God of War: Ascension

God of War: Ascension is the 2013 PlayStation 3 prequel directed by Todd Papy, released in North America on Mar 12, 2013, set ten years before the first game as Kratos breaks his blood oath with the gods and is hunted by the Furies. It added the series' first online multiplayer and scored 80 on Metacritic, the lowest of the Greek-era console games before Sons of Sparta.

0:41 God of War: Ascension is the last Greek-era God of War game before the Norse saga: a PlayStation 3 prequel from Santa Monica Studio, directed by Todd Papy, released in North America on Mar 12, 2013. Set ten years before the original God of War, it shows Kratos breaking his blood oath with the gods and fighting the three Furies sent after him. It was the first God of War with online multiplayer, for up to eight players, and its Metascore of 80 is the lowest of the Greek-era console games before God of War Sons of Sparta.

Five years after it, Santa Monica Studio moved Kratos north in God of War (2018), the game whose opening God of War Laufey (PS5, May 20, 2027) starts from. Ascension's place in the story is covered on God of War Timeline Explained.

Quick facts

Released	Mar 12, 2013 (North America); Mar 13 (rest of Europe); Mar 14 (Australia and New Zealand); Mar 15 (UK and Ireland)
Platform	PlayStation 3
Developer	Santa Monica Studio
Director	Todd Papy
Set	Ten years before God of War (2005)
Multiplayer	Online, up to 8 players
Metacritic	80 from 89 critics; users 7.8, as of Nov 4, 2026
Length	8½ hours main story, 14 completionist (HowLongToBeat, Nov 4, 2026)
Sales	Not published by Sony as of Nov 4, 2026
Buy today	Not sold on PS4 or PS5 as of Nov 4, 2026

Sources: PlayStation Blog, Aug 30, 2012; PlayStation Blog, Apr 19, 2012; GameSpot, Mar 7, 2013; Metacritic, Nov 4, 2026; HowLongToBeat, Nov 4, 2026.

What is God of War: Ascension about?

4:11 Kratos has broken a blood oath with the gods, and the three Furies are hunting him. The game opens with him chained atop a stone column and tortured, then breaking free to fight the Fury Megaera. GameSpot described the arc as his fall from "a regular, albeit uber-strong human being" into the rage of the later games. It is the earliest of the original games in the story; only Sons of Sparta (2026) is set before it. See God of War Games in Order.

How it plays

Ascension has one main weapon, the Blades of Chaos, which take on four elements: the Fire of Ares, Ice of Poseidon, Lightning of Zeus and Soul of Hades. Weapons dropped by enemies, such as a javelin or a shield, can be picked up for a while; a tether lets Kratos sling enemies, and finishers became free-form fights without button prompts, as shown at E3 2012. The Amulet of Uroboros (Eurogamer writes "Urobotus") restores or ruins scenery to solve puzzles, and a later power makes a copy of Kratos.

Bosses and set pieces include a giant bug sprouting from a statue's hands, a Chimera and the Statue of Apollo; GameSpot called the last boss "one of the scariest to have graced a video game." The Trials of Archimedes are its hardest stretch: IGN's reviewer spent six hours straight on them. Difficulty in the series is covered on God of War Difficulty Modes.

Ascension multiplayer

Multiplayer was revealed in a live broadcast on Apr 30, 2012. Each player pledges to one of four gods: Ares for warriors, Hades for stealth, Zeus for mages and a fourth for support. Ares' followers are "brute force tacticians" with fire magic and his war hammer, and experience buys Relics. Modes, for up to eight, include Favor of the Gods and the co-op wave mode Trial of the Gods; on one map, the Spear of Olympus kills the Cyclops Polyphemus. Whether the online servers still run was not confirmed as of Nov 4, 2026.

Reviews

Reviewers liked it but called it a step down. IGN gave it 7.8, "the weakest in the series", and GameSpot 8. Metacritic averages 80 from 89 critics, with users at 7.8, as of Nov 4, 2026. It was also, as far as published credits go, TC Carson's last game as Kratos until 2026, when he returned for Sons of Sparta. See God of War Reviews.

Editions and where to play

The Collector's Edition had an 8-inch Kratos statue, a steelbook, the soundtrack, double multiplayer experience and a downloadable content pass. Sony has published no sales figure for Ascension. It came out only on PS3: as of Nov 4, 2026 playstation.com has no current product page for it, and there is no PS4 or PS5 version; see Where to Play Every God of War Game.

Frequently asked questions

When did God of War: Ascension come out? God of War: Ascension came out on PS3 on Mar 12, 2013 in North America and Mar 15, 2013 in the UK and Ireland.

Where does God of War: Ascension fit in the timeline? God of War: Ascension is set ten years before God of War (2005), when Kratos breaks his blood oath with the gods; only God of War Sons of Sparta is set earlier.

Does God of War: Ascension have multiplayer? Yes. God of War: Ascension was the first God of War with online multiplayer, for up to eight players allied to one of four gods.

Is God of War: Ascension on PS5? No. As of Nov 4, 2026 God of War: Ascension is a PS3 game only, with no PS4 or PS5 version.

How long is God of War: Ascension? HowLongToBeat put God of War: Ascension at about 8½ hours for the main story and 14 hours to complete everything on Nov 4, 2026.