The God of War Timeline Explained and Made Simple

However confusing the God of War timeline may be, Santa Monica Studio struck gold with the franchise in 2005 on the PlayStation 2. The gaming community was immediately hooked as they took on the role of Kratos, a Spartan war general with the blood of the gods flowing through his veins which fueled his anger and lust for blood for years to come.

The developers worked on the franchise for the last 17 years with multiple entries. As such, it can be a nightmare to fully understand everything properly in the God of War chronological order timeline (especially with the haphazard, backward-and-forwards, storytelling the franchise employs; so to help, we put everything in one easy-to-digest place!

Life Before Becoming the Ghost of Sparta

Before Kratos was even born, an oracle foretold the fall of Mount Olympus would come at the hands of a Marked Warrior and not of the Titans. Kratos and his brother, Deimos, trained hard in their youth to become Spartans; however, Zeus sent Athena and Ares to take Deimos since he has strange markings that fit the description of a Marked Warrior.

Kratos tried to save his brother but was struck by Ares which gave him the scar. The loss of his brother encouraged him to mark himself with the same red markings as Deimous fueling his ambition to become a great warrior until he came across a Barbarian army and pleaded to the God of War to grant him the power to defeat his enemies in exchange for his servitude.

God of War: Ascension (2013)

Release Information

• North America – March 12, 2013
• Europe – March 13, 2013
• Australia – March 14, 2013
• United Kingdom – March 15, 2013
• Japan – October 31, 2013

This entry was only available to the PlayStation 3 console and has not received a remaster for succeeding consoles. To date, God of War: Ascension has sold 3,000,000 units, which is no small feat for a smaller entry into the franchise.

Kratos’ Ascension

Six months after Kratos laid waste to a village worshipping Athena and murdered his wife and daughter, he vowed to exact revenge on those who wronged him. Ares, the current God of War deployed the Furies to deal with Kratos for breaking his oath of allegiance by torturing him with illusions and ensuring they will not be granted the mercy of death. Orkos, the son of Ares, did not appreciate his father manipulating Kratos and decided to switch sides and help him.

Breaking Free From the Clutches of Ares

Orkos took pity on Kratos for murdering his wife and daughter as his father’s instrument of war and to overthrow those in power on Mount Olympus. After switching sides, Orkos told Kratos an oracle named Aletheia could have some answers on how to free him from Ares’ blood oath. Aletheia reveals the only way for Kratos to be free is to kill his torturers. The Furies caught up to Orkos and Kratos and imprisoned him in Aegaeon.

The Truth Behind Orkos, the Oath Keeper of the Furies

The Furies chained Kratos in prison and cast convincing illusions of his wife and daughter being alive. Fortunately, Kratos was able to distinguish fantasy from reality and no amount of deception would convince him to serve Ares and the gods any longer.

After fighting out of Aegaeon and killing the Furies, he caught up to Orkos and revealed that the Furies made him Kratos’ oath keeper, and killing him would set him free. Kratos reluctantly kills Orkos; however, his mind is plagued with haunting visions of the deaths of his loved ones and his servitude to the Greek Gods will atone for his sins.

God of War: Chains of Olympus (2008)

Release Information

• North America – March 4, 2008
• Australia – March 27, 2008
• Europe – March 28, 2008
• Japan – July 10, 2008

The only way to play this installment is on the PlayStation Portable. God of War: Chains of Olympus sold just over 3,250,000 units, putting it ninth in the all-time sales figures for PSP games.

Serving the Gods of Olympus

Among the impressive feats Kratos has achieved in his decade-long servitude to the gods is fighting mythological beasts and defending Greece from foreign invaders. Kratos was sent to the city of Attica during the siege of the Persian Army and made short work of their king. As they were about to celebrate their recent victory, Kratos noticed the sun plummeting towards the ground and immediately went to investigate.

The God of Dreams Intends to Put the World to Sleep

Kratos travels to the Temple of Helios, the last place on Earth with light, and learns from Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom that Morpheus, the God of Dreams, has put all of her fellow gods to sleep with a black fog which enabled him to take over the world and Mount Olympus. Athena tasks Kratos to rescue Helios to awaken the gods and thwart Morpheus’ plan to rule the world. Kratos later encounters Eos, Helios’s sister, and reveals her brother was abducted by the Titan Atlas and ventured to the Underworld on Helios’ fire steeds.

Becoming the Ghost of Sparta Once More

In the Underworld, Kratos saw his daughter and went after her. As he got close, Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld, appeared and offered a deal with the Ghost of Sparta to trade his powers to be reunited with his daughter again.

Kratos gave up his powers without hesitation and enjoyed a few moments with his daughter before Persephone revealed she was the one who freed Atlas to destroy the pillar that was holding the world and was behind the kidnapping of Helios. Realizing he has forsaken the world for his daughter, Kratos fought his way out to retrieve his powers, defeat Persephone, and force Atlas to hold the world on his shoulder as he freed Helios and restored light to the world.

God of War (2005)

Release Information

• North America – March 22, 2005
• Europe – July 8, 2005
• Japan – November 17, 2005

The original God of War was released on the PlayStation 2 and remastered for the PlayStation 3. The game was also ported to the PlayStation Vita and is available to play on the PlayStation 4 and 5 through PlayStation Plus Premium. It sold over 4,600,000 units during its original run, with the title coupled with its sequel in a PS3 Collection rerelease in 2009, adding just short of 2,500,000 to its total.

10 Years of Servitude is Enough

After spending a decade doing god’s bidding, Kratos has grown tired of the gods failing to deliver on their promise to free him from his nightmares. Athena appeared before Kratos and revealed only one mission stood in his way. Kratos is tasked to defeat Ares as he starts a siege on Athens and discovers the only way to kill a god is with Pandora’s Box which is conveniently hidden on the back of the Titan Cronos as he wanders the Desert of Lost Souls for eternity by Zeus’ order after the Great War. Kratos did not falter and as he was about to open the box, Ares threw a massive pillar from Athens and impaled the Ghost of Sparta.

The Highway to Hell

After dying at the hands of Ares, Kratos fell to the Underworld once more as he fought his way out to the land of the living with the help of a mysterious grave digger. The trials and challenges Kratos faced prepared him for the fight of his life and exacting revenge on the god who trapped him in this life as a glorified killing machine.

Becoming the God of War

Kratos was not denied the second time to opening Pandora’s Box and he gains the godly powers necessary to take on Ares. Ares did not let this act of betrayal go unpunished and unleashed hell on Kratos by reliving his traumatic memories of killing his daughter and wife. He eventually broke free from the illusion and Ares removed the Blades of Chaos attached to his body.

Kratos finds the Blade of the Gods which has been converted to a bridge in Athens and uses it to kill Ares once and for all. After accomplishing his mission, Athena revealed that Kratos had been forgiven for his sins and they could not take away his nightmares which pushed Kratos to commit suicide until he was saved by the gods who offered him the throne as the new God of War.

God of War: Ghost of Sparta (2010)

Release Information

• North America – November 2, 2010
• Europe – November 3, 2010
• Australia – November 4, 2010
• United Kingdom – November 5, 2010
• Japan – November 11, 2010

This entry can only be played on the PlayStation Portable. Considered by many to be an underrated classic in the franchise, it fell to a ‘paltry’ 1,200,000 units sold,

Deimos’ Cruel Life

After being mistaken as the Marked Warrior and taken by Ares and Athena, Deimos lived his life being tortured by Thanatos, the God of Death. Despite being the new God of War, Kratos is still haunted by his traumatic childhood. Kratos decides to take a trip down memory lane against the advice of Athena and meets up with his mother, Callisto at Atlantis. Callisto reveals that his brother is alive before transforming into a monster and dies at his hands. On his way out, Kratos frees the Titan Thera and destroys Atlantis.

The Return to Sparta and a Sunken Atlantis

Kratos returned to Sparta and he encountered the mysterious gravedigger once more, and he told him not to anger the gods any further. The Ghost of Sparta ignored his advice and went on his way as he fought a young ghost phantom of himself. He realized he must return to Atlantis to gain safe passage to death’s domain. Poseidon attacked Kratos’ ship in retaliation for sinking his kingdom.

The Unexpected Reunion

Kratos eventually enters Death’s Domain and rescues Deimos. After being trapped for years, Deimos is angry at his brother for not coming to his rescue sooner, and the two fight until Thanatos steps in to break the fight but Kratos saves Deimos from falling. Thanatos realized the Gods’ mistake and Kratos was the Marked Warrior that should have been taken years before. During the fight, Deimos dies, and Kratos kills Thanatos. Kratos carried his brother towards the gravedigger who conveniently already dug a grave for his brother.

God of War: Betrayal (2007)

Release Information

Despite being a mobile game, God of War: Betrayal was released on June 20, 2007. This game is part of the continuity which is playable on mobile devices with Java support. Sales figures are unknown.

Back in Action

After the death of his brother which only fuels the flames of his hate toward the Gods even more, Kratos returns home to Sparta under siege by Argos and other Greek forces. Before Kratos could deliver the killing blow, an assassin kills Argos and pins the blame on Kratos. Ceryx, the son of Hermes, appeared and delivered a message from the Gods asking Kratos to end his pursuit to find the assassin which resulted in Cervyx’s death and the Gods realized they could not control Kratos any longer.

God of War II (2007)

Release Information

• North America – March 13, 2007
• Europe – April 27, 2007
• Australia – May 3, 2007
• Japan – October 25, 2007

The game was originally released on the PlayStation 2, was remastered for the PlayStation 3, and ported to the PlayStation Vita. Sales dropped slightly for God of War II compared to the original but still touted a healthy 4,200,000, or just over. Add that to the 2,500,000 as part of the PS3 Collection rerelease two years later, and it was more than a good return for Santa Monica Studios.

Kratos’ Thirst for Blood

The other Gods are starting to fear what Kratos could do and Athena pleads with him to take it easy. Kratos ignores her advice and joins his men during the Battle of Rhodes. During the battle, an eagle swooped in and took away some of his godly powers bringing the nearby Colossus to life to kill him.

Zeus gifted Kratos the Blade of Olympus and fused his power to the sword to kill the Colossus leaving him mortally wounded from being crushed. As Kratos crawled towards the sword to regain his powers, Zeus appeared and revealed he took his power and saw him as a threat then he proceeded to kill Kratos with the Blade wiping out the Spartan Army.

Meeting Gaia

Before plummeting to the depths of the Underworld again, Kratos is saved by the Titan Gaia who gives him Pegasus and orders him to find the Sisters of Fate to alter his destiny and regain his godly powers. On his journey, Kratos defeated countless enemies such as the Barbarian King, Theseus, and even stripped Icarus’ wings for his benefit. Kratos eventually comes across Atlas and agrees to aid him in his quest for revenge by taking him to the stronghold of the Sisters of Fate. The Sisters deny his request to alter time, defeat all three, and do it himself.

The Comeuppance of Zeus

Kratos went back in time to the moment he died leaving Zeus surprised. Before Kratos could deliver the killing blow, Athena intervened and revealed Zeus’ actions are dictated by fear, and he was repeating the history of patricide between the Titans and the Gods and that Zeus is their father. Kratos declares war against the Olympian Gods and goes back in time during the Great War to recruit the Titans.

God of War III (2010)

Release Information

• North America – March 16, 2010
• Australia – March 18, 2010
• Europe – March 19, 2010
• Japan – March 25, 2010

This chapter is the finale of the Greek Saga, which was later remastered for the PlayStation 4 and is playable on the PlayStation 5 through backward compatibility. Perhaps buoyed by being the end of the Greek Saga, or the first full God of War title developed for the PS3, it went on to huge success, selling over 7,600,000 to date. Similar to other entries, God of War III was remastered, and released for PS4 in 2015, selling another 5,600,000 units to bolster the total for this title to over 12,000,000!

The Beginning of the End

Kratos and the Titans started their siege on Mount Olympus and the Greek Gods rushed to battle. Poseidon was the first god to fall and his death caused a massive tsunami that killed everyone. As Gaia and Kratos reached the top, Zeus fired a powerful bolt of lightning sending the duo back but Gaia managed to cling on while Kratos was struggling.

Gaia ended her alliance with him as he fell to the River Styx. In the Underworld, Kratos meets Athena in a different form claiming she is now more than what she was after her sacrifice and aids Kratos in his quest. Athena reveals Kratos must snuff out the Flames of Olympus to defeat Zeus and brandish him the Blades of Exile.

Another One Bites the Dust

Kratos defeats Hades with his claws as he escapes the Underworld to continue his revenge quest with no allies. Later on, Kratos sees Gaia still climbing and she wants to continue their alliance, being betrayed once, Kratos chops her arm and watches her fall. Helios was wounded in battle and Kratos took the opportunity to rip his head off and send the world into eternal darkness.

Zeus kept Pandora’s Box within the eternal flames to safeguard it and Kratos intends to use it once more; however, this time he must find Pandora herself to open the box. Hermes, Hera, Hercules, Cronos, and a few more Gods and Titans died at Kratos’ hands. Hephaestus gifted Kratos with the Nemesis Whip to save his daughter trapped in a labyrinth.

The End of the Greek Saga

After rescuing Pandora, she realizes her life must be sacrificed to open the box; however, Kratos is reluctant. Zeus intervenes and a fight breaks out long enough for Pandora to open the box and die. Kratos realized the box was empty and Zeus mocked his failure. In a final confrontation, Kratos fights Zeus at the top of Mount Olympus, and Gaia swallows them both. Kratos grabbed the Blade of Olympus killed both Zeus and Gaia and woke up to all the death and devastation.

Kratos takes the sword out of Zeus’ body; however, his spirit attacks him and sends him to a psychic battle where he sees Pandora and reveals that hope is the key to winning. Kratos forces Zeus’ spirit back to his body and beats him till he dies. The death of Zeus and the Greek Gods sent the world into turmoil and Athena asked him to give this power to rebuild the world but Kratos impaled himself and unleashed hope to the world. After leaving a trail of blood, Kratos isn’t done living but is no longer calling himself the God of War. This is the end of the OG God of War timeline, with a new era set to begin.

God of War (2018)

Release Information

God of War (2018) was released worldwide on April 20, 2018, and is playable on PlayStation 4. A PC port was released on January 14, 2022. When coupling the PS4 and PC versions, the total amount of sales was last announced in 2022 to be over 23,000,000, and would likely be higher if not for the fact the game is also available on PS Plus.

Welcome to Midgard

God of War’s soft reboot represents a new start in the God of War timeline. After destroying his homeland and ridding it of the Gods, Kratos ended up in Scandinavia and met his second wife, Faye, a Giant known as the Guardian. The two nearly beheaded each other but ended the fight in a stalemate fell in love, and gave birth to their son Atreus, also known as Loki to the Jotnar (revealed at the end of the game). Kratos and Faye decided to live in the forest away from other people.

The game may open with Faye’s death, the cause of which is never revealed, but Faye prepared for her death and marked specific trees to use for her funeral pyre which were used to keep them off the Aesir’s radar. After Faye’s funeral, a strange man comes knocking on their door and claims to know of Kratos’ past which led to a fight despite Kratos’ best efforts to avoid it. Realizing they are no longer safe, Kratos and Atreus set out to fulfill Faye’s wish of her ashes being spread on the highest peak of all the realms.

New Friends and Enemies

While reaching the foot of the mountain, the father-son met a blue dwarf named Brok who claimed he and his brother made the Leviathan Axe, the antithesis of Mjolnir and Faye’s weapon. The duo encountered the Witch of the Woods after injuring her friend with an arrow. The Witch saved the boar and guided them safely out of the woods. This is just the introduction to some of the most important characters of the Norse Saga.

As they reach the Lake of Nine, the World Serpent has woken from its long slumber and Tyr’s Temple slowly emerges. Atreus claims the Serpent is friendly despite not knowing how he was able to understand him in the first place. Later, they meet Sindri who gifted Atreus with mistletoe arrows, and Brok’s estranged brother who will offer them upgrades for their journey. As they near the mountain entrance, they are blocked by the Black Breath, and the Witch claims it can be removed with the Light of Alfheim. Kratos and Atreus travel to a foreign realm through Tyr’s Temple defeating countless Dark Elves, grabbing the Light of Alfheim, and escaping.

On their way back, Kratos once again heard the voice of the Strange Man, this time accompanied by Magni and Modi, the sons of Thor as they interrogated a man stuck in a tree. Kratos meets Mimir for the first time and he offers to guide the duo to their actual destination Jotunheim, not Midgard. After Kratos beheaded Mimir (the only way to aid his escape from being entangled in a tree for eternity thanks to the wrath of Odin), they took his head to the Witch to resurrect him. Mimir then revealed she is none other than Freya, the Vanir Goddess resulting in tension and a wedge between her and Kratos, due to his treatment at the hands of Gods previously.

To a Journey’s End

The trio acquired a magic chisel tip to enable realm travel; however, Magni and Modi intervened and a fight broke out. Kratos killed Magni while Modi escaped to Asgard and Atreus fell ill from his recurring illness. Mimir suggested bringing him to Freya but Atreus refused. While they enter Tyr’s Vault, Modi comes back and attacks Kratos which leads Atreus to use his Spartan Rage for the first time but he passes out doing so. Modi ran away again and Kratos rushed to Freya’s home, with no option but to trust a God again.

Freya, reluctant at first, opened her doors when she saw Atreus’ condition and tasked Kratos to travel to Helheim and acquire the heart of the Gatekeeper to save his son. Before leaving on his most important quest yet, he returns home to retrieve an item he long thought finished with, the Blades of Chaos, all the while being haunted by Athena, taunting him about his monstrous past.

Kratos ventured to Hel and killed the Gatekeeper where he heard the voice of Zeus. Mimir advised him to return home immediately and save his son with the help of Brok. After saving Atreus, Kratos told him the truth of his godhood fueling his ego like killing a defenseless Modi and disobeying Kratos’ commands.

The Strange Man is soon revealed to be Baldur, Odin, and Freya’s son. Shortly after Atreus is healed, a confrontation between his father and Baldur occurs, with Kratos trying to reason with Baldur, in an attempt to end the cycle of violence. Forced to act though, Baldur is slain, and after his death, Freya promises she will have her revenge.

God of War draws to a close soon after, with Kratos and Atreus ending their journey at the highest peak of all the realms, Jotunheim. It’s revealed that Faye has the gift of foresight, having seen all of this long ago, and Atreus is in fact Loki, and Ragnarok will be occurring shortly, and with it, Kratos’ apparent death.

God of War Ragnarok (2022)

Release Information

God of War Ragnarok was released worldwide on November 9, 2022, for the PlayStation 4 and 5 and on PC last September 19, 2024. Coupling the PS4/PS5 and PC releases together, God of War Ragnarök totals over 15,000,000 sales, pushing it into the upper pantheons of PlayStation Exclusive sales performances!

Fimbulwinter

Three years after Baldur’s death, Kratos and Atreus inadvertently sped up the timetable for Ragnarok, with Freya also putting a price on their heads. While surviving Fimbulwinter, Atreus was trained by Kratos, all the while coming to terms with his gifts as a god and giant. His sorrow overtook him though, due to the loss of a loved one in Fenrir, manifesting in his transformation into a bear, which Kratos was forced to fight.

Shortly after, Thor made his grand entrance, followed closely by Odin, both arriving to posit a deal to make up for the blood payment they considered Kratos to owe for killing Baldur. Of course, Kratos refused, and Thor took the fight to him, whilst Odin was talking to Atreus. This proved enough to turn the young God’s head, as after the fight ended in a stalemate, Kratos learned of Atreus’s wish to help the Huldra Brothers Brok and Sindri, in their attempt to uncover Tyr’s whereabouts.

Finding Tyr

Kratos reluctantly accompanied Atreus in his quest to find Tyr in Nidavellier and met other dwarves like Raeb and Durlin, a member of the local resistance. Durlin gave them a map to an underground tunnel revealing Tyr’s location and after he was rescued, Tyr was unwilling to fight but Kratos freed him anyway. The group took shelter at Sindri’s home in the Realm Between Realms while Atreus sneaks out again to find more answers and allies in Midgard.

The World Serpent told Atreus to head to Ironwood and didn’t say how to reach it, and Sindri knew where Freya was hiding. Atreus approached Freya with the hopes of building an alliance but she refused. After returning home, Tyr revealed the answers might lie in the Alfheim shrine and the group left immediately. The mural revealed an alternate prophecy depicting Odin’s defeat at the hands of the Giants which is why he ordered the Aesir to attack any Giant they meet being led by a Champion, a significant deviation from the one shown at the end of the previous game.

After seeing off Tyr to his home realm and returning to their own, a heated exchange broke out between Kratos and Atreus, with the latter falling asleep afterward, to be awoken dazed and confused at his new location, in Ironwood. It is here that he learns of the original prophecy, including Kratos’ death. The shocks keep on coming, as Kratos is attacked by a rogue Valkyrie, revealed to be Freya, who, after yet another discussion with Kratos, finally understands the actions and ‘no win’ situation Baldur created, and promises to help the father and son duo in their new quest.

The Twilight of the Gods

Atreus then travels to Asgard to spy on the Aesir, where Odin entrusts him with a wooden mask that allows the wearer to see through rifts into other realms. Kratos, impatient and desperate to act, seeks out the Norns, the Norse counterparts of the Sisters of Fate, where it is revealed Kratos’s death is inevitable, there’s no prophecy and Heimdall intends to kill his son, Atreus.

Atreus’ journey away from his father continues, as he travels to Helheim with Thrud, daughter of Thor. Inadvertently freeing Garm, the hound of Hel. Atreus asks Odin to send him home. Kratos and Atreus return, stopping Garm by infusing Fenrir’s soul into the body. Tyr, suddenly having a change of heart, volunteers his services in the fight against the prophecy and Odin, but it’s then revealed that this was all a trick of Odin’s making, and Tyr is in fact Odin himself. Brok is slain in the aftermath of this revelation, pushing the group to decide war is the only course of action left.

Kratos rallied all of their allies and summoned Ragnarök to destroy Asgard. Atreus subverts fate and the prophecy by trapping Odin instead of slaying his father, however, the two’s journey comes to an end, as Atreus leaves to restore the Giants.

Kratos takes Odin’s place as the new All-Father of the Nine Realms, and in the process travels to Niflheim and frees the real Tyr.

God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla

Release Information

God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla is a free expansion released on December 12, 2023, for the PlayStation 4 and 5. The PC port includes this roguelike DLC upon purchase.

Life After Ragnarok

Kratos received an invitation to Valhalla, the mythical realm where fallen soldiers live out their heavenly fantasies forevermore. It is revealed that the real Tyr sent him the invitation, as a way to help Kratos work through his guilt and doubt over his latest and newest title the Norse God of War.

Kratos encounters enemies and Gods from his past that he long since thought dead-and-buried, before finally meeting a younger version of himself. Finally letting the guilt go, he forgave himself for his life’s transgressions, promising to use his powers for good, and a symbol of hope for others.

And that sums up the God of War timeline so far!

The Future of the God of War Timeline

Nothing concrete has been announced so far, at least regarding the future of the games. Creator Cory Barlog has been pretty tight-lipped about that, bar some odd hints and teases over on his X (formerly known as Twitter) page. Rumors have been swirling since the release of God of War Ragnarök, with many assuming the story will be split between both Kratos and Atreus, with the latter potentially having his own game in the works.

One thing is for certain, Kratos’ next appearance will be in Prime Video’s Secret Level anthology series, but to what ends, and how canonically relevant it is, is unknown right now. The God of War timeline is much easier to understand after reading it through for sure, but multimedia and multiple iterations of the characters could soon complicate matters.

For more Thumb Wars Gaming coverage, check out our list of PlayStation exclusives that should receive the LEGO treatment or story moments HBO should adapt for The Last of Us Season 2.

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Rouvin Quirimit

Rouvin Josef Quirimit is a Content Writer, an avid gamer (on his PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch), and film enthusiast. He was fortunate to grow up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and was enamored by the storytelling of a shared universe full of heart and spectacle. His love for movies led him to great single-player games and he intends to cover major franchises for years to come!