The God of War series recently reached its 20th anniversary on March 22, 2025. Having made its start as a late PlayStation 2 hack-and-slash epic, God of War quickly grew into a best-selling flagship franchise for the PlayStation, and it remains as such to this very day. God of War Ragnarok was released in November 2022 as the latest God of War title, 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.
Where God of War is headed next has been a subject of much speculation, with Egypt being a common guess, but rumors of a smaller spin-off have claimed that God of War will 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 War has a 20th anniversary to celebrate, but official festivities aren’t as exciting as many fans would have preferred.
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The Dark Odyssey skin that was recently added to God of War: Ragnarok harkens back to an iconic GoW feature that desperately needs to return.
How God of War Celebrated Its 20th Anniversary
Sony and Santa Monica Studio’s celebration of GoW’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, and shield ronds to God of War Ragnarok. Outside the game itself, a 20th Anniversary PlayStation Network Avatar was also released. The date for God 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 as God of War Ragnarok. “Dark Odyssey” itself is a deep-cut reference to the working title for God of War (2005), and the black-and-gold theme that the Dark Odyssey items sport is lifted from a God of War 2 skin that was a reward for beating the game on God Mode difficulty. Ragnarok as 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, but God 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 some God of War games. Dragging the rumored God of War spin-off into the spotlight sooner than it’s ready isn’t necessarily the answer, but some fans have already proposed a better one. Too many great God of War games have 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 Greek God of War games, 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 in GoW Ragnarok’s Valhalla update. The first two God of War titles 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.
- Released
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November 9, 2022
- ESRB
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M For Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language