God of War Ragnarök

2018's God of War proved that even the most straightforward action series can evolve into something different without doing away with everything that made it stand out, and Santa Monica studios are ready to show how their new and improved formula will evolve even further in God of War Ragnarök. Preventing the Twilight of the Norse Gods from happening will not be an easy feat, but Kratos and his son Atreus are ready for the challenge.

Release Date, Platforms, Editions

While the game had been teased in some capacity ever since the secret ending that suggested Kratos and Atreus would have to fight more Norse Gods in the future, it was only during the September 2020 PlayStation 5 showcase that a fifth main God of War game was officially confirmed with a generic 2021 release window. The debut teaser focused on the coming of Ragnarök, which led many to believe God of War Ragnarök would be the game's official name. The game's official name was confirmed only a year later, during the September 2021 PlayStation Showcase event. By that time, Sony Santa Monica had confirmed a delay into 2022, mostly caused by Kratos actor Christopher Judge recovering from surgery.

It would take a few more months to get the official release date, as Sony Interactive Entertainment and Santa Monica Studios confirmed that God of War Ragnarök would release worldwide on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 on November 9th, 2022, with a cinematic trailer released on July 6th, 2022.

The God of War Ragnarök Standard Edition, which will be available for $69.99 on PlayStation 5 and $59.99 on PlayStation 4, includes a copy of the game and the Kratos Risen Snow Armor and Atreus Risen Snow Tunic as pre-order bonuses. All PlayStation 4 copies can be upgraded to a digital PlayStation 5 copy for $10.

The God of War Ragnarök Digital Deluxe Edition, which will be available for $79.99 exclusively on PlayStation 5, comes with a copy of the game, the Kratos Darkdale Armor, the Atreus Darkale Attire, Darkdale Blades Handles for the Blades of Chaos, the Darkdale Exe Grip for the Leviathan Axe, the official God of War Ragnarök Digital Soundtrack, a Dark Horse Digital Mini Artbook, and a PSN avatar set.

The God of War Ragnarök Collector's Edition, which was available for $199.99 before selling out, included all the in-game bonuses featured in the Digital Deluxe Edition as well as a voucher code for the game on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4, a Steelbook Display Case, 2” Vanir Twins Carvings, a Dwarven Dice Set and a highly detailed 16" replica of Thor's Mjölnir.

The ultimate gift for all series fans is the God of War Ragnarök Jotnar Edition, which was available for $259.99 before it became sold out. This edition of the game includes all the bonuses featured in the Digital Deluxe and Collector's Editions alongside a 7-inch vinyl record with music by game's composer Bear McCreary, the Falcon, Bear and Wolf Pin Set, the Legendary Draupnir ring, Brok's Dice Set and the Yggdrasil Cloth Map.

While not part of any special edition, Sony announced another God of War Ragnarök limited edition item, a DualSense controller with a very cool design. The controller will release on the same day the game does, on November 9th, 2022.

Genre, Setting, Mechanics

Taking place roughly three years after the previous game, God of War Ragnarök will see Kratos and his son Atreus traveling through all the Nine Realms of Norse mythology (unlike the 2018 game, which only included six of the Realms) at the end of Fimbulwinter (the final Winter lasting three years which precedes Ragnarök) to prevent the apocalyptic event from happening. Meeting up with Tyr, the Norse God of War who was previously thought dead, the Greek God and his son will also have to confront other deities, such as Thor, the God of Thunder who's out for revenge, as is Freya, the Vanir Goddess who previously helped Kratos and Atreus reach Jotunheim. Thor is upset due to the deaths of his sons Modi and Magni, while Freya turned against Kratos and Atreus after they were forced to kill her son Baldur. Of course, given the background story, the two will likely have to deal with Odin Allfather and Fenrir, too. We already know that the game will mark the finale of the Norse saga, as the developers did not want to drag on the story for another five years that would be required to make a third game.

On the surface, God of War Ragnarök will not play too differently from its third-person action-adventure predecessor, so players will have to traverse a variety of locations, solve puzzles and defeat all sorts of powerful enemies using the Leviathan Axe and Kratos' signature Blades of Chaos. However, the previous game's experience will be expanded with plenty of new mechanics, such as the ability to infuse with ice and fire elements the Leviathan Axe and the Blades of Chaos, respectively, multiple shield types with different properties, and jumping attacks. Puzzles and traversal will also be expanded considerably, as Kratos will have to use his weapons more to explore some of the new worlds, such as Svartalfheim. Among the new abilities of Kratos' weapons, there is the ability to freeze geysers, dismantle pots, and more. Atreus will also be more involved in puzzle-solving situations.

God of War Ragnarök will feature over 60 accessibility options that will make the game enjoyable for all types of players, as well as two different display modes on PlayStation 5, which will let players run the game at 4K resolution and 30 frames per second or dynamic 4K resolution and 60 frames per second.

Trailers

As mentioned above, God of War Ragnarök has been originally teased during the PlayStation 5 showcase event in September 2020. The teaser did not even confirm the game's title but suggested that it would be Ragnarök.

The first proper look at God of War Ragnarök came with the PlayStation Showcase 2021 trailer, which finally showed the game in action and confirmed its final name.

The God of War Ragnarök Father and Son cinematic trailer was very light on gameplay, but it still got fans excited, as it confirmed the game's November 9th release date.

Another new look at God of War Ragnarök has been provided by the September State of Play story trailer, which showed how high the stakes are in Kratos and Atreus' new adventure.