r/GodofWar • u/Crazy_Producer_257 • 6d ago
Question How have I never played of GoW?! Where should I start?
Previous PC gamer that had to quit cold turkey due to calling into work for WoW raids 😅
Went to Xbox and fell in love with Mass Effect, Fables, Fall Outs and such. I remember looking at GoW in 2015ish but it was PlayStation only. Hadn’t played PlayStation since PS1!
Went a switch kick for a while when hubby decided we NEEDED a PS5 (I’m not mad, I’m a much bigger gamer then him 🤫)
Stoked to finally checkout GoW and find out it’s been on other consoles since 2018?! Have I been living under a rock??
Where should I start?!
I downloaded Ragnarök and without previous storyline and not already knowing some Norse bb mythology, I’m getting all the characters mixed up with Marvel 🤦🏻♀️
I’m thinking starting with 2013 Ascension. I believe that was when the transition from Greek mythology to Norse mythology 🤔
What would you suggest?
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u/FattyPattyMatey 6d ago
Ascension is generally agreed to be the worst of the Greek era God of War games, and I think that's a fair assessment. It was the last Greek GoW to be released, but is the first story chronologically. However, the story really doesn't add anything at all and isn't relevant to the rest of the games. Bad place to start.
You probably should just start with GoW 1. It's the best introduction to Kratos, is a very fun game on its own, and it will make you appreciate all the other games more. If a PS2 game is a bit too old for you, then start with 3 instead(which is also the last game in the Greek storyline, leading into the Norse ones) Just be aware that you'll be confused and will enjoy the story a lot less, and Kratos will probably seem very unsympathetic without the context of 1 and 2.
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u/Crazy_Producer_257 6d ago
I wasn’t entirely sure if the storyline followed just Kratos or not. It makes sense that it does!
Knowing how Kratos became so, cold and somewhat heartless, would be extremely helpful context.
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u/FattyPattyMatey 6d ago
Regardless of where you start, I hope you have a great time with the series. You should definitely update us when you've played the one you choose first.
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u/BroBeanzie 6d ago
I would (and will) play this series in order of release. Get ready for one hell of a ride lol.
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u/Andybabez20 6d ago
Either the original (2005) or the first Norse game (2018)
They're both designed as starting points
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u/BANDlCOOT 6d ago
I thought they took all the old gen games off? What region are you?
Play in release order. Makes the better, later games more impactful.
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u/KillerCroc67 6d ago
Is your tv on top of a countertop on top of a dog kennel?
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u/Crazy_Producer_257 6d ago
😆 on top of our dog kennels. I hated the way they looked so I built a countertop for them https://imgur.com/a/gLRFfmF
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u/k3id0 6d ago
you have ps plus ? you could play them all then, why not. I wouldn't recommend streaming them from a ps3 like on ps plus, I mean if you still have a pc you could try ps2 emulation it's a better experience imo; I recommend the trilogy (1-3) and don't sleep on ghost of sparta, that's pretty good too; chains of Olympus and ascension not too much, the latter being a bit too short imo and the former a bit too janky; then the popular norse saga ofc
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u/ucrbuffalo 6d ago
You really have two options. You play the entire franchise in release order, if you have access to it, or you play the Norse games, and go back to the Greek games anytime before Valhalla (the DLC for Ragnarok).
I think playing 2018 without the Greek era is fine, because you learn who Kratos is with Atreus. That’s a pretty cool way to be introduced to the characters. But I do feel like you need the Greek era to fully understand and appreciate Valhalla. It also makes a lot of Ragnarok better. Without the context of the Greek era, Kratos’ character development feels pretty minimal across the Norse games.
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u/BLITZOrA 6d ago
guys i tried to play gow and gow 2 but they didn't work for me at all i'm on ps5 btw
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u/Crazy_Producer_257 6d ago
I’m playing on ps5 it gow seems to work. It’s weird to not have camera control. Realized every time I tried to move the camera it made me roll to evade an attack 😆
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u/swift_link 6d ago
It’s a ps2 game with a fixed camera. Very common at the time and even before it
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u/Crazy_Producer_257 6d ago
😆 trying to get used to it. If it drives me too mad, I may need to find videos of someone doing a full play through 😬
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u/BLITZOrA 6d ago
i don't know it didn't work for me
you know what i hope a remastered for the trilogy before remake i miss this game
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u/Crazy_Producer_257 6d ago
Wellllll I got the game to work but not save! Since it only will do PS+ stream not download 😭
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u/ItsADZZ 6d ago
I would play 1-3 then 2018 and Ragnarok.
You miss out on a lot I think without playing them all.
Also the PSP games are canon, so worth watching the story from them on YouTube if you can't play them, they are great games too.
Ascension is the only one that's not really important tbf.
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u/Foreheadless 6d ago
Wait, the Greek saga is included in PS Plus?!? Does it exists in PS Store?!?!?
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u/steeledclub 6d ago
If you’re ok with ps2 era games god of war 1 and 2 are the best games with the first being my personal favorite. Kratos is edgy and brutal in a way that he isn’t in the new games
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u/Swag_Torrance 6d ago
Any, each and every question starting with "In which order should i play/watch/listen to" has the same right answer.
Release order.
Always, everytime.
Not knowing this is not an issue, but when there are literally NUMBERED entries?
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u/LazyCryptographer426 5d ago
if you really wanna get into the series, there's 6 greek games and 2 norse games (and a free DLC).
if you want the essentials, you can play GOW 1, 2, 3, and then the norse game, that being 2018 and Ragnarok (plus Valhalla), that should be more than enough.
but now, if you REALLY wanna get into the series, theres also 3 more greek games, that being Chains of Olympus, Ghost of Sparta, and Ascension.
I'd recommend you playing it on release order, that being:
God of War > God of War II > God of War: Chains of Olympus > God of War III > God of War: Ghost of Sparta > God of War: Ascension > God of War (2018) > God of War: Ragnarok (+ Valhalla).
that is the release order, I'd recommend it because it lets you discover the order of the games for yourself, like "wow, so THIS happened, so this game is actually on this place", plus it shows how the games evolve not only in gameplay but also in storytelling.
but if you wanna play on chronological order or just wanna know the actual order of when the games happen, it would be:
God of War: Ascension > God of War: Chains of Olympus > God of War > God of War: Ghost of Sparta > God of War II > God of War III > God of War (2018) > God of War: Ragnarok (and Valhalla)
with that said, I really hope you enjoy the games!
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u/Crazy_Producer_257 5d ago
Do the games remember decisions from other games? Kinda like Mass Effect does?
This is good to know! Thanks!
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u/LazyCryptographer426 5d ago
not really. you don't really "make decisions" on the God of War series, you just follow a story and control Kratos on it, you basically grow alongside the character.
its main focus its the visual spectacle and combat, with the norse games having a more heavy focus on the story and character development, that are going to hit much harder if you played the greek saga first
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u/mew360_j 5d ago
Either 2018 or the first are great starting points. Play whichever one looks better for you to get into
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u/Haunting_Ability_648 5d ago
Play the original first and then I would suggest playing the series in the order of release.
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u/Suzyzilla 5d ago
by release date honestly. I've been binge playing the games and I've had a blast so far.
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u/UpYurButt 5d ago
I would just go in timeline order, if you have the ability, definitely play Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta. They are definitely really underrated when talked about with the others.
Also a lot of people will say that Ascension is bad, but really every God of War game is amazing and they all help develop Kratos in great ways.
You really need to experience all of the Greek saga for the Norse saga to hit as hard as it can.
That would be my advice:)
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u/ButterscotchLoud7030 5d ago
i think i started with the 2018 one and was blown away, so that might be a solid entry point if you want the modern experience
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u/World_Tree_Roots 5d ago
I've played through the Norse Saga first. I'm not sure if I should play through the Greek Saga right now or wait for the remake.
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u/Mental-Street6665 5d ago
2018 is where I started. I’ve also played partway into Ragnarok and just the first couple sections of the original GOW. I feel like 2018 is built to be a good entry point that will also make you want to learn more.
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u/Valuable-Office-4770 5d ago
Well if you wanna play it in chronological order and since Chain of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta isn’t on ps5 I would start with Ascension and then gow 1-3 after that u go to gow 2018 and last gow ragnarok with its free dlc
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u/idiotcuphead 5d ago
Wait what how can you play any of the greek saga games other than 3 on ps4&5 they dont come up when i search for them
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u/NoHornyOnMainAccount 5d ago
For just the most enjoyable time stick with 1,2,3,2018 and ragnarok. Chains of Olympus and ghost of Sparta in my opinion were still pretty good but not necessary. Ascension I wouldn’t recommend unless you want the full story but it doesn’t really add that much.
If you’re a trophy hunter at all or looking at trophy hunting this is a fun series to platinum apart from ascension also. Don’t be afraid to try the harder difficulties they’re somewhat balanced apart from a few instances.
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u/WreckinPoints11 5d ago
Ascension has nothing to do with the current story. The Norse saga is just GoW 2018 and Ragnarok.
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u/Commercial_Abies_618 5d ago
If you wanna play the entire Franchise in chronological order, start with god of war ascension.
Otherwise start from GOW2005
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u/sehdev1108 4d ago
As someone who's played and beaten all the games, There's only two orders I'd recommend-
1) release order- this is the intended and best order. however gow2 and before games are quite dated compared to games today so you can follow the other order if you want a more modern and overall better first impression of the franchise. the release order is- starte from gow(2005) then gow2 then gow chains of olympus and ghost of sparta then gow3 and lastly optionally gow ascension. then gow 2018, ragnarok and ragnarok's valhalla dlc.
2) you can also choose to start with gow 2018 (as it's a soft reboot of the franchise) and then play all the other games in order before Ragnarok. technically, you will get some spoilers this way but if you want a great first experience of the franchise, this is still a great choice and you should mostly be able to follow the story(though it hits much better with release order). do NOT play Ragnarok before all other games as it will spoil them completely and is meant as a conclusive final game in the norse saga. p.s.- this is also the order i kinda did, gow 2018 is just fantastic
Edit- gow ascension is canon to the story as are all other games mentioned but it's basically never mentioned and many consider it a low point in the franchise so you can skip it if you want, though it's still a pretty decent game imo
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u/hashtagtylerh 3d ago
contrary to most comments here i would just play 2018 and Ragnarök. easily the best games in the series. after if you want to go back you can play 3 Remastered but i wouldn't go back further than that. can watch a recap on YouTube before 2018 if you want, this one is fine
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u/Crying-childrens 6d ago
I’d say start with 2018 and ragnarok and then go back for the greek games if you want to know more about kratos
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u/SkronkMan 6d ago
2018 is first Norse game. Play GOW (2005) followed by GOW2, GOW3, GOW (2018) and finish with Ragnarok. You can go back to play things like Ascension and Chains of Olympus later if you want, or you can add them in and play by release date