TheGod of Warseries recently reached its 20th anniversary on June 21, 2025. Having made its start as a late PlayStation 2 hack-and-slash epic,God of Warquickly grew into a best-selling flagship franchise for the PlayStation, and it remains as such to this very day.God of War Ragnarokwas released in November 2022 as the latestGod of Wartitle, bringing the Norse Saga of the franchise to a close. It then came to PC in September 2024, which isn’t much, but has given the series a high note to end on for now.
WhereGod of Waris headed next has been a subject of much speculation, with Egypt being a common guess, but rumors of a smaller spin-off have claimed thatGod of Warwill return to Greece. Whether the series goes backwards to an old setting, forward to a new one, or stays in the Norse landscape for a little longer, fans hopefully won’t have to wait too long to hear more about its future. In the meantime,God of Warhas a 20th anniversary to celebrate, but official festivities aren’t as exciting as many fans would have preferred.
How God of War Celebrated Its 20th Anniversary
Sony and Santa Monica Studio’s celebration ofGoW’s 20th anniversary came on March 20, and there wasn’t much of it to see. A few days beforehand, posts on the PlayStation Blog and social media announced that a free update would be adding the “Dark Odyssey” collection of armor, ally appearances, weapon attachments, andshield ronds toGod of War Ragnarok. Outside the game itself, a 20th Anniversary PlayStation Network Avatar was also released. The date forGod of War’s anniversary has since come and gone with no additional announcements, and that hasn’t been a good look for the series and its owners.
God of War Ragnarok’s Anniversary Update Was Interesting, At Least
Getting free stuff isn’t all bad, especially for a game as old asGod of War Ragnarok. “Dark Odyssey” itself is a deep-cut reference to the working title forGod of War (2005), and the black-and-gold theme that the Dark Odyssey items sport is lifted fromaGod of War 2skinthat was a reward for beating the game on God Mode difficulty.Ragnarokas a whole also got a brand-new feature out of this update, as “Edit Appearance” finally extends to weapon attachments and shield ronds. This update wasn’t nothing, butGod of War’s anniversary deserved news with much more substance.
Where God of War’s 20th Anniversary Plans Went Wrong
God of War Remasters Would’ve Been Better Received Than Cosmetics
Namely,God of War’s 20-year milestone would have been better celebrated with someGod of Wargames. Dragging the rumoredGod of Warspin-off into the spotlight sooner than it’s ready isn’t necessarily the answer, but some fans have already proposed a better one. Too manygreatGod of Wargameshave been left on old PlayStation platforms, so it would have been nice for the franchise’s anniversary to coincide with some remasters. It’s straightforward, would take less effort than a full new release, and a package with the original Greek trilogy could sell millions on its own.
Getting the GreekGod of Wargames, even just the main numbered trilogy, on the PS5 has a number of benefits. For one, they’re still canon and inform Kratos’ character and development, like inGoW Ragnarok’s Valhalla update. The first twoGod of Wartitles also haven’t been properly available since the PS3 generation, so it’s somewhat important for these formative games to come back.God of War’s 20th anniversary has fallen short of its potential, but complaints about the subject will hopefully get the desired remasters into fans’ hands on a future anniversary.
