023 | PS4 / PS5 (free DLC) | Santa Monica Studio |
| 11 | God of War Sons of Sparta | 12 February 2026 | PlayStation 5 | Mega Cat Studios / Santa Monica Studio |
Two names in that table are the reason most "every God of War game" lists are incomplete, and we come back to both below.
God of War games in chronological order
Story order is different, because six of the eleven are prequels or interquels. Reading the series as a life rather than a release schedule, it runs like this:
| Story order | Game | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | God of War Sons of Sparta (2026) | Kratos’ youth, training at the Spartan Agoge alongside his brother Deimos |
| 2 | God of War: Ascension (2013) | Roughly six months after Kratos kills his family and is bound to Ares |
| 3 | God of War: Chains of Olympus (2008) | During Kratos’ decade of service to the Olympian gods |
| 4 | God of War (2005) | Kratos’ revenge on Ares; he becomes the God of War |
| 5 | God of War: Ghost of Sparta (2010) | After the first game, searching for Deimos |
| 6 | God of War: Betrayal (2007) | Between Ghost of Sparta and God of War II |
| 7 | God of War II (2007) | Kratos against Zeus and the Sisters of Fate |
| 8 | God of War III (2010) | The end of the Greek saga |
| 9 | God of War (2018) | Years later, in Midgard. The Norse saga begins |
| 10 | God of War Ragnarök (2022) | Roughly three years after the 2018 game |
| 11 | God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla (2023) | Epilogue, after Ragnarök |
Which order should you actually play in?
Release order, with one shortcut. Here is the reasoning rather than just the verdict.
The Greek games should be played in release order, not story order. Ascension is chronologically second but came out seventh, and it is written for people who have already finished the trilogy — it is a prequel that assumes you know where Kratos ends up. Starting there means opening the series with its most muted entry and spoiling its emotional premise at the same time. Chains of Olympus has the same problem in milder form.
You are allowed to start at God of War (2018). This is the shortcut, and it is not a compromise. The 2018 game is a soft reboot built as an entry point: Atreus spends the game asking his father the questions a new player would ask, and Kratos’ Greek past is delivered as buried history rather than assumed knowledge. If you want the Norse saga because of the Prime Video series, you can begin here and lose very little.
Skip Betrayal. Not snobbery — you almost certainly cannot play it. More on that below.
So: God of War (2005) → God of War II → God of War III → God of War (2018) → Ragnarök → Valhalla, with Chains of Olympus, Ghost of Sparta, Ascension and Sons of Sparta as optional side trips once you care about Kratos enough to want his backstory. If you only have time for one thread, take the Norse two.
Where you can actually play each God of War game in 2026
This is the part the average ordering guide skips, and it is the part that decides what you can realistically do this weekend.
| Game | Original platform | How to play it in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| God of War (2005) | PS2 | PS2 disc, or the PS3 God of War Collection / PS Vita Collection |
| God of War II | PS2 | PS2 disc, or the PS3 God of War Collection / PS Vita Collection |
| God of War: Betrayal | Java ME mobile | Effectively unplayable — never re-released |
| God of War: Chains of Olympus | PSP | PSP UMD, PS3 Origins Collection (2011), or PS Vita Collection (2014) |
| God of War III | PS3 | PS4 / PS5 via God of War III Remastered (2015) |
| God of War: Ghost of Sparta | PSP | PSP UMD, PS3 Origins Collection, or PS Vita Collection |
| God of War: Ascension | PS3 | PS3 only — never remastered or ported |
| God of War (2018) | PS4 | PS4 / PS5 / PC (PC port January 2022) |
| God of War Ragnarök | PS4 / PS5 | PS4 / PS5 / PC (PC port September 2024) |
| Ragnarök: Valhalla | PS4 / PS5 | Free DLC if you own Ragnarök |
| God of War Sons of Sparta | PS5 | PS5 |
The catch nobody mentions: you cannot play God of War in story order
Put the last two tables side by side and something falls out that no ordering guide seems to say out loud.
There is no single machine on which you can play God of War in chronological order.
Work through it. Story order starts with Sons of Sparta, which is PS5-exclusive. It moves to Ascension, which never left PS3. Then Chains of Olympus and the first two games, which need a PS3, a PSP or a Vita. Then God of War III, which is fine on PS5. Then the Norse pair, also fine. The chronologically first game and the chronologically second game have never shared a console, and never will unless Sony revisits the back catalogue.
So a player who follows the standard "play it in chronological order" advice needs a PS5 and a PS3 or a Vita, plus discs for games that have been out of print for over a decade — and even then one entry is missing entirely. Of the ten standalone God of War games, only four can be bought and played on a PS5 or a PC today: God of War III (through its 2015 remaster), God of War (2018), Ragnarök and Sons of Sparta. Release order is not just the better narrative experience here. On current hardware it is close to the only order that is actually achievable.
That is a preservation problem more than a ranking problem, and it is not unique to this series — we hit the same wall writing about where to play the classic X-Men games, where the situation is considerably worse.
The two entries most lists leave out
God of War: Betrayal (2007) is canon, it is a real Sony-published God of War game, and it is a 2D side-scroller that shipped on Java ME feature phones. It sits between Ghost of Sparta and God of War II in the timeline. It has never been re-released on any platform, and the hardware it ran on is gone. Its exclusion from most lists is understandable, but it means the complete series has been genuinely unplayable for years — not inconvenient, unplayable.
God of War Sons of Sparta (2026) is the newer omission, and the more annoying one if you are searching for this list. Released on 12 February 2026 for PS5, it is a hand-drawn 2D action platformer from Mega Cat Studios built with Santa Monica Studio, and Sony has confirmed it is canon, written by the team behind the 2018 game and Ragnarök. It covers Kratos’ youth in the Agoge with his brother Deimos.
If a "God of War games in order" article you are reading does not contain Sons of Sparta, it was written before February 2026 — which is a fast way to check whether the rest of its information has been maintained.
Where the God of War TV series fits
Prime Video’s live-action series adapts the Norse saga: the 2018 game and Ragnarök, with Kratos and Atreus. It is not adapting the Greek revenge trilogy, which is the story most people picture when they hear the name.
That matters for what you play first. If you are reading this because of the show, God of War (2018) is your starting point and the Greek games are optional background. We have the full state of the production in our piece on Dave Bautista taking over as Kratos, including which parts are confirmed and which are not.
If ordering guides are your thing, we have done the same job for the Batman: Arkham games and the Spider-Man games.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the correct order to play the God of War games?
Release order for the Greek saga — God of War (2005), God of War II, God of War III — then the Norse saga: God of War (2018), Ragnarök and the free Valhalla DLC. Ascension, Chains of Olympus, Ghost of Sparta and Sons of Sparta are prequels best saved for afterwards.
How many God of War games are there?
Eleven releases carry the name, including the mobile spin-off Betrayal and the free Valhalla expansion. Counting standalone games only, there are ten.
Can I start with God of War (2018)?
Yes. The 2018 game is a soft reboot designed as an entry point, and it delivers Kratos’ Greek history as background rather than assumed knowledge. It is also the story the Prime Video series adapts.
Are the old God of War games playable on PS5?
Only partly. God of War III is playable through its 2015 PS4 remaster, and God of War (2018), Ragnarök and Sons of Sparta run natively. The PS2 originals, both PSP games and Ascension have never been released for PS4 or PS5.
What is God of War Sons of Sparta?
A hand-drawn 2D action platformer released on 12 February 2026 for PS5, developed by Mega Cat Studios with Santa Monica Studio. It is canon and set during Kratos’ youth at the Spartan Agoge, making it the chronologically earliest game in the series.
Which God of War game does the Prime Video series adapt?
The Norse saga — God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarök — not the Greek trilogy.
