Highlights

• God of War: Ascension suffered from a lack of fresh ideas and a forgettable campaign, making it one of the weaker entries in the franchise.
• God of War: Betrayal, while a respectable mobile adaptation, is not essential and can be difficult to find.
• God of War (2018) revitalized the franchise, focusing on character-driven storytelling and intense combat, making it one of the strongest debuts in gaming.

God of War is one of the most enduring franchises in gaming. Santa Monica Studio's epic saga of an angry Spartan hacking and slashing his way through the great Greek myths stretches back to 2005. The franchise has given players no shortage of hack-and-slash thrills over the years, and most of it is exceptionally high in quality. Each entry maintains a palpable passion, possibly due to not coming out every year like some other long-running series.

Sadly, no property is perfect. God of War has gone through several changes to stay fresh, but these added gimmicks and narrative angles don't always pay off. This inevitably makes some entries more appealing than others. At the end of the day, everyone has their favorite.

Updated on December 27, 2023 by Mark Sammut: It might be a while before a new God of War game hits the market, but Santa Monica has released a DLC for Ragnarok that should keep fans entertained in the meantime. Following this addition, which is the best God of War game?

9 God Of War: Ascension

Metascore: 80

It was painfully clear when God of War: Ascension debuted that the studio, SCE Santa Monica, was running out of ideas. Building an entire game around Kratos breaking his oath to Ares screams unnecessary, and the execution doesn't assuage any skepticism. The journey here is so forgettable and uninspired that it evaporates from memory as soon as someone completes the campaign.

It doesn't help that God of War: Ascension crippled the combat, having combos dependent on the player's ability to dodge. On paper, that's a neat concept to mix up the gameplay, but it's frustrating and completely counterintuitive to how the battles had functioned in the first five titles. It's another in the line of missteps that hamper Ascension's enjoyment. Ascension did incorporate multiplayer, but it did not add too much value to the overall package and failed to add much longevity to the game's lifespan.

8 God Of War: Betrayal

Metascore: N/A

Out of all the God of War games, Betrayal is the one that even die-hard fans might have forgotten about. Released to mobile devices shortly after God of War 2's debut, Betrayal takes place between the first and second entries, and it does a respectable job of expanding upon Kratos' story.

A 2D side-scroller, Betrayal impressively adapts God of War's style of gameplay for a mobile setting. While naturally simplified, Betrayal has all the violent action and puzzles any fan could want. This spin-off is certainly far from the best God of War game, but it is very good when compared to other Java ME projects released in the mid-2000s. That said, players who skip this release are not missing much, which is a blessing since Betrayal is not that simple of a game to find.

In a vacuum, God of War: Ascension is better than Betrayal, but context needs to be taken into account. For a mobile game released in 2007, Betrayal is likely to meet expectations. Conversely, God of War Ascension falls flat when compared to the franchise's other console releases, feeling like a step back for the license. It marked the first time a main God of War game felt unnecessary and skippable.

7 God Of War: Chains Of Olympus

Metascore: 91

This prequel proved the franchise can work on a handheld system. God of War: Chains of Olympus delivers all the polish and spectacle of a console GoW entry on the PSP, and it feels just as good as ever to slice enemies to ribbons.

Unfortunately, the reduced format means the game gets a bit too caught up in block-pushing puzzle-solving instead of combat. The story also feels incidental to Kratos and the overarching narrative until the last act. Chains of Olympus is also the shortest console entry in the series, and it does not offer a lot of replay value. Consequently, someone could easily blow through the campaign in an afternoon and find they have nothing left to do outside of repeating the same levels over and over again. That type of experience can work for action games that reward players for mastering their combo-heavy combat systems, but Chains of Olympus does not offer anything like that.

Nevertheless, Chains of Olympus is a solid portable entry whose biggest weakness is that the other games in the franchise are better. Chains of Olympus was packaged with Ghost of Sparta as part of the PS3's God of War Origins Collection, and together they deliver an experience that is roughly equivalent to one of the mainline entries.

6 God Of War (2005)

Metascore: 94

It's always special to reflect on the original entry in a franchise. This 2005 hit laid the foundation for the rest of the God of War series, and what a solid foundation it is! The hack-and-slash gameplay is a blast from the get-go, combining fast-paced strategy and raw, satisfying power. God of War's intuitive controls lend themselves beautifully to the devastating combos, and players feel a real sense of progression as they unlock more through the simple-yet-effective upgrade system.

On top of that, the narrative introduces Kratos with surprising care, steadily doling out development throughout the journey and getting the player just as invested in his quest for vengeance by the end. What ultimately hinders God of War's replay value is its long stretches of awkward platforming and repetitive puzzles. After experiencing its sequels, the original game's flaws became a bit harder to ignore, even if its positives continue to shine through to this very day. Even with these issues, though, God of War remains one of the strongest debuts in gaming.

5 God Of War: Ghost Of Sparta

Metascore: 86

For this second PSP outing, developer Ready at Dawn took everything it learned the first time around and crafted a more confident entry, one that shows a few new layers to Kratos. That's admirable for this late in the series, and it informs much of the game. Ghost of Sparta relies less on scale and more on creativity. Not only does it plow lesser-known legends, but it weaves these into some truly inspired visuals and set pieces, many of which directly reflect Kratos's struggle. This makes the gameplay and presentation even more impressive than Chains of Olympus.

Although the set pieces themselves aren't quite as memorable, the game's moment-to-moment thrills, personal story, and continued dive (Atlantis pun) in Greek myth are plenty strong enough, pushing Sony's portable system to its limit. Ghost of Sparta was one of the main reasons to own a PSP, and the game looks pretty good when experienced on the PS3. Do not discount this entry just because it is a spin-off as Ghost of Sparta is among the best God of War games.

4 God Of War (2018)

Metascore: 94

This is exactly the radical reinvention the series needed in 2018. The PS4's God of War is a more methodical adventure guided mostly by character. An older Kratos coming to terms with his past and trying to build a better future for his son makes for an exceedingly compelling relationship, and the pair's attempts to find common ground are some of the most poignant moments in the series.

The gameplay reflects that intimate perspective, as it's much slower, more focused on strategy, and the camera is much closer to the action. While it's a bit clunkier than previous entries, the battle system still nails the brutality and flavor of God of War. Of course, it helps that the game mines just as much intriguing lore from Norse legends as the previous ones did with Greek mythology. All of this helped revitalize the franchise, leaving fans excited about the next entry, Ragnarok.

God of War also marked a significant first for the franchise as it was ported to a non-PlayStation ecosystem (that was not mobile). In January 2022, God of War made its way to PC, following in the footsteps of Days Gone and Horizon Zero Dawn. It is a decent port that opens up the franchise to an audience that might have never directly experienced Kratos' story.

3 God Of War 3

Metascore: 92

The grand finale of the original trilogy delivered on nearly every front. The franchise's well-honed combat has never been as exhilarating as it is in God of War 3. The set pieces are also jaw-dropping, and the myths are engaging and well-realized. Above all, it's a satisfying conclusion for Kratos' journey, causing him to reevaluate why he fights. This makes Kratos' final victory all the more complete.

God of War 3 is a wild ride from start to finish. The seasoned developers execute their vision with finesse, polish, and passion virtually unparalleled. Kratos' personality in this entry can be polarizing since he lacks much in the way of emotional complexity, leading to a story that feels one-note at times. However, when it comes to pure spectacle, God of War 3 is arguably unmatched.

2 God Of War: Ragnarok

Metascore: 94

With 2018's God of War, Santa Monica confidently launched a new era in Kratos' story, one that set high expectations for the foreshadowed sequel. Except for perhaps Elden Ring, Ragnarok might be the biggest game of 2022, and the game is more than capable of carrying the weight burdened by this attention. On the surface, the sequel does not deviate too far from its predecessor, offering hefty combat alongside smart character work. However, Ragnarok is not happy to merely retread past glories, and the game smartly picks which areas to evolve and how best to expand upon them.

In terms of storytelling, Ragnarok is an ambitious and cinematic conclusion to the franchise's Norse mythology subseries. As told in the tales of old, Ragnarok refers to a cataclysmic series of events that brings devastating destruction to the world of humans along with the demise of key Norse figures such as Odin and Thor. Santa Monica uses this myth to craft an explorative romp that directs Kratos and Atreus to the Nine Realms. Although combat is not ignored, the title emphasizes exploration quite a bit as well, providing more open areas for players to experience.

Telling a gripping story about grief, anger, and regret, Ragnarok is a character-driven epic that balances quieter personal moments and large-scale set pieces. The combat system fine-tunes 2018's God of War's ideas to provide more flexibility in battles.

Valhalla

Ragnarok presents a strong case for being one of the best God of War games on its own, but the Valhalla DLC brings things up a few notches. Santa Monica's franchise is not exactly known for dropping post-release content, so Valhalla came as something of a surprise; furthermore, the release is free and adds potentially hours upon hours of gameplay. This release is so good that the mode could have probably been expanded into a spin-off game, and it would not have seemed like a cash grab.

Kratos is summoned to Valhalla, a place that forces the warrior to reminisce over his long and blood-soaked history. Reduced to his essential weapons, Kratos must work his way through Valhalla's halls, battling enemies from the past along the way. En route, he finds resources and upgrades that grant him a boost, although they are lost if the protagonist falls in battle. This DLC follows the structure of a roguelite, a concept that emphasizes Ragnarok's combat while still incorporating narrative depth.

1 God Of War 2

Metascore: 93

God of War 2 improves virtually everything about its predecessor. The cathartic gameplay is tightened and the game's narrative is far grander in scope yet somehow more personal.

What really sticks in the mind is how this sequel expands the world and characters of the first game. The mythological lore is fleshed out much further, complemented by the more fluid combat and less intrusive navigation. Traversing the environment is no longer a chore, and the creative puzzles give players a sense of accomplishment without wearing out their welcome. Though eclipsed in some areas by its immediate successor, God of War 2 is ultimately the best God of War game of the franchise's classic era. Even if the reboots are taken into consideration, an argument could be made that God of War 2's campaign has the best pacing in the series, offering just the right mix of action, platforming, puzzles, and storytelling.

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