Best God of War Games 1
Image: Push Square

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.

8. 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.

7. 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.

6. 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.

5. 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.

4. 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.

3. 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.

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.