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. 

Remember that the God of War series is yet to push out a title that won’t get critical acclaim. Yes, the IP that we’re on about here is that good. Chains of Olympus has remained the PlayStation Portable’s highest-rated game on Metacritic, not to mention selling incredibly well across the globe during its time of release. 

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.

Since God of War: Chains of Olympus was the very first title that came out for the PSP, the title did suffer from its fair share of issues, including limited functional capacity that made the character feel a little underwhelming to the player as opposed to Kratos’ grand demeanor and poise. 

With that said, the game in question is not to be missed by any die-hard God of War fan. It’s still a title that manages to grip players in and take them along for an emotionally stimulating ride. That is to say, Chains of Olympus sees Kratos developing as the figure he became, especially after confronting his deceased daughter.  

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. 

In this game, therefore, Kratos is seen imprisoned by otherworldly forces called the three Furies. These events take place after the Ghost of Sparta takes back his words and betrays Ares. The proceeding was well-deserved though.

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. 

Although the latter did put up a fun experience for users to enjoy, it was criticized by some for not being totally balanced. However, as with many other multiplayer games, balance is hard to achieve, and God of War Ascension did falter in this particular regard 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. 

Once the realization kicks in, Kratos fends off to the Domain of Death to rescue his brother despite the differences between the two. Along the journey, Kratos constantly contemplates what type of a man has he become, not to mention the savagery he has been dishing out so far. 

You’ll find the setting of God of War: Ghost of Sparta to be placed between the first God of War and God of War: Betrayal—a side-scrolling mobile game that came out in 2010. After the protagonist arrives at the Domain of Death where Deimos was captured, the duo of brothers confronts the God of Death, Thanatos. 

But before that happens, there’s a full-fledged fight between the two brothers, with Deimos complaining about why Kratos didn’t come to rescue him sooner. Things end badly at that time, but Kratos soon shows his wit and sacrifice and rescues Deimos for the second time at a later point. 

It’s then when the brothers team up to fight Thanatos together. 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.

The penultimate title in the iconic God of War series features a different Kratos—a half-man half-god—unlike anyone you’ve ever seen before. Soon after you start the game up, it doesn’t take long for one to realize how things have changed drastically for the Ghost of Sparta. 

For starters, he has a son called Atreus and a wife who’s no longer among the living. As Kratos chops some trees down to gather wood and pay his final respects to Faye, Atreus’ mother, the player discovers that the father-son duo will be embarking on an epic adventure to spread Faye’s ashes at the top of the nine total realms.

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.

What’s even better here is that the God of War (2018) can now be enjoyed on PC too now, considering the game’s overall scale and how many numbers did it manage to sell in the wake of its glory.  

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. 

The premise of the game is defined by Kratos working of the gods of Mount Olympus for a whopping ten years. As the Ghost of Sparta becomes sick and tired of all his suffering and servitude, he relays his feelings to Athena and demands a solution. 

Athena, the Greek goddess of Wisdom and War, purports to be Kratos’ ally for the majority of the original God of War trilogy, but things do not end on that same note. As the man expresses his sprawling concern, Athena instructs him to kill off Ares and forgiveness will be granted to him. 

As Kratos willingly agrees, he sets out to Athens where Ares has wreaked absolute havoc in the wake of learning that this sister has plotted against him. Kratos, during his journey, discovers that a godlike object with mysterious powers—the Pandora’s Box—is the only entity that will allow the Ghost of Sparta enough power to battle and defeat Ares.

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. 

In Ragnarok, however, that won’t be the case. If you haven’t tried the title out yet, we’ll make sure to keep things spoiler-free in this brief description. The only thing you need to know for now is that Ragnarok has ended the franchise for now on an admirable note, taking us along a remarkable journey of a godly father and his godly son.

In the title, Atreus gets to explore his godhood while Kratos stands by his side, covering for his young and energetic son. However, alongside all the growing up of Atreus, what stands before the duo of these gods is some of their most vicious opponents yet—Thor — the God of Lightning — and the Allfather Odin. 

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. 

• Something to Look Into: 10 MUST-PLAY Games Like God of War Ragnarok.

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. 

Kratos, after becoming the new God of War, is subject to maltreatment again by his fellow gods, all of whom look down upon the Ghost of Sparta for his former deeds.

In an event where Sparta is destroying more cities to expand the reign of Kratos, the rage-filled Spartan decides to join his army in an attempt to deliver the final blow. 

However, as he begins to proceed, an eagle appears out of the sky, depleting Kratos of a portion of his godlike powers and granting all that ability to the nearby Colossus of Rhodes. Nevertheless, as is typical with the man, overcomes all obstacles and comes out on top, until Zeus confronts Kratos and kills him for his ignorance. 

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. Another figure intervenes during the process — Gaia the Titan — and saves Kratos from his impending death. 

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. 

This time, Kratos overpowers Zeus, who is momentarily saved by Athena’s sacrifice. The death of an acquaintance doesn’t stop Kratos from pursuing Zeus either. Kratos then promises the fall of Mount Olympus as he goes back in time again to bring back the full force of the titans. 

The latter is where God of War 2 climates and paves the way for God of War 3 to arrive, which, in our opinion is the best God of War game in the franchise up until now. The way God of War 2 portrayed Kratos, however, still comes pretty close to being ranked number 1.

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.

From pulling off Helios’ — the God of the Sun — head and using it as a handy lantern to murdering the ever-living wind out of Zeus, Kratos’ killing spree is the most violent in God of War 3, solely because of the fact that he wanted revenge. 

Before Kratos develops into a much more calm and more reasonable version of himself, this is where the God of War peaked in terms of pure brutality. He definitely didn’t hold back when it boiled down to ravaging those who did him wrong behind his back, including his own father, Zeus. 

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. 

On top of that came the title’s storyline that, as iterated earlier, didn’t take too much of our time to make it clear that this game right here is going down as one of history’s greatest. If you haven’t tried out the sterling adrenaline that God of War 3 offers yet, do us a favor and get going with the game already.  

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!