God of War Laufey

2:57 God of War Laufey is the next God of War game, made by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for PlayStation 5, and its hero is Faye (Laufey), Kratos's wife and Atreus's mother, who wakes after her own funeral in the Everywhen, "the afterlife of the gods". It is the first mainline God of War game without Kratos as the protagonist. Revealed at State of Play on Jun 2, 2026 and directed by Ariel Lawrence, it comes out on May 20, 2027, after a delay announced on Nov 4, 2026. Everything known about it comes from Santa Monica Studio, PlayStation and the reveal footage of a pre-release build: as of Nov 4, 2026 no one outside the studio has played it. The clip is IGN's upload of the Jun 2, 2026 gameplay reveal, as Faye wakes.

Quick facts

Sources: PlayStation: God of War Laufey, Nov 4, 2026; PlayStation Store, Nov 4, 2026; PlayStation Blog, Jun 2, 2026; Game Informer, Nov 4, 2026.

What is God of War Laufey about?

7:24 Faye's afterlife. The PlayStation Blog's reveal opens: "Death was supposed to be the end, but for Laufey (Faye), warrior and wife to Kratos, a new adventure is just beginning." She wakes in a strange land after her funeral and discovers that the plans she put in place to protect Kratos and Atreus in her absence are now at risk. Lawrence put it plainly to Game Informer: "Faye is dead and she finds herself in the afterlife of the gods," and she comes to doubt that her husband and son are safe and wants to go back to help them. The clip is IGN's upload of the Jun 2, 2026 gameplay reveal.

In God of War (2018), Faye's death is what sets Kratos and Atreus walking: they carry her ashes to the highest point in Jotunheim, and only at the end learn that she was a giant named Laufey who foresaw their journey. That game never explains how she died, as Kotaku points out, and in Ragnarok she appears only in flashbacks. Laufey is the first time she is seen alive in the present of a story. Her full history is on Faye.

Deborah Ann Woll describes it as "a story about a parent" and "a story about regret", and says the idea was pitched to her in 2018.

The Everywhen

14:58 The Everywhen is where magic is born and where it returns, the blog says, and its natural flow has been disrupted, which makes escaping harder; Faye must uncover the realm's hidden truths to find her way home. The PlayStation Store calls it a place where ruthless gods from across mythology vie for power in a land overflowing with dangerous magic. Lawrence calls it "a little bit more of a prison" than a paradise, with its magic malfunctioning. The clip is IGN's upload of the Jun 2, 2026 gameplay reveal.

The idea grows out of Ragnarok. Odin, haunted by a prophecy of his own death, spent that game asking what happens to gods when they die, and Laufey is built on that question, as the reveal and Game Informer's preview both say.

Who is in God of War Laufey?

Faye is the "Golden Hand of the Jötnar", a giant with frost giant heritage whom the blog calls a match for Thor. Two companions travel with her, described on Phranque and Rue:

Sources: PlayStation Blog, Jun 2, 2026; PlayStation: God of War Laufey, Nov 4, 2026; Game Informer, Jun 2, 2026.

17:46 In the reveal, Phranque, a talking cube with a sword stuck in him, helps Faye escape captivity and take the sword back. At Comic-Con, Woll called Faye "the driving force" of the group but said none of the trio would make it alone. Whether Atreus, Mimir or Freya appear, and whether Sunny Suljic returns, has not been said.

Which gods are in God of War Laufey?

11:37 The studio has named two, Sekhmet and Begtse, both hostile to Faye. Game Informer identifies Sekhmet as the Egyptian goddess of war, appearing as an antagonist in the trailer. Begtse's soldiers fight Faye, Phranque and Rue on the Collector Box statue. Which pantheon the game gives Begtse, and how many other gods appear, is not known as of Nov 4, 2026. The clip is IGN's upload of the Jun 2, 2026 gameplay reveal.

How does God of War Laufey play?

0:39 As a God of War game, faster. The studio says combat is "intimate and brutal", with exploration and story at its core, and that it blends the modern combat system with elements of the classic Greek games. The camera sits over Faye's shoulder as in the Norse games, but she is faster and more agile than Kratos, and moves between ground and air without stopping the action. The clip is IGN's upload of the official combat first look.

• The sword. As the former owner of the Leviathan Axe, Faye wins the trust of Rue, the sword's guardian, and uses the blade to escape. Rue's ribbons stretch out during strikes to hit distant enemies.
• Soul magic. Faye's golden palm can strike a foe so hard it detaches their soul from their body; she can then attack the soul directly or knock it into other enemies. Her soul powers are greatly amplified in the Everywhen.
• The Serpent Bow. Revealed on Sep 28, 2026, a bow with the shifting form of a serpent, with a precision mode that stacks up to five arrows and a hip-fire mode for close range, plus rapid-fire, explosive and multi-target arrows.
• Gear. Armor sets with their own perks, stats and looks, and customizable Blade, Scales and Catalyst.

Sources: PlayStation Blog, Jun 2, 2026; PlayStation Blog, Sep 28, 2026; Game Informer, Sep 28, 2026.

Each of these, and how it compares with Kratos's fighting, is on Laufey Gameplay and Combat.

What did the reveal show?

1:15 The State of Play on Jun 2, 2026 closed with roughly 20 minutes of uncut play from the start of the game, inside a video Game Informer timed at 23 minutes. It opens on Faye's body burning on the pyre, the first scene of God of War (2018); as her ashes rise she wakes in the afterlife. Kotaku describes her crossing ruins with a sword, then being seized by two armored foes on whose armor her blade shatters, and brought before a red-skinned demon lord and a blue-skinned woman who pulls a splinter from her palm. The footage was of a pre-release build, and every official video since is on Laufey Trailers.

Who is making God of War Laufey?

Santa Monica Studio, with Ariel Lawrence as Game Director and Cory Barlog, the studio's Head of Creative, who directed God of War II and God of War (2018). The two sat down together with Game Informer after the reveal; Barlog said "There's always going to be Kratos games", and Lawrence that "We can't not tell stories about the big guy." Eric Williams, Ragnarok's director, is not named in any Laufey material. The narrative director and lead writer appear in the reveal's videos but were not named in its text. The studio itself is on Santa Monica Studio.

Bear McCreary writes the score, as he did for both Norse games; PlayStation's page praises his "sweeping, atmospheric score", and the Digital Deluxe Edition includes the soundtrack. See God of War Music.

Cast and Comic-Con

1:29 The cast's first appearance together came at San Diego Comic-Con on Jul 24, 2026, in the panel "God of War Laufey - Forging God of War's Next Heroes" in Ballroom 20, hosted by Lawrence and Barlog with Woll, Christopher Judge, Jack Quaid and Perlina Lau. There Barlog said the next Kratos-led game will "directly follow the events of Laufey", Judge described Kratos and Faye's journeys as mirrors of each other, and the panel ended on the Feb 16, 2027 date. Fans were handed 51-card art sets that Barlog said hold story significance, without saying what. Woll's career is on Deborah Ann Woll and Judge's on Christopher Judge. The clip is IGN's Daemon Hatfield and Ginny Glaze reporting from Comic-Con.

Platforms

PlayStation 5 only. The game is PS5 Pro Enhanced with PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, and PlayStation lists Tempest 3D Audio, fast SSD loading and DualSense haptics and adaptive triggers. There is no PS4 version and no PC version announced, though both Norse games reached PC years after launch. A disc version is confirmed. See Laufey Platforms and PC.

Editions

Source: PlayStation Store and PlayStation Blog, Sep 28, 2026, updated Oct 13, as of Nov 4, 2026.

Every pre-order adds the Last Wish Armor Set, the Phranque Golden Leaves Appearance and a resource pack. Each edition's contents, the Collector Box's prices in euros and pounds, and where to buy are on Laufey Editions and Pre-Order Bonuses.

Release date and delay

The game was revealed without a date on Jun 2, 2026, dated Feb 16, 2027 at Comic-Con on Jul 24, opened for pre-orders on Sep 29, and on Nov 4, 2026 was delayed to May 20, 2027 for "the finishing touches". No launch hour has been announced. The full history is on Laufey Release Date.

Is God of War Laufey a spin-off, a prequel or a sequel?

None of those exactly. The makers present it as a full God of War game with all the series' core elements, and they place its story alongside God of War (2018): Woll says it will "run concurrently to 2018". Kotaku called it a spin-off and a parallel story, and one Game Informer story called it a companion piece set after 2018's events, against the studio's own footage, which opens at the start of 2018. How far its story runs is not known. The detail is on Where Laufey Fits in the God of War Timeline, and what to play first on What to Play Before Laufey.

Leaks before the reveal

Before Jun 2, 2026, the game was reported, not announced. Notebookcheck noted that the insider NateTheHate was among the first to claim, in spring 2026, that Santa Monica Studio was making a game starring Faye, and that Bloomberg's Jason Schreier reportedly said it would feel like a new IP. These were reports; the reveal is what confirmed the game.

What is not known yet

As of Nov 4, 2026, Santa Monica Studio has not said: the launch hour; the game's length; its engine; frame rate and resolution modes on PS5 and PS5 Pro; accessibility options; languages and file size; the final ESRB and PEGI ratings; how Kratos, Atreus, Mimir or Freya appear; whether there is a demo, New Game Plus or post-launch content; or anything about a PC version. No hands-on preview or review has been published.

Frequently asked questions

What is God of War Laufey? God of War Laufey is Santa Monica Studio's next God of War game, a PS5 action game starring Faye (Laufey), Kratos's wife, in the Everywhen, the afterlife of the gods. It comes out on May 20, 2027.

Is Kratos in God of War Laufey? Christopher Judge is listed as Kratos in God of War Laufey's cast, but Santa Monica Studio has not said how Kratos appears, and Faye is the playable hero.

Is God of War Laufey a spin-off? Santa Monica Studio presents God of War Laufey as a full God of War game with all the series' core elements, though some press called it a spin-off. Its story runs alongside God of War (2018).

Who plays Faye in God of War Laufey? Deborah Ann Woll plays Faye in God of War Laufey, with her voice and performance capture, reprising her role from God of War Ragnarok.

Who is directing God of War Laufey? Ariel Lawrence is the Game Director of God of War Laufey, and Cory Barlog is Santa Monica Studio's Head of Creative.

What weapons does Faye use in God of War Laufey? In God of War Laufey Faye fights with a sword guarded by the ribbons of Rue, soul magic from her golden palm, and the Serpent Bow.

Who are Phranque and Rue in God of War Laufey? Phranque is a talking cosmic cube voiced by Jack Quaid, and Rue is a set of sentient ribbons guarding a sword, voiced by Perlina Lau. They are Faye's companions in God of War Laufey.

Sources

• God of War Laufey - Gameplay Reveal | State of Play 2026, IGN, Jun 2, 2026 (video)
• God of War Laufey - Official Combat First Look Trailer, IGN, Jun 3, 2026 (video)
• A New Kratos-Lead God of War Is Coming | Comic Con 2026, IGN, Jul 25, 2026 (video)
• God Of War Laufey Delayed To May, Game Informer, Nov 4, 2026
• God of War Laufey, PlayStation, as of Nov 4, 2026
• God of War Laufey, PlayStation Store, as of Nov 4, 2026
• God of War Laufey pre-orders available starting September 29, editions detailed, PlayStation Blog, Sep 28, 2026 (updated Oct 13, 2026)
• New God Of War Laufey Weapon Revealed Alongside Pre-Order Details, Game Informer, Sep 28, 2026
• God Of War Laufey Actor Says The Love Between Kratos And Fey Is Like 'A Soul Finding Its Own Reflection In Another', Kotaku, Jul 28, 2026
• Get ready for PlayStation at Comic-Con 2026 in San Diego, PlayStation Blog, Jul 9, 2026
• Deborah Ann Woll Talks Marvel, Woodcreek and God of War Laufey at GCC 2026, CGMagazine, Jun 21, 2026
• What Happens To Gods When They Die?, Game Informer, Jun 16, 2026
• God Of War Spin-Off Starring Faye Finally Confirmed After Months Of Rumors, Kotaku, Jun 2, 2026
• God Of War Laufey Stars Kratos' Wife Fighting Through The Afterlife Of The Gods, Game Informer, Jun 2, 2026
• First look at God of War Laufey, PlayStation Blog, Jun 2, 2026
• "Faye of War": Reliable leaker all but confirms God of War spinoff ahead of rumored State of Play, Notebookcheck, May 14, 2026