God of War Sons of Sparta is a 2026 Metroidvania video game developed by Mega Cat Studios and Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was released worldwide on February 12, 2026, for the PlayStation 5. The 10th installment in the God of War franchise and the first chronologically, it is a prequel to the entire series, set before God of War: Ascension (2013) and the flashback sequences in God of War: Ghost of Sparta (2010). It is the first full game in the series to be loosely based on Greek mythology since Ascension, as the prior two installments—God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarök (2022)—were based on Norse mythology.
A coming-of-age story themed around duty, honor, and brotherhood, players control series protagonist Kratos, but in his youth during his training at the Agoge with his younger brother Deimos. After learning that one of their comrades has gone missing, the brothers travel throughout Laconia to find their friend, battling Greek mythological foes and a secretive cult that encroach upon Sparta, strengthening their bond. The story is told by an adult Kratos as a lesson to his daughter Calliope during his time as a captain in the Spartan Army, before the character's tragedy as seen through flashbacks in the original God of War (2005).
The game is the second installment in the series to be presented as a two-dimensional (2D) action-platformer, after God of War: Betrayal (2007). It has a similar combination of combat, platforming, and puzzle game elements as other games in the series. Due to its setting taking place long before Kratos received his signature double-chained blades weapon, the Blades of Chaos, the character instead uses a traditional Spartan spear and shield, with additional items that grant special attacks and magical abilities. An offline multiplayer option is also available in a roguelite challenge mode; this is only the second installment in the series to offer multiplayer, after Ascension. The game also sees the return of TC Carson as adult Kratos, the character's original voice actor who last portrayed the role in Ascension; Christopher Judge played Kratos in the prior two Norse-based games. Antony Del Rio also reprises his role as young Kratos from Ghost of Sparta.
Sons of Sparta received mixed reviews from critics. Praise was directed towards the narrative and 2D environments, while criticism focused on the lackluster Metroidvania gameplay design, combat system, and character designs. Some reviewers were disappointed that the main game did not have cooperative play, and criticized the PlayStation Store listing for multiplayer, as players originally had to complete the main game first to access the mode; the developers addressed this with an update enabling the multiplayer to be unlocked sooner. Financially, Sons of Sparta did well during its release month in the United States as it was the 14th best-selling game of February 2026.
Gameplay
God of War Sons of Sparta is an action-platformer game with a two-dimensional (2D) art style similar to God of War: Betrayal (2007), the only other installment in the series to be a 2D side-scroller. Unlike Betrayal, however, Sons of Sparta is a Metroidvania game. Players control the character Kratos in his youth as he trains at the Agoge with his brother Deimos. Due to its setting taking place long before Kratos received his signature weapon, the double-chained blades called the Blades of Chaos, the character instead uses a traditional Spartan spear and shield—the Dory and Aspis, respectively—along with Gifts of Olympus that grant him special attacks and magical abilities which are required for game progression due to its Metroidvania style. One of these gifts include the Victory Sandals that grant enhanced speed and jumping. Many familiar foes from prior Greek games appear, such as undead soldiers, harpies, minotaurs, gorgons, cyclopes, wraiths, sirens, and satyrs, as well as new enemies, like lampades, lamias, and fauns, and various boss opponents.
The game retains the crafting system of the prior two installments—God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarök (2022)—in which the player collects resources that allows them to create new or upgrade existing attachments for both the Dory and Aspis, as well as for gouri attachments (charms) on one armor piece, the Belt of Tyche, providing better perks and enhanced abilities. Like previous games, the player also collects different colored orbs. Green orbs replenish the player's health, blue orbs replenish magic, allowing the use of magical abilities, gold orbs replenish spirit, an attribute that allows the use of special weapon abilities, and red orbs, referred to as blood orbs, act as experience points, which can be used to learn new offensive and defensive techniques for Dory, Aspis, and the Victory Sandals, and are also used in crafting. There are also chests that contain these orbs as well as various crafting resources. Defeating enemies grant random orbs, as does destroying inanimate objects. Namesake olive offerings at the temples of Dionysus, Nike, and Hestia also increase the maximum lengths of the health, spirit, and magic meters, respectively, while those at the temples of Apollo, Artemis, and Demeter help further improve the Dory, Aspis, and Belt of Tyche, respectively (e.g., the respective offensive and defensive stats for the Dory and Aspis, and increased gouri attachments for the Belt of Tyche).
The game offers an offline multiplayer option (couch co-op), which can be played solo as Kratos or cooperatively with another player controlling Deimos. This roguelite challenge mode is called the Pit of Agonies. At the end of each level within the Pit, players are allowed to select an upgrade to a weapon or ability, but these upgrades only last for the duration of that challenge run. Each run-through unlocks further rewards that are permanently unlocked. Death resets the player back to the start of the Pit. At launch, the mode could only be accessed after the player completed the main game, but in a patch update on February 26, 2026, an option to input a cheat code was added that unlocks the multiplayer sooner.
Synopsis Setting After the prior two installments—God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarök (2022)—were based on Norse mythology, Sons of Sparta returns the God of War series to its original Greek mythology setting of the first seven games. It takes place in an alternate version of ancient Greece, populated by the Olympian gods, Titans, and other mythological beings. The game follows two time periods of series protagonist Kratos: the narrative present, which takes place sometime before God of War: Ascension (2013) when he is still a captain in the Spartan Army before the tragedy that is seen through flashbacks in the original God of War (2005), and the past, where the majority of the story is set and follows a teenage Kratos with his younger brother Deimos—taking place sometime before the latter's abduction and imprisonment by the God of War Ares as seen through flashbacks in God of War: Ghost of Sparta (2010).
Throughout the game, Kratos and Deimos explore various parts of Laconia in search of a lost friend. The region's capital is Sparta, the home of Kratos and Deimos, which acts as a central hub. Outside of Sparta, the brothers traverse the Laconian Woods where they meet a pair of thieving Kerkopes, the Oenus Vineyard, an abandoned winery where the brothers fight a daemon called Alastor, Mount Taygetos, a mountain range in the Peloponnese peninsula that overlooks Sparta, the Barren Steppe, the location of an unauthorized habitation of a secretive cult, the Veiled Bog, where Spartans train for endurance against mythical threats, and the Isle of Aeaea, the home of the witch Circe. Other locations include the Eurotas River, the Port of Messenia, the Shores of Elafonisos, Kythira Island, and Vyros Gorge.
Characters
The protagonist of the game is Kratos. The present day adult Kratos (voiced by TC Carson) is a captain of the Spartan Army who has an 8-year-old daughter named Calliope (Debi Derryberry). The young 13-year-old Kratos (Antony Del Rio) is a Spartan still in training at the Agoge with his 11-year-old brother Deimos (Scott Menville), who is adamant on finding their lost friend Vasilis, an unseen character who the game's plot is based around.
The brothers are under the tutelage of Konstantinos (James Mathis III), the headmaster of the Agoge and a sculptor. His daughter is Amara (Shelby Young), an Amazon and the only girl in the Agoge; she cares deeply for her friends and is the one to push the brothers to search for Vasilis. Other characters at the Agoge include Brontes (David Errigo Jr.), Kratos's old rival who cares about Sparta's strength and prosperity above all else while opposing Kratos's care for his brother, and Eis (Jack Quaid), a compassionate Spartan comrade who was the closest to Vasilis.
Other characters include Adrasteia (Misty Lee), previously a nymph who was turned into a griffin as punishment by the Titan Cronos for looking after an infant Zeus and provides fast travel across Laconia for the brothers; Passalus and Acmon (Adam Shapiro and Allen Covert, respectively), the pair of Kerkopes who exchange goods with the brothers; Circe (Zehra Fazal), a powerful witch who provides gear upgrades for Kratos in exchange for helping her find her cats scattered across Laconia as she is bound to Aeaea; Eleonora (Amelia Rose Blaire), a temple maiden entrusted to care for the temples of the gods across Laconia which grant Kratos enhancements to his abilities in exchange for olive offerings; The Oracle of Trophonius at Lebadeia (Kimberly Brooks), who provides Kratos and Deimos information about their quests; Brasidas (Jim Pirri), a Spartan City Guard posted at the western gate who does not believe the exploits of Kratos and Deimos to be true; Tiberios (Chris Ansell), a Spartan blacksmith who makes new gear for Kratos; Petros (A.J. LoCascio), a Krypteia who offers Kratos combat advice; and The Devoted One (Bridger Zadina), the leader of the secretive cult and a minor antagonist.
Plot While in between deployments, adult Kratos finds his daughter Calliope to scold her for disobeying her mother Lysandra and neglecting her duty. When Calliope begins to argue, Kratos decides to relay a story from his youth to teach her the meaning of duty.
While just outside of Sparta, a young Kratos battles a Cyclops. When he gets in trouble, he is rescued by his brother Deimos. Together, they return home to report of the dangers outside the city. The brothers are currently in possession of an Eiren's Pass, granting them permission to venture throughout Laconia. Kratos is also working on qualifying for the Vanguard Circle, the highest rank for a cadet that allows them to lead their own unit. While heading out for another assignment from Konstantinos, they find out that one of their classmates, Vasilis, went missing, and none of the authorities are doing anything about it. Deimos promises to help however he can, but Kratos is more dismissive of the matter.
During their mission, they come across traces of Vasilis, and after their return, Deimos confides in his doubts to Konstantinos about how Sparta abandoned their classmates seemingly against its own values. The headmaster agrees that the boy is right to question, but urged the two not to neglect their chores.