Chains of Olympus

2:19 God of War: Chains of Olympus is the first handheld God of War game: a PSP prequel developed by Ready at Dawn with Santa Monica Studio and released in North America on Mar 4, 2008. Set during Kratos's ten years of service to the gods, before God of War (2005), it sends him through caves, temples and the Underworld to bring back the sun god Helios. It scored 91 on Metacritic from 79 critics, and IGN called it "the best looking title on the system, without question."

Its fixed-camera Greek combat is the kind Santa Monica Studio says God of War Laufey mixes into the modern system, "classic Greek-era elements"; that game, starring Faye (Laufey), comes out on PS5 on May 20, 2027.

Quick facts

Sources: Metacritic, Nov 4, 2026; IGN's game database; GameSpot, Mar 5, 2008; Sony, Jun 5, 2012; HowLongToBeat, Nov 4, 2026. The director is worked out from Sony's 2010 roundtable of the five directors, which names Ru Weerasuriya alongside the four other games' directors.

What is Chains of Olympus about?

6:20 Kratos has already been saved by Ares and is working off his debt to Olympus. The game opens with him defending Attica from the Persian army and its basilisk; then Athena sends him to find Helios, a journey that ends in the Underworld and a moral choice. There he meets Persephone, queen of the Underworld, whom he frees from her marriage to Hades but who robs him of time with his dead daughter, Calliope. The Elysium Fields scene is one of the rare places where the Greek-era Kratos shows his humanity. Its place in the story order is on God of War Games in Order.

How it plays

15:30 It plays like the PS2 games shrunk onto a handheld, with the Blades of Chaos, combos bought with red orbs, finishers and puzzles. Ready at Dawn, which had made Daxter for the PSP, moved the dodge to both shoulder buttons with the stick, and put magic on R plus a face button. There are no loading screens once the game starts. Weapons and magic include the Gauntlet of Zeus, the Efreet, a sun shield, Light of Dawn and Charon's Wrath. The basilisk is, in IGN's words, "the only gigantic beast" Kratos fights. After the story come the Challenge of Hades (five tasks), a God mode, costumes and concept art.

Reviews

Reviewers praised it as a full God of War game on a handheld and found it short: GameSpot finished it in under seven hours and gave it 8.5; IGN gave it 9.4. Metacritic's 91 from 79 critics is the highest of the two PSP games. Its existence was first hinted at on the back of God of War II's manual. The series' scores are compared on God of War Reviews.

Sales

Sony counted 3,264,178 units by May 30, 2012, downloads included, more than any other God of War game except the three numbered ones at the time. See God of War Sales.

Where to play Chains of Olympus

Ready at Dawn remastered it for PS3 with Ghost of Sparta in God of War: Origins Collection (Sep 13, 2011), with stereoscopic 3D and Trophies. As of Nov 4, 2026, playstation.com has no current product page for either, and there is no PS4 or PS5 version. See God of War Collections and Remasters and Where to Play Every God of War Game.

Frequently asked questions

When did God of War: Chains of Olympus come out? God of War: Chains of Olympus came out on PSP on Mar 4, 2008 in North America and Mar 28, 2008 in the UK.

Who made God of War: Chains of Olympus? God of War: Chains of Olympus was developed by Ready at Dawn, the studio that later made Ghost of Sparta, and published by Sony.

Where does Chains of Olympus fit in the God of War timeline? Chains of Olympus is a prequel set during Kratos's ten years serving the gods, before God of War (2005).

How long is God of War: Chains of Olympus? HowLongToBeat put Chains of Olympus at about 5½ hours for the main story on Nov 4, 2026; GameSpot finished it in under seven.

Can you play Chains of Olympus on PS5? No. As of Nov 4, 2026 Chains of Olympus has no PS4 or PS5 version; it was last released on PS3 in God of War: Origins Collection (2011).

Sources

• God of War: Chains of Olympus, Metacritic, Nov 4, 2026
• God of War: Chains of Olympus, IGN game database, Nov 4, 2026
• God of War: Chains of Olympus Review, Chris Roper, IGN, Feb 18, 2008
• God of War: Chains of Olympus Review, Aaron Thomas, GameSpot, Mar 5, 2008
• God of War: Chains of Olympus review, Kristan Reed, Eurogamer, Mar 11, 2008
• God of War: Ghost of Sparta Official Release Date and Pre-Order Pack, Ken Chan, PlayStation Blog, Aug 2, 2010
• God of War: Origins Collection Coming in 3D, Watch the Trailer, Marc Turndorf, PlayStation Blog, Jun 7, 2011
• God of War: Origins Collection Bonus Content Detailed, Roundtable Reflections, Dana Jan, PlayStation Blog, Sep 7, 2011
• Award-Winning God of War Franchise Sales Exceed 21 Million Units Worldwide, Sony Computer Entertainment, Jun 5, 2012
• God of War 3 Remastered Review, Kevin VanOrd, GameSpot, Jul 14, 2015
• All The Murdered Gods That Could Appear In God Of War Laufey, Alessandro Barbosa, GameSpot, Jun 7, 2026
• First look at God of War Laufey, Grace Orlady, PlayStation Blog, Jun 2, 2026
• God Of War Laufey Delayed To May, Wesley LeBlanc, Game Informer, Nov 4, 2026
• God of War: Chains of Olympus, HowLongToBeat, Nov 4, 2026
• God of War: Chains of Olympus - Longplay | PSP, Project Longplay, May 23, 2018 (video)
• The Complete GOD OF WAR Timeline Explained!, GameSpot, Sep 26, 2022 (video)