God of War Ragnarok New Game Plus

God of War Ragnarok's New Game Plus arrived free on Apr 5, 2023, unlocked by finishing the story on any difficulty; it carries over gear, weapons and skills, raises the level cap and adds new armor. God of War (2018) got its own New Game Plus on Aug 20, 2018.

God of War Ragnarok's New Game Plus came as a free update on Apr 5, 2023, five months after launch: finish the story once and a new save starts with Kratos's gear, weapons (the Draupnir Spear included) and skills, against a higher level cap for him and his enemies. It adds new armor (Black Bear, Spartan, Ares and Zeus), the Spartan Aspis shield, "Plus" versions of top-level gear and harder optional bosses. God of War (2018) got its own New Game Plus earlier, on Aug 20, 2018. Whether God of War Laufey (May 20, 2027) will have one is not known as of Nov 4, 2026.

Quick facts

Released	Apr 5, 2023, free update (PS5, PS4)
Unlock	Finish the story once, on any difficulty
Carries over	Gear, weapons (including the Draupnir Spear), skills
Not carried over	Sonic and Hex arrows, until the story gives them back
New armor	Black Bear, Spartan, Ares, Zeus
New shield	Spartan Aspis
Trophies	None for New Game Plus
On PC	Included since launch, Sep 19, 2024
God of War (2018)	New Game+ on Aug 20, 2018

Sources: PlayStation Blog, Apr 5, 2023; IGN trophy guide, updated Feb 13, 2025; PlayStation Blog, May 30, 2024; PlayStation Blog, Aug 8, 2018.

How do you start New Game Plus in God of War Ragnarok?

Finish the main story once. New Game Plus then starts a new save that carries the old one's progress forward, and the difficulty can be chosen again. The Sonic and Hex arrows do not come along at first, so places that need them, or the Draupnir Spear, stay shut until the story reaches them again.

What carries over and what is new

Gear, weapons and skills carry over. The level cap goes up for Kratos and for enemies, and level 9 armor, weapons, weapon parts and shields can be turned into "Plus" versions with more levels. Each conversion gives a Gilded Coin, which buys an Enchantment at the shop.

Other progression added in the update:

Skill Mod Plus: Skill Mod tokens upgraded with XP.
Platinum tier Labors: progress on kill Labors and Ratatasks carries over to a new reward tier.
Yggdrasil Dew: found in Nornir Chests, it pushes Stats past their old limits.
Engraving and Badge Enchantments: bought with Gilded Coins; the strongest need Stat thresholds.
Burdens: negative perks for extra challenge, such as Burden of Evasion, which inflicts Frost when Kratos rolls.

New armor and the Spartan Aspis

Item	What it does	How to get it
Armor of the Black Bear	Strength and Defense; last-second evades fire Bifrost shards	Equipped at the start of New Game Plus
Spartan Armor	No perk, no stats, locked at Power Level 1, for a hard challenge	Hacksilver, Huldra Brothers' shop
Ares Armor	Hits can drop Health Stones; stomping one gives rage and a bigger blast	Hacksilver
Zeus Armor	More melee and Runic damage, more damage taken	Defeat Gna and certain Remnants of Asgard on a New Game Plus save
Spartan Aspis (shield)	Tighter parry window, more damaging parry	Hacksilver

Source: PlayStation Blog, Apr 5, 2023. The Ares Armor returns from God of War (2018).

The update also gave 13 armors new colors and styles, applied by transmog to level 9 armor, and a Berserker Armor appearance for beating the Berserker King on New Game Plus. On PC, linking a PlayStation Network account unlocks the Armor of the Black Bear from the first Lost Items chest without New Game Plus, as IGN reported on Jan 29, 2025.

Harder bosses and difficulty

On Give Me No Mercy and Give Me God of War, every boss and mini-boss in New Game Plus has Runic Armor, and Elite enemies appear on both. Valkyrie Queen Gna and the Berserker Souls fight differently, and the Berserker Souls give Stat Boost Enchantments. The mini-bosses the Hateful and the Ormstunga got new tactics on every difficulty. Each fight is on God of War Ragnarok Bosses, and the settings on God of War Difficulty Modes.

Everything else in the Apr 5, 2023 update

The same update added a Black and White render mode (after finishing the game once, in any save), skipping cinematics in New Game Plus, a "Show Difficulty HUD" option, and a sparring arena in Niflheim where players fight as Kratos or Atreus with companions including Freya, Brok, Sindri, Angrboda, Ingrid, Thor and Thrud. There are no New Game Plus trophies: the platinum can be earned in one playthrough. See God of War Trophies.

God of War (2018) New Game Plus

Santa Monica Studio's Aaron Kaufman announced it on Aug 8, 2018 as the studio's biggest God of War update, and it went live as a free patch on Aug 20, 2018. It needs the story finished on any difficulty and carries over armor, enchantments, talismans, resources and abilities, with a fresh choice of difficulty. It brings tougher, higher-level enemies with some new tactics, very powerful new armor sets and enchantments, and a new rarity tier crafted with a new resource, Skap Slag. The same patch let players skip cinematics, in normal and New Game+ saves alike, after one full playthrough.

New Game Plus in God of War Laufey

Not announced. As of Nov 4, 2026 Santa Monica Studio has said nothing about New Game Plus or any post-launch content for God of War Laufey. Both Norse games added theirs months after release, so its absence from the announcements so far says little.

Frequently asked questions

When did God of War Ragnarok get New Game Plus? On Apr 5, 2023, as a free update for PS5 and PS4. The PC version of God of War Ragnarok, out Sep 19, 2024, includes it.

How do you unlock New Game Plus in God of War Ragnarok? Finish God of War Ragnarok's main story once on any difficulty, then start a New Game Plus save from that progress.

What carries over in God of War Ragnarok New Game Plus? Gear, weapons (including the Draupnir Spear) and skills. The Sonic and Hex arrows come back only when the story reaches them.

Are there New Game Plus trophies in God of War Ragnarok? No. Every God of War Ragnarok trophy can be earned in one playthrough.

How do you get the Zeus Armor in God of War Ragnarok? On a New Game Plus save, defeat Valkyrie Queen Gna and complete certain Remnants of Asgard.

Does God of War (2018) have New Game Plus? Yes, since a free patch on Aug 20, 2018. God of War (2018)'s New Game+ adds tougher enemies, new armor and enchantments, and the Skap Slag resource.