This guide consolidates practical paths for playing the God of War catalog in order, using the notes provided on how to approach the series. It covers ten core games across multiple platforms, plus a prequel mobile entry and a text-adventure that intersect with the world but aren’t essential to the main story. Readers will find two straightforward routes: a chronological, in-universe sequence, and a release-date order that follows the games as they first appeared.
Newcomers are commonly advised to start with God of War (2018). It serves as a modern entry point with broad availability on PS4, PS5, and PC, and it’s compatible with the PS5 upgrade via the PlayStation Store.
To follow the series through Kratos’s arc in chronological order, begin with God of War: Ascension, then Chains of Olympus, followed by the original God of War, Ghost of Sparta, Betrayal, God of War II, God of War III, A Call from the Wilds, God of War (2018), and finally God of War Ragnarok. The chronology, as presented in the notes, contains key spoilers for characters and settings, so readers who want to preserve experience may prefer to approach it with that in mind.
For those preferring release-date order, the sequence roughly tracks the games by their first public release: God of War (2005) followed by God of War II (2007) and the mobile Betrayal (2007) and Chains of Olympus (2008), then Ghost of Sparta (2010) and God of War III (2010), Ascension (2013), A Call from the Wilds (pre-2018) and finally God of War (2018) and Ragnarok (2022). It’s worth noting that Betrayal is a mobile title and not readily available on modern storefronts, and A Call from the Wilds is no longer widely playable, though it remains part of the broader canon.
God of War Ragnarok offers a New Game Plus mode for players who have finished the main campaign, enabling continued exploration with Kratos and Atreus under additional constraints and rewards.
The complete playlist and ordering guidance exclude noncanonical or tangential entries such as God of War: Mimir’s Vision and PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. The focus here remains on canonical game releases that advance Kratos’s story across both mythic frameworks.
In choosing an approach, players should consider whether they want to trace Kratos’s arc across Greek and Norse eras in a continuous narrative, or experience the franchise’s evolution through the release timeline and its changing mechanics. Either path serves as a solid, structured way to engage with one of PlayStation’s most enduring action-adventure sagas.
