What are the best God of War games? In the pantheon of popular PlayStation intellectual properties, God of War occupies the throne room alongside other household names like Uncharted and Gran Turismo. Developed (mostly) by Santa Monica Studio, the beloved series has evolved from its pure action game roots into a more robust action RPG, though its core ideas remain much the same. Brutal combat, challenging puzzles, and an epic story tie all of Kratos' adventures together, whether they're the cutthroat Greek titles or the more considered (but no less epic) Norse games.
God of War has been with PlayStation since the PS2 days, and has not only been a consistent best seller for Sony, but has also continually pushed technical boundaries, often the most impressive-looking games on their given system. But which is the best of Kratos’ bloody escapades to date?
That's where you come in. In order to rank the best God of War games, we've turned to our community for guidance. Using the search box below, you can find all of Kratos' adventures, and give each of them a rating out of 10. These user scores directly impact the order of the list, therefore always showcasing the God of War titles you collectively like most. If you disagree, you can have your say by leaving your ratings — and of course, leaving your thoughts in the comments section below.
11. God of War: Ascension (PS3)
Following the conclusion of the main Greek trilogy, Santa Monica Studio served up a prequel of sorts with God of War: Ascension. Kratos is imprisoned for breaking his oath to Ares, and must fight the Furies to break free from eternal torment. The game experiments with various new weapon types and even an online multiplayer mode, but ultimately it's remembered as an also-ran adventure that doesn't meaningfully build on the core story. Still, if you're hungry for more bloodthirsty action after powering through the rest of the series, this certainly delivers on that front.
10. God of War III Remastered (PS4)
God of War III Remastered may have been one of the last hurrahs for the series’ old-school, fixed perspective style – but it’s still an absolute doozy. Presented pristinely on PS4, this trilogy closer has some of the most epic moments you’ll find any console, including an opening boss fight against Poseidon that remains utterly jaw-dropping even today.
9. God of War: Chains of Olympus (PSP)
As one of PlayStation’s most spectacular franchises, Ready at Dawn performed a mini-miracle bringing God of War: Chains of Olympus to the PSP. A full-fledged adventure – albeit only a few scant hours in length – this prequel had all of the bombast of its PS2 counterparts. It also explored a softer side of Kratos, examining his relationship with deceased daughter Calliope. It was eventually bettered by handheld successor God of War: Ghost of Sparta, but the original will always be special for the sheer spectacle of bringing Olympus to Sony’s portable machine.
8. God of War: Ghost of Sparta (PSP)
Released around six or so months after mainline PS3 entry God of War III, but set shortly after the events of the first game, protagonist Kratos and his hack-and-slash escapades were beginning to feel a little long in the tooth by the time God of War: Ghost of Sparta arrived. Nevertheless, this was an impressive portable instalment from developer Ready at Dawn, cramming some of the most incredible visuals onto the pocketable platform at the time. The story, too, written by God of War II director Cory Barlog, was particularly personal, examining the relationship between the series’ iconic skinhead and his brother Deimos. With a ton of combat variety and some truly jaw-dropping set-pieces, this spin-off managed to stave off the stench of franchise fatigue for a little longer.
7. God of War (PS2)
The game that started it all, God of War remains a PS2 powerhouse that put Santa Monica Studio firmly on the map. While some elements haven't aged very gracefully, the overall combat-heavy gameplay, memorable set-pieces, and engaging story secured the game's place as an instant hit for Sony, and it's still a fun romp to this day.
6. God of War Collection: Volume II (PS3)
Following the re-release of God of War 1 and 2 on PS3, Sony brought the duology of PSP games across to its home console too. The pair of games are excellent entries in the franchise, recounting some of the events prior to the original God of War and exploring Kratos' past. Comprising God of War: Chains of Olympus and God of War: Ghost of Sparta, this collection presents the pair of action titles with bumped-up resolution and stereoscopic 3D.
5. God of War Collection (PS3)
God of War Collection remasters the original PS2 games God of War and God of War II, placing them together in one essential 720p package. Released shortly before God of War III, this collection presented a perfect opportunity for fans to refresh their memories of Kratos' original adventures. These are fantastic action games, even today.
4. God of War II (PS2)
After the first entry was such a success, God of War II had to be something quite special to stand out. Fortunately, it managed to outshine the original with improved gameplay, unbelievable visuals, and a meaningful, impactful extension of the story. One of PS2's best action games, this is where God of War became one of Sony's most reliable and most popular series.
3. God of War III (PS3)
God of War III felt like the title that Sony Santa Monica had always wanted to make, but couldn't because of hardware limitations. It takes everything that players loved about the first two games and cranks it all up to eleven. Massive boss battles steal the show — jaw-dropping at the time and still showstoppers now — while creative level design brings a real momentum to Kratos' blood-soaked adventure. Brilliant moments of brutality punctuate what is one of the PS3's finest.
2. God of War Ragnarok (PS5)
God of War Ragnarok improves on 2018's already excellent God of War in every possible way — which says it all, really. It's a massive adventure spanning all nine realms of Norse mythology, and the game's jaw-dropping scope is probably its greatest asset. Just when you think you've seen it all, Ragnarok pops up with something completely new and exciting, time and time again. An immense experience, polished to near perfection. One of PlayStation Studios' best works.
1. God of War (PS4)
They only went and did it, didn’t they? God of War was as washed up as a Greek god after the fall of Olympus, but Sony Santa Monica found a way to reinvent protagonist Kratos and inject him into an all-new mythology at the same time. This alternate take on PlayStation’s bald-headed barbarian leans heavily on story, but it never forgets what made the series sing to begin with: fantastic action, larger-than-life set-pieces, and a fantasy world that’s begging to be explored. For our money it's the best PS4 exclusive on the market.
And that about does it for our best God of War games list. Are they in the right order, though? Whatever you think, remember that this list is entirely determined by readers like you. If you want to contribute to how these games are ranked, leave your user scores on each title using the search bar at the top of this article. If a God of War game is somehow missing from our PlayStation Game Database, let us know.
With all that out of the way, thanks for browsing our list of best God of War games, and be sure to share your thoughts on the series in the comments section below.
Comments 55
God of War 3 is my fave. Just an excellent action game that constantly throws awesome set pieces and bosses at the player.
My favourite is Ragnarok followed by god of war 2018 and god of war 3
Can't forget God of War Betrayal!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_of_War:_Betrayal
I actually played through it during the pandemic when I was working my way through all the GoW games
GOW3 Remastered being lower on the list than GOW3 doesn't seem to make sense
@ralphdibny Back when mobile games were literally just games
The first 3 are the best. The recent GoW was quite good, but Ragnarok? Didn't like it. It came with my PS5 and after a few hours the stop, start, stop, start gameplay was tedious. Gameplay and narrative in Ragnarok is horribly unbalanced. Uninstalled it and never went back.
i don’t think it’s fair to compare new GoW to old. two entirely different games in my eyes.
new GoW is a RPG
It’s a bit odd having collections and remasters on here, makes it confusing. There are no “bad” GoW games though so any of them you play you’re in for a good time.
Saying that, yak hell can do one. Iykyk. What were they thinking with that? Total pace killer.
No way is the first GoW better than the 3rd, or even the 2nd. Disagree about that. Everything else is acceptable. As of right now, Ragnorak is the only GoW game I haven't played and platted yet. So I have no say in how it's ranked.
1) 3
2) 1
3) 2018
4) Valhalla (I know it's DLC but I think it feels standalone enough to warrant it's own spot)
5) Ragnarok
6) Ghost of Sparta
7) Chains of Olympus
8) Ascension
9) 2
Nah GOW2 is far and away the best for me. It's a great series and they are all great games but GOW2 the GOAT.
I enjoy all of them, but I think Ascension for me was the weakest, the combat flow didn't feel right. Top of the list is GOW 2018, then GOW 3, then Ragnarok for me.
Ragnarok ahead of 2 and 3 is a sin against the Gods.
The blurb on GOW2 and its position in the list make no sense 😂
Yes I realise the order is based on user rankings, still found it a bit funny.
@JB_Whiting
Absolutely.
I prefer the original Greek trilogy - especially 1 & 2 - over the latest games they've released. I liked the sheer brutality and craziness of the set pieces, and frankly found permanently-ultra-angry Kratos a lot more entertaining.
“For our money it's the best PS4 exclusive on the market.”
I agree excluding Bloodbourne!
Love GoW and glad it’s still going strong. This has made me want to replay the old school titles.
Never managed to finish one. A franchise I've just never gotten along with whatsoever.
Haven't finished any of the original trilogy or the PSP titles, but Ragnarok and 2018 are some of my favorite gaming experiences I've ever had.
I must be one of the few who puts Ragnarok ahead of GoW 2018. I feel like it "completes" that game. Gow 2018 was a promise, and Ragnarok its fulfillment. Not just in terms of the narrative, but in terms of the scale and variety of (mini-)boss fights it provides as well (one of the few weak points of 2018).
Why include collections and remaster??? Outside graphics and frame rate, there's no change for the story, music, and gameplay compare to the original games.
Anyway. I'm not yet played Ragnarok and it could be my most fav GOW. But right now, my list:
1. GOW 2
2. GOW 2018
3. GOW 1
4. GOW 3
5. Ghost of Sparta
6. Chains of Olympus
7. Ascension
How can the first collection be lower than both of the games in said collection. I know the versions singularly are ps2 vrs ps3 collection but the collections were hd up and nothing else different? Therefore bring superior
GoW (2018) would be my number one, followed by GoW3
There's no way the 2 latest games are better than the original trilogy. I'll take gameplay over family drama and handholding (literally and figuratively) any day of the week.
Have played most, not all of these.
I found it quite hard to decide which out of 2018 and Ragnarok i thought was better until i played them back to back last year, and Ragnarok was just slightly better imo.
I really enjoyed Atreus being player controlled, and swapping back and forth between him and Kratos. I just wish he had a bit more fighting in his sections.
Didnt think anything pre 2018 was fantastic - good, but not fantastic - glad they changed things up when they did.
1) God of War
2) God of War II
3) God of War (2018)
4) Ghost of Sparta
5) GOW III
6) Chains of Olympus
7) Ragnarok
8) Ascension
Ragnarok either felt like a rehash of plot points from 2018 or incredibly rushed. Likewise, the gameplay was quite imbalanced. Ascension, while having some awesome boss battles, just felt unnecessary overall. Although GOW2 was a better game than the original God of War, I give the original the number 1 spot because of the story and how much it blew my mind when I first played it. 2018 is excellent…too bad it’s sequel failed to meet its quality.
The original God of War for the PS2 is one of the best games of all time. It’s just perfect.
I enjoy all the god of war games.i been a massive fan since the ps2 days.its definitely PlayStation best franchises ever.the ps4 god of war game is easily one of the greatest video games ever made.word up son
I don't get the hate for Ascension. In terms of gameplay, it was the best in the series before the reboot. Super fun.
GOW 3 is top for me with Kratos just tearing into his relatives. I loved the camera switch when he catches up with Helios. My favorite encounter is the fight where Kratos gets his hands on the Neman Cestus.
However, I recently decided to take my time with Ragnarok and delve into the combat mechanics with each weapon. I have to admit it is a cracking game and I think it's better than GOW 2018.
Ragnarök is definitely my favorite.
@Korgon It's fitting that you'd call GOW2 the GOAT, considering its launch party...
gameplay is so boring....
and the story makes good gods into villains, which sucks big time.
I would not have put Ragnarok in 2nd place, that game was unfortunately pretty much a failure, especially the story and characters development. Probably a victim of COVID pandemic, the game felt like a patch of multiple uncoordinated contributions, without a direction.
GoW 3 is probably my favorite.
Also am I weird for really liking Ascension?
@Paulbuck28 exact same order for me, too.
@B0udoir when I read comments like this, it feels like we played a different game. Not only do I consider Ragnarok the best game I've ever played, but I found the story and the way it's told to be its greatest strength.
I have beaten all of them up to end of ps3 era. Imo GoW 2 is the best! I don't understand the low rank here
Am glad 2018 landed ahead of Ragnarok, which was beautiful but underwhelming for me.
Ascension is the only one I didn't actually finish. It felt off.
The PSP games deserve so much credit for looking and playing amazing on a handheld.
My favourite is 2018 but got a soft spot for the original trilogy. Amazing series
Personally I prefer the original trilogy, never got to grips with the new ones.
Played them all, complete them all, platted just about every one in the original series. Personally, GOW 3 stands up as the best. I'd put the 2018 remake next, ahead of Ragnarok, which, while fun for the combat, had such terrible pacing issues. Also, not a fan of Kratos' character change. I understand they're stepping away from what made the original games (Greek drama, rife with family backstabbing) but Ragnarok just felt off and unnecessarily padded. If they could use the new combat system, but strip the game back a bit and keep the intensity up, they'd be onto a better formula.
@mckracken I don't think there's any such thing as a "good" God? Don't all the stories, across the Greek and Viking pantheons basically illustrate how terrible/ capricious all the gods are?
No. Ancient Gods all had a purpose. There were no evil Gods.
They were revered. In the stories, humans are mostly punished if they thought they were better than a god.
@mckracken as a classicist and an associate professor of Latin, I strongly disagree. Out of curiosity, which sources are you basing this view on?
The same as everyone.
Ive read everything from the illiad to the clay tablets from Ugarit.
Even Gods of pestilence and disease were not "evil". For instance, they had the power to remove illness as well.
at any rate in GOW3 i would very much like to see Kratos fight Old Testament God, because that one is contrary to the ancient gods a real *****.
@mckracken "The same as everyone"
Got it. Thanks.
Wrong order it should 2,3,1
@mckracken I think Naruball wanted to say that gods can do evil things to humans, but are not evil in the sense of diabolic. In contrary to the monotheistic religions were God created humans as its image and is love/heaven while Satan is evil/hell, what I like with Greek mythology is that it is far more complex and less binary, with gods similar to humans with all the weaknesses and flaws. When humans suffer, it's often from a God doing a childish hysterical crisis.
I thought 2018 was just ok. I have no desire to play Ragnarok given the stuttering flow between gameplay and cut scene. The original two are some of my favorites of the PS2 generation, up there with Okami, Tekken 5, and Final Fantasy X.
@B0udoir well said. And what's important to keep in mind when it comes to ancient gods is that there is no right way of looking at them, describing them, etc. For every story about a god, there are several variations. The beauty of using mythology in ancient Greece and Rome was that each author gave it their own spin. So according to one story, Aphrodite/Venus was born in a certain way (e.g. by cutting off Uranus' genitals) and in a different story in a different way (according to Homer, she was the daughter of Zeus and Dione). There was no right and wrong way to talk about her birth. It's a lot like comic books. Essentially, there is no canon, because different authors can offer different takes on the same hero/god/etc.
yeah no, you are missing the point.
Im not talking about variations, which werent nearly as plentiful as you suggest, im talking about for instance taking the benevolent cannaite storm god BAAL (which just stood for Lord) and turning him into evil incarnate just because the jewish god cant handle competion.
And back then it wasnt "mythology" but religion.
And no, it was never like the comic books....i.e serialized entertainment business. Mr. Classicist, lol...
I don't get people who said "GOW gameplay is sooooo boring". Either these people are trolling or they have some ADHD problems.
@mckracken sure, buddy.
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