The chronological order of God of War became increasingly complicated as the series evolved. Even during the early years of the series, we occasionally jumped through time with our antihero Kratos when he was exploring the Greek pantheon. It didn’t get much crazier than a couple of prequels and some flashbacks, however. In 2018, developer Sony Santa Monica decided to up the ante. After six games of brutal revenge in one pantheon, Kratos stumbled into Midgard, where the Norse gods reign. Add some winks to the possible existence of the Egyptian pantheon in the God of War universe and things suddenly get complicated. Time to put all the pieces together in this God of War Timeline, covering the entire universe.
But first, an overview of all games in the God of War series in order of release:
- God of War (2005)
This game takes place during Kratos’ Greek mythology adventures.
Also available as part of the God of War Collection and the God of War Saga. - God of War II (2007)
This game takes place during Kratos’ Greek mythology adventures.
Also available as part of the God of War Collection and the God of War Saga. - God of War: Betrayal (2007)
This game takes place during Kratos’ Greek mythology adventures.
Betrayal is only available for the mobile phone. - God of War: Chains of Olympus (2008)
This game takes place during Kratos’ Greek mythology adventures.
Also available as part of the God of War: Origins Collection and the God of War Saga. - God of War III (2010)
This game takes place during Kratos’ Greek mythology adventures.
Also available as God of War III Remastered and as part of the God of War Saga. - God of War: Ghost of Sparta (2010)
This game takes place during Kratos’ Greek mythology adventures.
Also available as part of the God of War: Origins Collection and the God of War Saga. - God of War: Ascension (2013)
This game takes place during Kratos’ Greek mythology adventures. - God of War (2018)
This game takes place during Kratos’ Norse mythology adventures. - God of War Ragnarök (2022)
This game takes place during Kratos’ Norse mythology adventures.
Greek mythology
It all started in 2005, with the release of the first God of War. In this first game, Kratos goes after the original god of war: Ares. Going after Ares was not enough for Kratos though: after six PlayStation games and an adventure for the mobile phone, almost the entire Greek pantheon lay at Kratos’ feet.
The games, released on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and PlayStation 3, also got some novelizations. Both God of War and God of War II got a book with the same name. The stories in the games jumped around in time, with God of War: Chains of Olympus, God of War: Ghost of Sparta, and God of War: Ascension being prequels. The Greek era was further expanded in the first comic, simply called God of War, which tells a story of Kratos trying to hunt down an Ambrosia. The web-based prequel tie-ins God of War: The Lost World and The Rise of the Warrior were published to promote upcoming games, respectively God of War: Chains of Olympus and God of War: Ascension.
Egyptian mythology
In the 2018 God of War, gamers already stumbled upon some clues that the Egyptian pantheon might be a part of the God of War universe. This existence was confirmed in 2021, with the release of the comic God of War: Fallen God. The comic takes place between God of War III and God of War (2018) and shows Kratos’ inner struggle. A struggle that would eventually lead him to the land of pharaohs.
Norse mythology
The Norse pantheon announced its existence in 2018, with the release of the renewed God of War. It didn’t take long for this story to get some additions. The game got a prequel comic, and a short Facebook game – A Call from the Wilds – that told us more about Kratos’ son Atreus. The game also got the first God of War novelization since God of War II.
Even in-game material was in for a treat: Lore and Legends is Atreus’ diary from the game, with some extra info for lore fanatics. The most notable (read: odd) release is God of War: B is for Boy, a children’s book(?) that retells Kratos and Atreus’ adventure using all the letters of the alphabet and page-filling drawings.
Unknown in the God of War Timeline
For some future projects, it is unknown during which era on the God of War Timeline they will take place. This includes the God of War Amazon Series, which was confirmed to be in development in March 2022.
Non-canon
Not all official God of War media are canon or contain story elements. Here we list all non-canon tie-in media.
This God of War Timeline was put together with the utmost care. If you do however end up seeing a mistake in our chronological order, don’t hesitate to let us know how wrong we are by filling out our contact form!
4 Responses
Just a suggestion. But since neither betrayal or a call from the wilds are legitimately playable remove them from the list. And once again thanks for the effort. Your lists make bieng a lore nerd much easier!
It would be cool If you did CoD since there’s comics and multiple different versions of titles on different consoles, at least the older modern warfare timeline
This is not chronological order. A quick google shows you where you’re wrong, this is embarrassing
The first part is in order of release! Scroll down for the chronological order.