Ever since God of War made its famous pivot from Greek to Norse mythology, audiences have wondered when the series will take its next big leap. According to a number of industry insiders, mainly Jeff Grubb of Giant Bomb, this next leap might actually be a step backwards, sending the IP back to its Greek roots. Naturally, this would be a meaningful new direction for God of War.
Grubb claims that this new Greek-based God of War game won't be a remaster of any previous title, nor will it be a proper, full-blown sequel to God of War Ragnarok. Rather, this rumored release will be a "side story" of sorts, prompting many players to speculate about a Miles Morales-inspired spin-off in the wake of Ragnarok. But, despite Grubb's claims that this side project would be touched on during God of War's anniversary celebration back in April, Santa Monica Studios has been mostly silent about it. Now, Grubb has reported that this new God of War game has been internally delayed to 2026, which could be beneficial for a few reasons.
God of War's Rumored Greek Return Would Have to Deal With a Challenge the Original Saga Didn't
God of War may perform an about-face sometime soon, pivoting back to the Greek saga, which would come with one unexpected hurdle.
Why Delaying God of War's Return To Greece Might Have Been a Smart Move by Sony
A 2025 Release Would Have Put God of War in Competition with Death Stranding 2 and Ghost of Yotei
2025 is shaping up to be a fairly busy year for Sony, not because of the number of games it's releasing, but because of the caliber of its two headliners: Death Stranding 2 and Ghost of Yotei, regardless of how they are ultimately received relative to their predecessors, are threatening to be among the year's biggest performers. This makes sense, as Death Stranding and Ghost of Tsushima are undoubtedly two of Sony's most important new IPs of the past decade.
While a new God of War game would get a lot of attention no matter what, launching during the same window as these two titles (the second half of 2025) does put it at a slight risk of being lost in the shuffle. After all, audiences have been waiting considerably longer for a new Death Stranding and Ghost of Tsushima than for a new God of War game, so the hype is disproportionate.
This is doubly the case when one considers Grubb's comments about the Greek God of War game being a "side story" akin to the likes of Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
A 2026 Release Could Position a New God of War Alongside Its TV Adaptation
Not much is known about Amazon's upcoming God of War TV adaptation, but there's a solid chance it could release in 2026, since development began in earnest last year. If this turns out to be the case, then the aforementioned God of War side story could have even more excitement around it, coinciding with a potentially massive television show.
The two could cross-promote each other, which would obviously work in Sony's favor. Indeed, this could have been a factor in pushing this game's release date back, assuming the rumors are accurate.
2026 could be 'The Year of God of War,' as it were: Sony could go whole-hog when pushing both the TV adaptation and this rumored side-story game, recreating some of the pomp and circumstance that swirled about the series' 2018 reboot. This could be quite important, since the prestige of the series could use a shot in the arm. It's still one of the most popular gaming IPs of the modern age, but with Ragnarok being more of a "part two" than a bold new direction, some ceremony could work wonders for the next God of War game.
God of War Ragnarok
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 92 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- November 9, 2022
- ESRB
- M For Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Santa Monica Studio
- Publisher(s)
- Sony
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Proprietary Engine
- Franchise
- God of War
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Verified
- PC Release Date
- September 19, 2024
- PS5 Release Date
- November 9, 2022
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- How Long To Beat
- 26 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
