Playing God of War Games in order is the best way to experience Kratos’ story from start to finish. Developed by Santa Monica Studios, the God of War games move through Greek and Norse mythology, showing how a brutal Spartan general becomes a father trying to break the cycle of violence. If you’re new to the series or planning a replay, following the timeline helps everything make more sense.
There are eight mainline God of War games, starting on the PlayStation 2 and continuing through to the PS5. We’re focusing on the major console releases, the ones that tell the main story, not the spin-offs or mobile tie-ins.
This guide lists the God of War games in chronological order, not by release date. That way, you can follow Kratos’ journey the way it happened, from his time as a Spartan warrior to the events of Ragnarok.
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Playing the God of War games in order gives you a better grasp of Kratos’ evolution. You see how his choices lead to long-term consequences and how his relationships with his family, the gods, and himself change over time. The combat gets more refined, the world-building grows deeper, and the emotional weight hits harder when you follow the story as it unfolds.
Image Credits: Santa Monica Studios
Set six months after Kratos is tricked into killing his wife and child, Ascension explores his earliest days as a broken man defying the gods. After breaking his blood oath to Ares, Kratos becomes a marked man. The Furies, relentless and merciless enforcers of divine contracts, come after him, dragging him into a nightmarish prison where nothing is real and everything hurts.
Haunted by visions and tormented by guilt, Kratos fights through a storm of illusions and twisted monsters as he tries to break free and reclaim his sanity.
The story aimed to humanise Kratos but was marred by gameplay missteps. The parry system was reworked in a way that made combat feel floaty and off-rhythm, combos lacked the usual crunch, and the lack of true boss fights left the pacing uneven. It had some epic moments, but Ascension was a step down, a prequel nobody asked for that fiddled too much with what already worked.
Image Credits: Santa Monica Studios
During a sudden eclipse that plunges the world into darkness, Kratos, still in service to the gods, is sent to find the missing Sun God, Helios. His quest leads him into the depths of the Underworld, where he confronts Charon, Morpheus, and Persephone, who plans to destroy the world using the Titan Atlas.
Kratos is given a choice: reunite with his daughter Calliope in the Elysian Fields or save the world from annihilation. He chooses duty, sacrificing his last connection to his lost family.
Despite being on the PSP, Chains of Olympus was packed with emotional weight. Kratos’ decision to give up his daughter — again — adds a tragic layer that hits surprisingly hard. It’s often overlooked, but this entry had a tight, focused story and smart level designs.
Image Credits: Santa Monica Studios
After ten years of serving Olympus to erase his nightmares, Kratos is tasked with killing Ares, the rogue God of War who devastated Athens. Find Pandora’s Box, a legendary artefact that can grant a mortal the power to slay a god. Along the way, we learn of Kratos’ horrifying past: manipulated by Ares into murdering his own family, cursed to wear their ashes on his skin. In the end, Kratos succeeds and becomes the new God of War.
God of War redefined the action-adventure genre. People called it a Devil May Cry clone back then, but that didn’t hold up. The game combined brutal combat with environmental puzzles, mythological lore, and cinematic storytelling in a way few had seen. Kratos became iconic overnight — an angry, violent antihero with just enough pain behind the eyes to make you root for him.
Image Credits: Santa Monica Studios
Haunted by visions of his brother Deimos, Kratos searches for the truth and finds it in Atlantis. Deimos was taken as a child due to a prophecy that said a marked warrior would destroy Olympus. Kratos, believing Deimos dead for years, rescues him from the Domain of Death, only for them to face Thanatos, the God of Death.
The brothers fight together… but Deimos is killed in the process, and Kratos’ rage deepens, feeding his growing hatred for the gods.
Ghost of Sparta delivered one of the most emotional arcs in the Greek-era saga. It expanded Kratos’ backstory meaningfully, and the brother dynamic gave us rare vulnerability from the usually unstoppable Spartan. The graphics were insane for a PSP title, and the combat felt just right.
Image Credits: Santa Monica Studios
As the new God of War, Kratos becomes even more destructive, angering the gods by interfering in mortal affairs. Zeus betrays him, stripping him of his godhood and killing him. But Kratos escapes the Underworld once more and seeks out the Sisters of Fate, intending to rewrite history and get revenge on Zeus. He ends up travelling through time, assembling the Titans, and bringing them to the present to launch a full-blown war on Olympus.
This was one of the best games for the PS2. From battling the Colossus of Rhodes to stealing Icarus’ wings, God of War II was peak PS2 power. But narratively? It’s kind of a huge filler. Everything exists to set up God of War III — Zeus doesn’t get his comeuppance, and the game ends on a cliffhanger. That said, it’s still one of the most fun and jaw-dropping entries in the series.
Image Credits: Santa Monica Studios
With the Titans at his side, Kratos storms Mount Olympus to destroy Zeus once and for all. On the way, he annihilates Poseidon, Hades, Helios, Hermes, Hera, and more — each god’s death throwing the world further into chaos. But the real battle is internal: Kratos faces his own guilt, loss, and even gets a glimpse of redemption. In the end, he sacrifices himself (sort of) to give humanity hope and end the cycle of vengeance.
This is the Greek era’s grand finale, and it’s pure chaos in the best way. The opening hours alone, fighting Poseidon atop Gaia, are some of the best in gaming history. It’s violent, relentless, and glorious. We all hated Hermes. Smug, fast, and annoying, and boy was it satisfying to take his boots.
Image Credits: Santa Monica Studios
Years after Olympus falls, Kratos lives in the Norse realm of Midgard, raising his son Atreus in seclusion. When his wife dies, father and son set off on a journey to scatter her ashes at the highest peak in the Nine Realms. Along the way, they clash with Norse gods. The story is intimate and emotional, slowly peeling back the layers of a man trying to escape his past.
This reboot changed everything. The fixed camera was gone, replaced with an immersive, single-shot experience. The Blades of Chaos were temporarily ditched for the Leviathan Axe, and somehow, it became just as iconic.
But the real magic was in the writing: God of War (2018) finally gave Kratos depth. It balanced action, exploration, and storytelling perfectly, and gave us the best version of Kratos yet, one who’s no longer running from the past, but trying to rise above it.
Image Credits: Santa Monica Studios
Fimbulwinter is ending. Ragnarok — the Norse apocalypse — is near. Kratos and Atreus prepare for war while seeking answers about the boy’s true identity as Loki. They face Odin, Thor, and the fallout of past battles, all while trying to prevent the end of everything. Atreus begins to take more initiative, even venturing off solo, while Kratos continues wrestling with fate, legacy, and what kind of father he wants to be.
Ragnarok is an incredible sequel, packed with gorgeous worlds and heartfelt moments, but the story does feel rushed near the end. Certain arcs wrap up too fast, and the parts where Atreus rides a yak through the Ironwood? Ugh!
Still, it’s a worthy finale to the Norse saga, and with the Valhalla DLC, we got the most humane version of Kratos yet, a man who’s finally made peace with his past.
Most of the God of War games in order are playable on modern PlayStation consoles. The newer entries, God of War (2018) and Ragnarok, are on PS4, PS5, and even PC. For the older titles, there’s the God of War Saga collection on PS3, which includes five games from the Greek era (everything except Ascension).
And if you don’t have a PS3 lying around… well, let’s just say there are other ways to revisit Kratos’ past.
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