Ragnarok is coming — but there might be a way to prevent it.
During the Sept. 2020 PS5 games showcase, a sequel to the 2018 God of War was announced through a quick teaser as the "here's one more thing" moment to close the show. I was so excited I could barely comprehend anything that happened afterward, as my coworkers can attest. Initially known only as the next God of War, the official title was revealed during the Sep. 2021 PlayStation Showcase as God of War Ragnarok.
There's a lot we know now, from what platforms the game is one, to what the story covers and when it's coming out. If it's anything like the first, this will be one of the best PS5 games available for some time. Here's everything you need to know about God of War: Ragnarok.
What is God of War: Ragnarok?
God of War: Ragnarok is a sequel to the 2018 entry in the God of War franchise being developed by Sony Santa Monica, one of the most revered developers at Sony Worldwide Studios. That title served as a kind of spiritual reboot, with Kratos forced to suffer silently for the sins of his past while attempting to raise his son Atreus/Loki in the harsh north and seeking to scatter the ashes of his wife.
It also swapped the gameplay from an isometric hack-and-slash viewpoint to a third-person camera, making it more of an action game with light RPG elements. The sequel will presumably follow suit, given God of War's incredible critical and commercial success. You can see the initial announcement teaser in the tweet below from the developers at Sony Santa Monica studio below, or at the end of the PS5 showcase.
— Santa Monica Studio – God of War Ragnarök (@SonySantaMonica) September 16, 2020
After going without a name for almost a year following this teaser reveal, the official title was confirmed to be God of War: Ragnarok, as the Elder Futhark Norse runes in the teaser image spell out R A G N A R O K, making it all too clear the end of all life is near. The image also takes the iconic God of War franchise logo and gives it an icy makeover that almost looks like Jormungandr, the World Serpent.
God of War: Ragnarok is being directed by Eric Williams, one of the developers at Sony Santa Monica who has been involved with every God of War game to at least some extent. The prior game was directed by Cory Barlog.
According to Williams, God of War Ragnarok will "cap off" the Norse Saga. The reason for this was explained in an interview with YouTuber Kaptain Kuba, as the team at Sony Santa Monica realized that if the first game took five years to develop and then God of War Ragnarok also took five years, fans would be waiting 15 years to see the full story in the form of a trilogy.
God of War: Ragnarok trailers
Sony Santa Monica unveiled the full cinematic and gameplay reveal trailer for God of War: Ragnarok at the Sep. 2021 PlayStation Showcase. You can check out the trailer below:
God of War: Ragnarok What's the story?
God of War ended with the death of Baldur and the beginning of Fimbulwinter, the harsh winter in Norse mythology that happens just before Ragnarok. A dream or vision that Kratos had upon returning home with his son Atreus (or Loki) indicates that Thor, the God of Thunder, is seeking vengeance for the death of his brother Baldur and sons Magni and Modi.
Meanwhile, the clever and scheming Aesir Allfather Odin has yet to reveal himself but the wise Mimir has warned Kratos and Atreus that Odin is in fact capable of seeing the future and is working frantically to acquire knowledge and magic in order to prevent Ragnarok. As an example, Mimir notes that it's not important how Odin knew several events in the game would take place, it's just important that Odin was right.
The teaser tells us that "Ragnarok is coming," indicating that this game will, at the very least, kickstart the Norse cycle of death and rebirth, as the gods and all things die while new life springs forth. Barlog first teased this in a clever Twitter thread (note how the first letter in each of the tweets spells out a message).
There are heavy hints that Faye, the late wife of Kratos, foresaw everything that would happen before her death, though to what end this will lead remains to be seen.
In the reveal trailer for God of War: Ragnarok, we learned that the game is set a few years later, with Atreus continuing to grow. Tension is brewing between father and son, as Atreus wants to understand the meaning of his heritage as Loki and possibly seek war against Asgard. The two of them (and Mimir) find the Norse God of War, Tyr, and Kratos hopes to work with Tyr to avoid Ragnarok. Meanwhile, father and son are hounded by Freya and Thor.
God of War: Ragnarok cast of characters
Returning for God of War: Ragnarok are — Kratos, performed by Christopher Judge. Atreus, performed by Sunny Suljic. Sindri and Brok, performed by Adam Harrington and Robert Craighead, respectively. Freya, performed by Danielle Bisutti.
New for God of War: Ragnarok are — Durlin, performed by Usman Ally. Thor, performed by Ryan Hurst. Tyr, performed by Ben Prendergast. Odin, performed by Richard Schiff. Angrboda, performed by Laya De Leon Hayes.
God of War: Ragnarok gameplay changes
While the 2018 God of War only allowed players to access six of the Nine Realms, God of War: Ragnarok is confirmed to feature all Nine Realms for Kratos and Atreus to visit: Asgard, Alfheim, Svartalfaheim, Midgard, Jotunheim, Vanaheim, Niflheim, Muspelheim and Hel.
Is God of War: Ragnarok a PS5 exclusive?
We now know that the next God of War is coming to PS4 as well as PS5. After touting major games like Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Horizon Forbidden West as PS5 exclusives, Sony revealed after the Sept. 2020 showcase that some of its upcoming games are releasing on PS4. In a similar vein, this upcoming God of War game was initially announced just for the PS5 before Sony Worldwide Studios head Hermen Hulst confirmed in 2021 that it was also coming to the PS4. Naturally, the PS5 version will in some capacity take advantage of the DualSense haptic feedback and adaptive triggers and faster loading thanks to the ultra-fast SSD.
This does mean the game is more accessible to more players, especially since PS5 restocks remain sporadic, so if it had been PS5-only, nowhere near as many players will be able to try it out at first.
At the same time, making the game exclusive to the PS5 would have enabled the team to create gameplay mechanics and an overall experience not possible otherwise.
Is God of War: Ragnarok coming to PC?
It's worth noting that Sony has shown more openness to bringing its games to PC in recent years, with ports of Horizon Zero Dawn, Days Gone and the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves collection. With that in mind, if this game ever does get a PC version, it will be long after the PS5 version launches.
When is God of War: Ragnarok release date set for?
God of War: Ragnarok does not have a release date at this time but is currently slated for some time in 2022.
When Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan spoke in Feb. 2021 about upcoming PlayStation games for the rest of 2021, he mentioned Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart and Horizon Forbidden West but not God of War. Later, when Hulst spoke on numerous PlayStation Studios titles, he confirmed that the next God of War has been delayed to 2022.
This delay was primarily due to performance capture restrictions during the ongoing global pandemic, with Hulst explaining that "...when you're doing performance capture for a lot of cinematics, with multiple actors — that's not so simple to solve. So you've got a choice. You could do it later in the schedule, which could cause you problems. Or you could risk the final quality by doing it in a different way."
"With these things, something's gotta give. It cannot be the quality of our titles, and it surely won't be the health or the wellbeing of our amazing team," Hulst added.
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God of War is a spiritual reboot for the franchise, taking an older Kratos into the frozen north of Norse mythology. Brutal combat meets a strong new storytelling format for the series in one of the best PS4 exclusives available.
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