All God Of War Games Ranked

With the release of the latest entry in this epic Sony franchise — God of War Ragnarok — fans are left wondering how all of the God of War games truly shape up. After all, this is a series that spans 8 mainline games, with each of them offering their very own taste of video game brilliance and masterful craftsmanship.  

In this exclusive eXputer feature, we’ll be listing down all of the God of War games in accordance with how well they managed to stand out following their release. Here are all God of War games ranked, encompassing the major renditions in the series from top to bottom. 

Let’s dive right in with no further ado. 

All God Of War Games Ranked 

The following is our hand-picked ranking of all the God of War games that have been released so far. Just a friendly reminder: Our opinion may differ significantly from yours, so do try diving into the video with an open mind. 

8. God Of War: Chains Of Olympus 

As we get started with the best God of War games ranked, it’s certainly fitting to mention God of War: Chains of Olympus right out of the gate. Make no mistake—the fact that Chains of Olympus rests at the bottom of the ranking here does not mean that it’s an outright bad game, per se. 

Chains of Olympus was venerated with multiple awards, including the Best PSP Action Game, Best Graphics Technology, and even Best Use of Sound. The latter, although, is primarily when Kratos dives into the hearts of his enemies and tears them apart from the inside out. The screams that surface in the wake of these acts do produce quite the soothing melody for the Ghost of Sparta.

7. God Of War: Ascension

The next title that manages to land on the 7th spot as one of the best God of War games ranked is God of War Ascension. To speak in terms of chronological order, Ascension comes right before the first God of War, where the man, the myth, the legend, announces a blood oath to Ares and then continues to pay the price for it. 

Ares could’ve handled Kratos the right way, but what he did instead was trick the Spartan warrior into killing his own family. Not a good move, Ares. Anyhow, Ascension is a PlayStation 3 exclusive title, and unlike any other God of War game in the series, this one sports a multiplayer mode as well. 

Nevertheless, the setting of the multiplayer was fairly appreciable, considering how the single-player campaign transitioned to it with satisfying mechanics. While Ascension couldn’t win any distinctions at any game awards, it’s still a comical title to enjoy to date. 

6. God Of War: Ghost Of Sparta

One of the better God of War games that released for the PlayStation Portable, God of War Ghost of Sparta is a timeless classic, showcasing a Kratos that goes amiss with his god-slaying frenzy for a little while. In this game, we visualize a Kratos who resembles a striking resemblance to the Kratos of God of War Ragnarok. 

That’s because the plotline of God of War: Ghost of Sparta is something that is more focused on drama-oriented narrative rather than just smashing the heads of a couple of gods in. In this title, Kratos somehow finds outs that this brother—Deimos—is still alive, contrary to his belief. 

The gameplay of the title is combo-focused, similar to the rest of the iterations in this hack-and-slash franchise, and as compared to God of War: Chains of Olympus, Ghost of Sparta feels relatively more enhanced in terms of more weaponry, skills, and magic. 

5. God Of War (2018) 

While this might appear to be a game that deserves a higher spot on this list, we are of a different opinion. God of War (2018) is a fantastic game — no doubt — and it gets tons of things right, but when it boils down to this one and the original trilogy, we can’t help but drool over the latter. 

Picking things up right where the previous God of War game had finalized the storyline, which was basically Kratos attempting to kill himself with the legendary Blade of Olympus, this God of War iteration feels like an absolute makeover, and it truly is one from top to bottom.

From the vividly apparent gameplay overhaul to the massive change in the storyline and the graphics, Santa Monica Studio has done a flat-out terrific job with this one. Its also available on PC.

4. God Of War (2005) 

This is the game that kicked the franchise off, thereby spawning the legacy of Kratos and making multiple follow-ups surface in the wake of it. The first God of War shows a rage-fuelled Kratos going after Ares, the original God of War, and overcoming a hefty ton of obstacles in his way. 

God of War, to date, is one of the best-selling games of the PlayStation 2. It didn’t take long to garner universal acclaim upon release, thereby winning not one but multiple Game of the Year awards. It’s just one of those titles that can get utterly addictive, and you don’t want to put that controller down thereafter. 

3. God Of War Ragnarok

God of War Ragnarok has remained one of the most anticipated games of 2022, but this was no sob story like Cyberpunk 2077. Ragnarok lived up to its hype in beautiful ways, finalizing the Norse sage of the father-son duo in a surreal manner.

This game improves upon its 2018 predecessor in multiple spaces, including the combat, the overall intensity, and the gravity of the storyline. In the previous iteration that was taken over by Cory Barlog at the helm, the game followed a fairly decent pace with no looming threat in the back of your mind. 

The mystery and all the hype that was built up in the 2018 God of War all culminate just as they should be, leaving no room for disappointment whatsoever. As of today, God of War Ragnarok has topped off 2022 as UK boxed charts’ best-ranking game and this comes as no surprise. 

Although the title fell victim to review-bombing at the start of its release on Metacritic, nothing stopped Kratos and Atreus together from beating Elden Ring for Time’s Game of the Year. With that said, Elden Ring did go home with the bigger trophy, outclassing God of War Ragnarok and bagging the 2022 Game of the Year award. 

2. God of War 2

The sequel to the exceptionally acclaimed God of War, God of War 2 brings more heat to the forefront of the action-packed setting of this iconic franchise. Developed to be more brutal than ever, God of War 2 is the promulgation of an emotionally-telling story of revenge and vengeance mixed in the worst of ways. 

As Kratos departs the land of the living, he gets sent down to the Underworld, but death isn’t something that can hold the Ghost of Sparta. It’s only a story of rage, destruction, and havoc from this point onward. Kratos moves forward with finding the Sisters of Fate who allegedly have the power to reverse time. Strategizing a whole ploy in his mind, the outcome of all the struggle sees Kratos going back in time to the moment Zeus kills Kratos. 

That said, the relatively enhanced visuals, the gameplay, and the best, most violent version of Kratos, all won us over in the sequel to this game. Read ahead to find out what made God of War 3 our favorite pick of the bunch.  

1. God Of War 3

God of War 3 is arguably the best God of War game in this legendary series, proving what a rage-filled Spartan is capable of doing to a whole pantheon. This iteration in the God of War franchise is flat-out chaos. It showcases the sheer power of Kratos and how he manages to take down a fleet of gods at will.

The whole game, from start to finish, keeps you glued to your seat as you progress level by level. The developers have certainly created the most vicious Kratos fans have ever seen up until now.

However, what makes God of War 3 the best God of War game in the series isn’t just Kratos being a driving force that ultimately led him to his own demise. Accompanying that fact is how the game managed to effectively utilize the hardware of the PlayStation 3 in such a heightened manner, that the gameplay and the visuals all felt utterly authentic. 

Takeaway

Hailed as one of Sony’s most prized IPs, the God of War franchise is nothing but a masterpiece in the eyes of many. It’s a series that spans more than 9 games — both mainline and secondary — released on different platforms, marking its foray into the gaming industry with the first God of War and then topping things off with a bang following the release of God of War Ragnarok.

While you may not agree with some of the rankings in the video, it’s worth noting that everyone has their own take on experiencing a certain game. What we all can agree with, however, is that God of War’s eminence knows no bounds in the day and age we live in today. If you hold other opinions regarding the ranking of this exceptional franchise, please let us know in the comments section ahead. 

Until next time!