The God of War franchise began as a guilty pleasure – a playground for fun and wild violence. It undoubtedly is the most savage and violent franchise ever to exist in video games. Since its first appearance on Playstation 2, the angry Kratos’ story and his thirst for revenge against the great Olympian Gods stay stuck in the minds of gamers.
The God of War currently has eight games available, with God of War: Ragnarok releasing in 2022, but the series does not follow a chronological order strictly. Kratos, the main character of God of War, has lived a long and painful life. His violent, uncontrollable anger created innumerable stories throughout Greek mythology, leaving the video gamers with a complete tale to play through.
Have you played God of War before? If not, satisfy the gamer inside you by playing this highly addictive game. To experience the full tragic story of Kratos, you must play God of War in order. However, not sure what is the best spot to begin playing? Stress no more. We have compiled a list of God of War titles in storyline order, so the newbies to the game should learn about Kratos’ past, his despair, and blood lust.
Only by playing all the titles of God of War will you understand how Kratos earned the reputation of being a battle-hardened and immortal warrior. Also, since the God of War: Ragnarok is still in development, it is the perfect time for newbie God of War fans to get themselves up to date with the rest of the series.
God of War titles in Chronological Order
If you are a newbie to God of War, start playing the game in the following order to understand the tragic story of Kratos better:
God of War: Ascension
Even though it is not created first, the newbie players should still begin with God of War: Ascension. The game takes place six months after the Kratos unintentionally killed his beloved wife and daughter while following Ares’ orders. The upset Kratos then make a promise to himself to never fight for the Gods ever again.
However, Ares wants the services of the brave Kratos and sends the Furies to capture and bring Kratos back to him. The Furies torture the upset Kratos with visions of his past to make him feel more vulnerable and tempt him back to Ares’ side. However, Orkos ( son of Ares And Furies) comes to rescue Kratos and manages to free him from Ares’ rule.
By the end of the quest, Kratos is finally able to break off his ties with Ares and begin a new journey. This title is essential for newbie players to know why Kratos ended up working for the other Gods.
God of War: Chains of Olympus
God of War: Chains of Olympus takes place five years into the Kratos’ decade in which he was at the service of Olympian Gods. While on a mission to defend Attica from the Persian Armies, Greece becomes an easy target for Morpheus to attack.
To make the situation better for Greece, Kratos is sent on a mission to find Helios, whose missing light made the Olympians sleep for the longest time while Morpheus took advantage of it. Kratos, on his mission, face many hurdles but still manages to fulfill his duty of returning Helios – the sun god, to the sky and restoring balance in the world.
However, Kratos may have successfully completed his mission, but the tough battle leaves him weak, resulting in Gods abandoning him on the Suicide Bluffs.
Considering the gameplay, God of War: Chains of Olympus has similar functions as the previous titles of the game. “Kratos” has combo-based combat, the blades of chaos, and a few other secondary weapons to fight off the enemies.
God of War (2005)
It was the first title of the game released in 2005 and the third story within the timeline as God of War’s storyline does not follow the release date order. Throughout the game, Kratos can be seen aiding the Goddess Athena in defeating her master Ares. In this part of the game, Athena sends Kratos on a secret mission to kill his former mentor – Ares.
Kratos begins the mission willingly. For him, it was a win-win situation. By killing Ares, he would have fulfilled his mission as well as taken his revenge on the Ares for tricking him into murdering his own family.
To kill Ares and accomplish the mission successfully, the Kratos must search for one item – the pandora box before Ares destroys Athen out of hatred. However, the game soon reveals that the Greek Gods play games of their own and manipulate Kratos for their benefit. Although Kratos can get his “New blades of Athena” and become God of War, this story is still just the beginning of the massive battle.
Now, let’s shed some light on the gameplay – It is focused on a 3D combo-based directional combat. This gameplay’s primary weapon is the Blade of Chaos, and combos come through it too.
God of War: Ghost of Sparta
God of War: Ghost of Sparta is more like a family tale. The game takes an introspective look at Kratos’s past. It features revelations about Kratos’s past while he comfortably settles into his new title of God of War.
After acquiring Ares’ role and Thorne, it is revealed to Kratos in the game that his mother and missing brother, Deimos are still alive. In the early childhood of Kratos, Zeus learned that a marked child would kill him in the future. Therefore, he sent Ares and Athene to kill Deimos as he had many scars. Unfortunately, they took the wrong brother and left the dangerous one behind – Kratos.
When Kratos find out about his mother and brother being alive somewhere, he wants to find them. Athena sends him to Atlantis, where his mother lives. When Kratos reaches Atlantis, he finds his mother in deteriorated health. Kratos’s mother asks him to find his brother. Though Kratos was unable to save his mother, he wanted to fulfill her last wish. Therefore, he leaves for the Underworld, where Deimos is held captive by the God of Death – Thanatos.
After fighting a tough battle with Thanatos, Kratos is able to successfully free his brother from the God of Death’s captivity. However, Kratos gets many wounds and injuries, leaving him to do the aftermath of the Olympian’s betrayal. To take his revenge, he heads back to Olympus.
The gameplay in this title follows the same mechanics as the previous game series. There are quick-time events, bosses, platforming segments, magical talents, and puzzles.
God of War: Betrayal
The story of this main series of God of War is brief. Kratos leads his armies and kills an assassin. Zeus sends a message to Kratos to stop this senseless bloodshed. However, Kratos pays no attention and kills the messenger. As a result, Zeus gets angry and decides to get rid of him as soon as possible.
These incidents became the starting point of God of War 2. In the first level of God of War 2, Zeus betrays the Kratos and takes away all his God-gifted powers. Zeus wanted to end Kratos’ life. However, soon Zeus realizes that it is not that easy to kill him.
Kratos escapes and sets out on an epic search for the strength, weapons, and allies required to take down Zeus and other Gods who have not only used him throughout his life but also betrayed him. Kratos wants to make the Gods pay for the mistake they have made!
Considering the gameplay, God of War: Betrayal is 2D side-scrolling game. However, there are puzzles and platforming segments as well.
God of War 2
In God of War 2, players will explore rebellion against the Greek Gods. After the death of his mother and brother, Kratos decides to turn his army to Rhodes on the mission to conquer Greece. Despite multiple warnings by Athena that she cannot hold the Olympus for a long time and will not most likely survive the outcome, Kratos continues down the same path.
As predicted by Athena, Zeus soon makes a move on Kratos and kills his son. It further adds to Kratos’ aggression, and he makes allies with Titans to seek Vengeance against Zeus and the Olympians. However, Kratos is stopped by Athena before he can kill Zeus, extending the God of War 2 into the next game.
The gameplay is not much different than the previous entry. However, there are four magical attacks and skill upgrades for the player. Also, the developers add puzzles and many more bosses to make the game more thrilling for the players.
God of War 3
God of War 3 is the seventh installment in chronological order and the last story of the Greek Era. It is revealed to Kratos that Zeus is his father, and to kill his father, he must find Pandora’s box. Kratos badly wants to take his revenge on Zeus and the Olympians that have betrayed and tortured him.
Players of God of War 3 make their way through Mount Olympus alongside the Titans, killing a large number of Gods and monsters coming in their way. Unfortunately, the Titans also show their disloyalty to Kratos by betraying him and casting him to the River Styx.
However, with the help of Athena, Kratos regains his powers and make a successful comeback in the game. Players have to face all the villains from the previous games, such as Hermes, Helios, Hera, and more. Once the player is able to defeat all the villains, they will get an opportunity to kill Zeus and put an end to this massive battle.
The gameplay is quite similar to the previous series. However, the game offers a brand-new magic system, DLCS, and new camera angles to the player to enhance their gaming experience. Also, the game offers new movement mechanics to the God of War 3 players. Players can make the Kratos move around ledges and pull enemies with these movement mechanics.
God of War (2018)
It is the latest main series of God of War, launched in 2018 for PlayStation 4. Despite sharing the name with the previous God of War series, 2018’s God of War makes players explore new mythology and introduces Kratos’ son Atreus as a secondary warrior. After defeating all the Greek Gods, Kratos moves to Norselands to start a new life.
He meets a woman named Faye in Norse lands and has a son named Atreus with her. Kratos lives a happy life with his wife and son until his world shatters again. Faye dies due to unknown circumstances.
To honor her request, Kratos and his son, Atreus, start a journey to spread her ashes over the highest peaks in the realms. However, unfortunately, the powerful father-son duo draws Aesir God’s attention, which starts a new quest for them.
God of War: Ragnarok
God of War: Ragnarok is the upcoming series of God of War that is going to be released somewhere in 2022. As Fimbulwinter is coming to an end, Kratos and Atreus anticipate the adventures within the nine realms.
However, the dynamic duo faces the wrath of the God of Thunder and the witch, Freya, up next. So, in conclusion, God of War: Ragnarök’s new season is all about testing the father and son duo’s survival skills while the world comes to an ultimate end.
In our list of games, God of War: Ragnarök is the only game whose release is still pending. The game is all about Kratos and Atreus waiting for Ragnarok’s arrival and the prophesized end of the world.
In our opinion, we will find Aesir hunting players throughout the season or until Thor and Freya are slayed. However, it’s still a mystery when Kratos’ story will come to its end. But the Santa Monica Studios revealed that this character’s journey would end with God of War: Ragnarok.
Wrapping up
That is the correct chronological order of all God of War games:
- God of War: Ascension
- God of War: Chains of Olympus
- God of War (2005)
- God of War: Ghost of Sparta
- God of War: Betrayal
- God of War 2
- God of War 3
- God of War (2018)
- God of War: Ragnarok
