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Metro 2039Greek Gods in God of War
The Greek God of War games pit Kratos against the gods of Olympus and the Titans: Ares in the first game, Zeus and the Titans in God of War II, and in God of War III Poseidon, Hades, Helios, Hermes, Hercules, Hera, Hephaestus, Cronos, Gaia and Zeus, all killed. This page lists them game by game.
The Greek God of War games are a war between Kratos and the gods of Olympus: he kills Ares to become the God of War in God of War (2005), is betrayed by Zeus and allies with the Titans in God of War II, and in God of War III kills Poseidon, Hades, Helios, Hermes, Hercules, Hera, Hephaestus, the Titans Cronos and Gaia, and finally Zeus, his father. Athena is the god he serves for most of the saga and the one who turns up again in the Norse games. Spoilers for the Greek games follow.
These gods may matter again. God of War Laufey (PS5, May 20, 2027) sends Faye (Laufey) into the Everywhen, the afterlife where "ruthless gods from across mythology vie for power". GameSpot's Jun 2026 list of the gods Kratos killed asked which "could appear" there, but as of Nov 4, 2026 Santa Monica Studio has named only two of its gods, Sekhmet and Begtse, and no Greek god.
Quick facts
| Kratos's father | Zeus |
| Kratos's patron in the Greek era | Athena |
| First god Kratos kills | Ares, in God of War (2005) |
| Gods and Titans killed in God of War III | 10, by GameSpot's count |
| Titans who side with Kratos | Gaia and the Titans, in God of War II |
| Fans' favorite boss | Zeus, winner of Santa Monica Studio's 2025 "Pantheon Pummel" vote |
| Greek gods named for Laufey | None as of Nov 4, 2026 |
Sources: GameSpot, Mar 8, 2010; GameSpot, Jun 7, 2026; Santa Monica Studio, May 14, 2025; PlayStation Blog, Jun 2, 2026.
Gods and Titans by game
| Game | Gods, Titans and figures | Kratos and them |
|---|---|---|
| God of War Sons of Sparta (2026) | Apollo, Hestia | Their Gifts of Olympus give the young Kratos powers |
| God of War: Ascension (2013) | The three Furies, Megaera among them; Ares, Hades, Zeus | Kratos breaks his oath and fights the Furies; multiplayer players serve Ares, Hades, Zeus or a fourth god |
| Chains of Olympus (2008) | Athena, Helios, Charon, Persephone, Hades | Athena sends Kratos after Helios; he frees Persephone from Hades and Olympus |
| God of War (2005) | Ares, Athena, Zeus, Hades, Artemis | Zeus, Hades and Artemis give him powers; he kills Ares with Pandora's box |
| Ghost of Sparta (2010) | Thanatos | Kratos enters the realm of death to find his brother Deimos; Zeus plays no part |
| God of War: Betrayal (2007) | The Olympians | Gods and humans wrongly accuse him of betraying Olympus |
| God of War II (2007) | Zeus, Athena, Gaia and the Titans, the Sisters of Fate, Perseus, Icarus | Athena betrays him and Zeus strikes him down; Gaia rescues him |
| God of War III (2010) | Poseidon, Hades, Helios, Hermes, Hercules, Hera, Hephaestus, Cronos, Gaia, Zeus; Athena; Pandora | He kills all ten, Zeus last |
Games in story order. Sources: GameSpot, Mar 21, 2005; GameSpot, Mar 13, 2007; IGN, Jun 27, 2007; Eurogamer, Mar 11, 2008; IGN, Oct 25, 2010; IGN, Mar 14, 2013; IGN, Feb 19, 2026; GameSpot, Jun 7, 2026. The order of Ghost of Sparta and Betrayal is not settled by any source we read; see God of War Games in Order.
Zeus
Zeus is Kratos's father and the saga's last enemy. He kills Kratos at the start of God of War II, and God of War III is Kratos's revenge, ending with a fight with his father atop Mount Olympus. GameSpot writes that this fight "would eventually send Kratos into the arms of Faye", the start of the Norse story. Zeus is also the fans' choice: in Santa Monica Studio's 2025 vote of 32 bosses, with almost 250,000 votes, he beat Cronos, Thor and Odin in the final four and won with 82.6% on X and 77% on Discord.
Ares
Ares is the original God of War and the first game's villain. Kratos, an ex-Spartan warrior, made a pact with Ares to save his life; Ares bound the Blades of Chaos to him and later tricked him into killing his wife and daughter. With Pandora's box, Kratos kills Ares and takes his place on Olympus. PlayStation ranked the death of Ares the series' top epic moment in 2012.
Athena
Athena gives Kratos his orders through the first games and sends him after Helios in Chains of Olympus. She betrays him in God of War II, and in God of War III stands between him and the rest of Olympus. She is the Greek god who carries over into Kratos's Norse adventures, covered on God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarok.
The Titans
Gaia, mother of the Titans, rescues Kratos in God of War II after Zeus's attack, and he leads the Titans' war on Olympus. In God of War III he rides them up the mountain, but after being betrayed himself he turns on Gaia, ending the Titan revolt, and kills Cronos, father of Zeus. Cronos made the final four of the 2025 fan vote.
The other gods of God of War III
- Poseidon: Kratos's uncle, fought on the climb, his death blow shown from Poseidon's own point of view. Andy Park designed his water form.
- Hades: also in the first game, where he lends Kratos an army of souls.
- Helios: the sun god Kratos rescued in Chains of Olympus; in God of War III Kratos uses his head as a light.
- Hephaestus: father of Pandora, who turns on Kratos to protect her when Kratos means to throw her into the Flame of Olympus.
- Hermes, Hercules and Hera: three more of the ten deaths GameSpot counts.
Frequently asked questions
Which Greek gods does Kratos kill in God of War? Across the Greek God of War games Kratos kills Ares in the first game and, in God of War III, Poseidon, Hades, Helios, Hermes, Hercules, Hera, Hephaestus, Cronos, Gaia and Zeus.
Is Zeus Kratos's father in God of War? Yes. In God of War, Zeus is Kratos's father; he kills Kratos at the start of God of War II, and Kratos kills him at the end of God of War III.
Who is Ares in God of War? Ares is the God of War whom Kratos serves after a pact to save his life, and the villain of God of War (2005), where Kratos kills him and takes his place.
Do the Titans help Kratos in God of War? Yes. In God of War II, Gaia and the Titans save Kratos and side with him against Zeus, but in God of War III Kratos turns on Gaia after she betrays him.
Will Greek gods appear in God of War Laufey? Not announced. As of Nov 4, 2026 Santa Monica Studio has named only Sekhmet and Begtse among the gods of God of War Laufey's Everywhen.
Sources
- God of War Review, Alex Navarro, GameSpot, Mar 21, 2005
- Rave Reviews Nationwide Spark High Anticipation for God of War as the 2005 Must-Have Game on PlayStation 2, Sony Computer Entertainment America, Mar 22, 2005
- God of War II Review, Alex Navarro, GameSpot, Mar 13, 2007
- God of War: Betrayal Review, Levi Buchanan, IGN, Jun 27, 2007
- God of War: Chains of Olympus review, Kristan Reed, Eurogamer, Mar 11, 2008
- God of War III Review, Tom Mc Shea, GameSpot, Mar 8, 2010
- God of War: Ghost of Sparta Review, Nicole Tanner, IGN, Oct 25, 2010
- God of War's Top 5 Epic Moments, Number One: The Death of Ares, PlayStation Blog, Oct 5, 2012
- God of War: Ascension Review, Alex Simmons, IGN, Mar 14, 2013
- God of War 3 Remastered Review, Meghan Sullivan, IGN, Jul 14, 2015
- God of War 3 Remastered Review, Kevin VanOrd, GameSpot, Jul 14, 2015
- 20 Years & The Art of God of War, Santa Monica Studio, Dec 19, 2019
- 20 Years of God of War: Celebrating the Team, the Legacy, and the Community, Liz Barlow, Santa Monica Studio, May 14, 2025
- God of War Sons of Sparta Review, Jarrett Green, IGN, Feb 19, 2026
- First look at God of War Laufey, Grace Orlady, PlayStation Blog, Jun 2, 2026
- God Of War Spin-Off Starring Faye Finally Confirmed After Months Of Rumors, Kenneth Shepard and Carolyn Petit, Kotaku, Jun 2, 2026
- All The Murdered Gods That Could Appear In God Of War Laufey, Alessandro Barbosa, GameSpot, Jun 7, 2026
- The Complete GOD OF WAR Timeline Explained!, GameSpot, Sep 26, 2022 (video)
- God of War's Story in 7 Minutes (2018), IGN, Mar 23, 2018 (video)
Moments
The Complete GOD OF WAR Timeline Explained!
GameSpot
God of War's Story in 7 Minutes (2018)
IGN
Related
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Chains of OlympusGod of War: Chains of Olympus is the 2008 PSP prequel made by Ready at Dawn, released in North America on Mar 4, 2008, in which Kratos, still serving the gods, goes into the Underworld to rescue the sun god Helios. It scored 91 on Metacritic and sold 3.3 million copies by 2012.
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Ghost of SpartaGod of War: Ghost of Sparta is the 2010 PSP game by Ready at Dawn, released in North America on Nov 2, 2010, in which Kratos, newly the God of War, searches Atlantis and the realm of death for his lost brother Deimos and faces Thanatos. It scored 86 on Metacritic.
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God of War Collections and RemastersThe Greek God of War games were collected four times: God of War Collection (PS3, 2009, by Bluepoint Games; PS Vita 2014), God of War: Origins Collection (PS3, 2011, by Ready at Dawn), God of War Saga (PS3, 2012) and God of War III Remastered (PS4, 2015, by Wholesale Algorithms). Only God of War III Remastered is still sold, as of Nov 4, 2026.
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God of War Sons of SpartaGod of War Sons of Sparta is a 2D pixel-art God of War prequel by Mega Cat Studios with Santa Monica Studio, released on PS5 on Feb 12, 2026 for $29.99, in which teenage Kratos and his brother Deimos search for a missing cadet. It scored 64 on Metacritic and 65 on OpenCritic.
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God of War Trilogy RemakeSanta Monica Studio announced on Feb 12, 2026 that the original God of War trilogy (God of War, God of War II and God of War III) is being remade, calling it very early in development. As of Nov 4, 2026 there is no release date, platform list, price or footage.
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God of War: AscensionGod 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.
- God of War: BetrayalGod of War: Betrayal is a 2D God of War game for mobile phones, released in the US on Jun 20, 2007 and set between God of War and God of War II, in which Kratos is wrongly accused of betraying Olympus. IGN scored it 9; it is no longer sold anywhere.
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See also
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KratosKratos is the Spartan warrior turned god at the center of God of War, who killed the gods of Olympus and later raised his son Atreus in the Norse realms. TC Carson voiced him in the Greek games and Christopher Judge since 2018.
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God of War (2005)God of War (2005) is the original God of War, Santa Monica Studio's PlayStation 2 game created and directed by David Jaffe, released in North America on Mar 22, 2005. Kratos, a Spartan bound to the gods of Olympus, hunts Ares with the Blades of Chaos; it scored 94 on Metacritic and sold 4.6 million copies by 2012.
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God of War IIGod of War II is the 2007 PlayStation 2 sequel, directed by Cory Barlog and released in North America on Mar 13, 2007. Betrayed by Zeus, Kratos allies with the Titans and seeks the Sisters of Fate; it scored 93 on Metacritic and IGN called it possibly the best action game ever made.
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God of War IIIGod of War III is the 2010 PlayStation 3 game that ends Kratos's Greek trilogy, released in North America on Mar 16, 2010 and directed by Stig Asmussen; Kratos climbs Mount Olympus and kills Zeus. It scored 92 on Metacritic, and God of War III Remastered (PS4, Jul 14, 2015) is the only one of the first three games still sold.
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