Where Laufey Fits in the God of War Timeline

1:15 God of War Laufey begins at the start of God of War (2018): the reveal footage opens on Faye's body burning on her funeral pyre, the scene that opens the 2018 game, and she wakes in the Everywhen as her ashes rise. Deborah Ann Woll, who plays her, says the story is "going to run concurrently to 2018". So it is neither a prequel nor a sequel in the usual sense: while Kratos and Atreus carry her ashes across Midgard, Faye is in the afterlife of the gods. How far her story runs, whether into the years of Ragnarok or beyond, has not been said as of Nov 4, 2026. This page spoils the start and the ending of God of War (2018) and the shape of Ragnarok. The clip is IGN's upload of the Jun 2, 2026 gameplay reveal, from the pyre to Faye waking.

Quick facts

Sources: Game Informer, Jun 16, 2026; CGMagazine, Jun 21, 2026; PlayStation Blog, Jun 2, 2026; Kotaku, Jul 28, 2026.

When does God of War Laufey take place?

2:57 At the same time as God of War (2018), as far as the makers have said. Game Informer, writing after a sit-down with Ariel Lawrence and Cory Barlog, describes the opening: Faye's body burns on the pyre, the beginning of the 2018 game, and as her ashes rise she wakes in the afterlife, surrounded by what look like fairies. Woll told CGMagazine it is "going to run concurrently to 2018 [God of War]" and that "This is going to feel like you are getting more story". The clip is IGN's upload of the Jun 2, 2026 gameplay reveal.

7:24 The PlayStation Blog frames it the same way: Faye wakes in a strange land after her funeral and finds that the plans she put in place to protect Kratos and Atreus are at risk. Those plans are the ones God of War (2018) reveals at its end.

What did Faye plan in God of War (2018)?

24:08 Spoilers for God of War (2018). Faye's death sets Kratos and Atreus out to scatter her ashes from the highest point in Jotunheim. At the journey's end, murals there show that she was a giant named Laufey, that the giants called Atreus "Loki", and that she had foreseen the journey: she marked the route to Jotunheim and broke the protective spell on the family's home. Laufey is the story of what happened to those plans on her side of death. The whole 2018 story is on God of War (2018) Story, and Faye's on Faye.

Is God of War Laufey a prequel or a sequel?

The press has used both words, and neither fits the makers' own description.

Taken together: Laufey starts after Faye's death, which is before the 2018 game's journey begins, and it then runs alongside that journey. Game Informer did not explain its "set after its events", and the studio's own footage opens at the start of the 2018 game. Engadget, separately, wrote that Faye died "in God of War Ragnarok", which is wrong: every official source places her death before God of War (2018).

The setting's name is part of the puzzle. Game Informer noted that a place called the Everywhen makes the timing hard to fix, and the studio has not said how time passes there; see The Everywhen.

How does Laufey tie to Ragnarok?

Through Odin. In God of War Ragnarok, Odin is haunted by a prophecy of his own death and obsessed with one question, what happens to gods when they die. Laufey's premise grows out of that question, and the PlayStation Blog's reveal names it directly. Faye herself appears in Ragnarok only in flashbacks, according to Kotaku, and Deborah Ann Woll first played her there. Whether Laufey's story reaches into the three years of Fimbulwinter between the two games, or past Ragnarok's ending and Valhalla, no official source has said. Ragnarok's ending is on God of War Ragnarok Ending Explained, and the epilogue on Valhalla.

Is God of War Laufey canon?

1:29 Yes. It is made by Santa Monica Studio, the series' own studio, under Head of Creative Cory Barlog, and presented as the next mainline God of War game. Barlog also said at San Diego Comic-Con on Jul 24, 2026 that the next Kratos-led game will "directly follow the events of Laufey", which makes Laufey part of the main line of the story rather than a side tale. That game has no title or date; see Next God of War After Laufey. The clip is IGN's Daemon Hatfield and Ginny Glaze reporting from Comic-Con.

The God of War timeline in brief

The story order, from Kratos's youth to the Everywhen. The Greek placements come from Sony and the press as gathered for this viki; where two games sit in the same years, the order between them is the best reading of those sources, not an official list.

Sources: PlayStation Blog, Feb 16, 2026; GameSpot, Mar 7, 2013; PlayStation Blog, Aug 2, 2010; IGN, Oct 25, 2010; IGN, Jun 27, 2007; GameSpot, Mar 8, 2010; PlayStation Blog, Dec 7, 2023.

Laufey and the 2018 game share a row of time, so they are listed together; Laufey comes first only because its first scene does. The full story, era by era, is on God of War Timeline Explained, and the release order on God of War Games in Order.

Frequently asked questions

When does God of War Laufey take place? God of War Laufey begins at Faye's funeral pyre, the first scene of God of War (2018), and its story runs at the same time as that game, according to Deborah Ann Woll.

Is God of War Laufey a prequel? Not exactly. God of War Laufey starts with Faye's death, just before God of War (2018)'s journey, and then runs alongside it; some press called it a prequel, but the makers describe a parallel story.

Is God of War Laufey a sequel to Ragnarok? No. God of War Laufey's story starts at the beginning of God of War (2018), before Ragnarok; its premise grows out of Odin's question in Ragnarok about what happens to gods when they die.

Is God of War Laufey canon? Yes. God of War Laufey is made by Santa Monica Studio as part of the main series, and the next Kratos-led game will directly follow its events.

Does God of War Laufey happen after Valhalla? Not as far as has been said. God of War Laufey opens at the start of God of War (2018), and no official source says whether its story reaches as far as Ragnarok or Valhalla.

Sources

• God of War Laufey - Gameplay Reveal | State of Play 2026, IGN, Jun 2, 2026 (video)
• The Complete GOD OF WAR Timeline Explained!, GameSpot, Sep 26, 2022 (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 Actor Says The Love Between Kratos And Fey Is Like 'A Soul Finding Its Own Reflection In Another', Kotaku, Jul 28, 2026
• God Of War Laufey Releases In February, Game Informer, Jul 27, 2026
• God of War Laufey will hit PS5 on February 16, Engadget, Jul 25, 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 Laufey Stars Kratos' Wife Fighting Through The Afterlife Of The Gods, Game Informer, Jun 2, 2026
• God Of War Spin-Off Starring Faye Finally Confirmed After Months Of Rumors, Kotaku, Jun 2, 2026
• First look at God of War Laufey, PlayStation Blog, Jun 2, 2026
• God of War Sons of Sparta, Mega Cat Studios discuss origins of Kratos and company's name, PlayStation Blog, Feb 16, 2026
• God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla DLC revealed, coming December 12, PlayStation Blog, Dec 7, 2023
• God of War: Ascension Review, GameSpot, Mar 7, 2013
• God of War: Ghost of Sparta Review, IGN, Oct 25, 2010
• God of War: Ghost of Sparta Official Release Date and Pre-Order Pack, PlayStation Blog, Aug 2, 2010
• God of War III Review, GameSpot, Mar 8, 2010
• God of War: Betrayal Review, IGN, Jun 27, 2007
• We Finally Understand The Ending Of God Of War, SVG, Aug 7, 2019