God of War Laufey Announced for PS5 - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 02 June 2026 / 19,676 Views
Publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment and developer Santa Monica Studio have announced the next mainline entry in the God of War series, God of War Laufey, for the PlayStation 5.
View the gameplay reveal video below:
Read details on the game below:
God of War Laufey
Death was supposed to be the end, but for Laufey (Faye), warrior and wife to Kratos, a new adventure is just beginning. Awakening unexpectedly in a strange land after her funeral, Faye discovers the plans she put in place to protect Kratos and Atreus are now at risk.
To save the ones she loves, Faye must fight through the afterlife of the gods — the Everywhen — where ruthless gods from across mythology vie for power in a land overflowing with dangerous magic.
God of War’s next chapter
Intimate, brutal combat.
Exploration of a rich, beautiful world.
Story at its heart.
Right from the start, we knew Laufey needed to contain all the core elements that define a God of War game.
Faye has always been a formidable warrior in our story. She and Kratos can both hit hard and take hits, so one of our top priorities throughout the development has been handcrafting a uniquely fresh feel for Faye’s gameplay that will also meet the high expectations fans have for the series.
Combining the movement and fluidity of the Greek era with the Norse era’s approach to world-building and close ties with characters — we’ve crafted an experience that has given our team incredible opportunities to take exciting creative swings, while staying true to the pillars of the God of War series.
Introducing Faye
Faye has long been one of the impactful characters in God of War’s Norse saga. A legendary warrior and leader — her impact was left on the Nine Realms long before she ever met Kratos.
God of War Laufey brings Faye to the forefront — exploring the humanity, strengths, and flaws of the person whose legacy was beloved in the minds of many.
To set the stage for Faye’s introduction, God of War Laufey’s Narrative Director and Lead Writer discuss what we know about her going into this journey and give a taste of what awaits her in the afterlife of the gods.
Afterlife of the Gods
Odin was haunted by the prophecy of his demise during the events of Ragnarök, obsessively pursuing knowledge of something beyond the afterlives of mortals.
In God of War Laufey, we explore the answer to that question: What happens to the gods when they die?
The Everywhen is the birthplace and endpoint to which all magic returns, a transcendent realm above those we’ve come to know. A location in which gods and creatures from different mythologies come together, and not always in harmonious coexistence.
We’ve shown a brief look at two of the gods Faye will encounter in the Everywhen — Sekhmet and Begtse, both decidedly less than friendly towards a new face suddenly appearing in their midst.
Faye quickly discovers that despite the impossibility of awakening from death in a place that defies everything she thought she knew, it may prove even harder to leave while the natural flow of magic has been disrupted.
Paradise or prison — Faye will need to uncover hidden mysteries about the true nature of the Everywhen throughout her journey if she is to have any hope of finding her way home.
Adventuring party
Reprising her role as Faye after appearing in God of War Ragnarök, we’re thrilled to have the fantastic Deborah Ann Woll lead the cast of God of War Laufey.
Faye will not be venturing into the Everywhen alone, as she meets two companions shortly after she first wakes up.
Phranque, played by Jack Quaid, is a curious cosmic cube with an earnest disposition. He will do whatever it takes to protect his friends and the creatures of the Everywhen.
Rue, played by Perlina Lau, is the enchanted ribbon guardian tasked with keeping the devastatingly powerful sword in her care from falling into the wrong hands.
Together they will embark on a journey deep into the Everywhen that will pit them against a fantastic cast of gods and creatures from across mythology, as well as beings native to the Everywhen itself.
Lethal agility
As the Golden Hand of the Jötnar, Faye has deep roots as a warrior and has proven equal to even the likes of Thor, one of the strongest gods in the Nine Realms.
From the beginning, we’ve built her combat to maximize lethality, power, and fluidity.
Building upon the strengths of the modern God of War combat system while injecting some old school, classic DNA of the Greek era — Laufey will feel fresh, yet familiar to fans of the series.
By allowing Faye to move easily between ground and air without halting the action, we’ve refined a hyper-responsiveness to her combat that we can’t wait for players to experience when they get their hands on the controller for the first time.
Her increased mobility adds a ton of offensive and defensive tools to turn battles against even the fiercest gods to her favor.
We’ve given you a taste of what Faye’s gameplay will look like at the start, and that’s just scratching the surface. There’s so much more we can’t wait to share further down the road — and plenty we’ll leave for fans to discover on their own!
Legendary sword for a legendary warrior
As the previous owner of the Leviathan Axe, Faye is no stranger to legendary weapons. Upon her arrival in the Everywhen, she earns the trust of the sword’s guardian Rue enough to use the blade in their fight to escape imprisonment.
Wielded in Faye’s expert hand, its full potential is unleashed.
Speed, control, and relentlessness define the tempo of Faye’s combat. Building and maintaining momentum from one attack to the next, across the ground or into the sky, she creates a relentless onslaught against her foes.
Golden Hand of the Jötnar
The Giants of Jötunheim had access to powerful magic, so much so that even Odin viewed them as one of the greatest threats to his rule over the Nine Realms.
As the Golden Hand of the Jötnar, the most powerful protector of the Giants — Faye wielded fearsome powers, including the ability to manipulate souls.
After arriving in the afterlife of the gods, a place steeped in the oldest of magic, Faye’s own soul related abilities are greatly amplified.
In the Everywhen, Faye can strike her golden palm at a foe with such force it detaches their soul from their body. From there, Faye can attack the soul directly, knock it into other enemies, and more — opening up combos and creative uses that we hope players will have a lot of fun mastering.
Back for more!
As we get closer to release, we’ll be back to share more details about the afterlife of the gods.
On behalf of everyone at Santa Monica Studio and all our partners working on God of War Laufey, thank you so much for watching the announcement video. We appreciate all the support fans have shown this series over the last two decades and hope you enjoy what we’ve got coming next!
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can follow the author on Bluesky.
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Not what I expected... it's even better! Looks absolutely amazing, can't wait to experience it.
The reveal was fucking amazing! I'm sold!!
So basically Heavenly Sword 2.
God damn, that looks good as shit. The combat animations/style/choreography are not just extremely well made (on a level I haven't seen before) but the style is something that speaks to me 100 times more than Kratos fighting style.
It looks good, but am I the only one who thinks it shouldn't be called "God of War"?
If Nintendo can call Doki Doki Panic Mario 2 and Dinosaur Island Star Fox Adventures, anything's possible. Right or wrong, using sucessful IP branding to sell new IP is as old as video gaming itself.
I have never played one, have they changed the mechanics?
No, the combat seems to have the same core as the previous two games. Including having a partner you can combo with. Parrying. Finisher moves. Etc.
I think OP is referring to this having a different protagonist than the one its had for most of the series. Which the second game already did to some extent, where you played as another character for parts of it. Other games have done, while keeping the original title.
Yakuza, Metal Gear, Kingdom Hearts, etc.
How do you feel about Zelda?
Imagine playing Metroid as someone other than a Metroid.
Name makes sense because it's is within the God of War universe and features several GOWs.
This definitely doesn't seem like a case where the name is wrong. It sounds like core gameplay is very much the same, it's the same universe, and it's a previously known character from the universe. The character also has a close tie with the main character of the previous games. I don't see much reason why it shouldn't be called God of War.
Wouldn't the exact same thing apply to Luigi? Same universe, previously known character, character has close ties to main character... yet when Nintendo did that, they didn't call it New Super Mario Bros. U. They called it New Super Luigi U to differentiate it from the main series. Why wouldn't that apply in this case? Because Krato's name isn't in the title?
Its set within the same fictional universe and is a spin off. So having God of War in the title makes sense to highlight that connection.
Looks amazing, I'm very excited for it, even without Kratos as the lead.
Character model seems based off the actress from Daredevil and Punisher. IIRC she’s big into video games and dungeons and dragons.
Pass for me, GoW2018 was a snooze fest to me but I’m sure people into this type of game will enjoy it.
I wasnt a big fan of God of War 2018, but the combat style and movement etc in this one really speaks to me.
That was a mesmerising reveal and a perfect finish to a strong and focused State of Play.
The R2 button gets a hard life with this game. Kidding aside, the combat and traversal looks great. There is a jump button!
Actually what I missed with GoW18 and Ragnarok. Faster paced, more dynamic combat like in GoW3.
I'd expected them to do a game focusing on one of the other Norse characters but had expected it to be Artrues.
I am pumped, let's effing go!
Its the Heavenly Sword we always wanted.
GoW: L
They literally named it that lmao
Looks good... but man that naming is a MISS
I hope it is good. Sonys big first party games usually have some great stuff in them (apart from the gaas crap), but for the last 8 years or so, story really was not their strenght. Which is bitter when you are the company making the narrative heavy games. I loved god of war 2018 and hated Ragnarök. So fingers crossed. But I am not sold on the premise, with this not being a prequel. It makes somewhat sense for a God of War game, sure: you die and then you are sonewhere else. But everytime Kratos died he was transported to the greek underworld (Styx I believe). But now every god who dies comes to this Everywhen-place? Seems contradictory. I also don't like (as of now) how this paints the 2018 game in a different light. Fayes death feels less meaningfull when she is actually just running around in her own adventure at the same time. And she does not even seem all too said about parting her family (perhaps that is still to come, but first impressions matter and she just died). I have to admit curiosity as to how she died though. Perhaps we will learn. Perhaps it is better not to know.
But this also touches on a bigger point that makes me cautious: western pop culture entertainment writers for big projects cannot write female characters well. I sure hope Faye proofs an exception to that. Would be nice to finally have a likable, interesting female protagonist from sony.
My last point will perhaps ruffle some feathers from sensitive birds, but Faye could be easier in the eyes. Her actress looks better. Usually you would expect it to be the other way around. "But you never hear these discussions about male characters." Yes, for two possible reasons I can think of. 1) People who are into guys don't think it that important. 2) It is not as big of a problem with male characters. 2018 Kratos was the most Hunkosaurus Rex I had ever seen. Sadly somewhat uglyfied in Ragnarök. But generally devs don't seem to have a problem with classical male beauty. Even extreme male beauty. But everytime a woman is classically beautiful, I assume devs think it gratuitous or even indecent. It is at a point where people scream foul and unrealistic looking at a beautiful female character just to learn that the actress looks exactly the same. I am honestly surprised nobody criticised Claire Obscure for that, because the whole party roster was drop dead gorgeous. It is not that big of a deal for me, but sex sells and I am not above admiting to like playing as beautiful people better.
There is a lot going on in your comment but here is my take: I think she is attractive... i think she is very attractive. I think that Jordan from Intergalactic is attractive in a completely different way but most of all, I understand that my standards of beauty should not match the standards of everyone else. So when you say classical beauty, I dont think you realize that there is no such thing in objective reality. And it frightens me that there are people out there that think that everyone should submit to anyone's subjective definition of beauty. People MUST be allowed to have their own perspective without needing to worry about incurring your disdain or wrath.
I really don't have an opinion of Kratos' look. You calling him ugly is funny. Game character 'sex appeal ' isn't something that crosses my mind.l tbh.
About the story, im completely impartial to it. Some of my favorite games are have truly horrible stories. Gameplay is what attracts me to games. Good stories are just a bonus.
As far as this story I find it interesting because I have been following it for nearly 20 years and I like the take on different myths.
Finally, this game is directed by a female so for you (a man i assume) to say that they don't know how to write female characters is frankly a horrific take. I suppose you know how a female is to be written based on you life long experience...as a male.
Let me first adress your last point about me (a man, yes, assumed correctly) talking about western pop culture entertainment writers inability to write female characters well: Many women can write male characters better then men. Many men can write female character better than women. I did not know that the director (writer?) is a woman, but it really should not matter. Because unlike you I don't link writing ability to sex. That is horrific to you? Okay.
And I never called Kratos ugly. "Somewhat uglyfied" is what I said. Coming from the 10 he was in 2018, he was still a somewhat handsome looking man in Ragnarök.
You wrote: "I think that Jordan from Intergalactic is attractive in a completely different way." So there are different ways to be attractive. I am glad you can see that and are into Jordans looks. Not for me though, because I am more into classical beauty.
"So when you say classical beauty, I dont think you realize that there is no such thing in objective reality. And it frightens me that there are people out there that think that everyone should submit to anyone's subjective definition of beauty." Classical beauty does not mean that nothing else can be beautiful. It means that there is a set of standards more typically and classicaly held by people. At least that is what I meant. I certainly never said anything about the need for submission to my standards.
Try this for size: I am into classical music. Does that mean to you that I think no other music can be beautiful to anybody else? Or that people have to submit to my taste in music? Or that I am filled with "disdain and wrath" for people not into classical music? XD I really think you misread my comment. "Classical beauty" does not mean "beautiful in the right way." It so happens to mean right for me though.
"People MUST be allowed to have their own perspective." -I sure hope you will allow me mine.
You are entitled to your perception of beauty and so are the people working on their own game. To get caught up in beauty standards in a work of fiction created by someone else is a fools errand because you aren't the person creating the fiction and people ought not be perceiving everything similarly. That would be weird and dystopian. Claiming that Fey isn't 'classically beautiful' (and honestly I completely disagree) doesn't mean anything tangible because tastes in beauty, regardless of whether they are shared are still subjective. I don't really think I understand your correlation between classical music and classical beauty. One is an objectively real thing while the other is inherently subjective and changes with time and different groups of people.
You said that you prefer classical beauty, which is to say that your sense of beauty is formed by averages of a specific subset of peoples perceptions you identify with. And that's fine. We all do that to some extent. But know that it is your own and you can't hold others to that which it seemed like you were trying to do in OP. Its what grifters do. They say that their perception of reality is the only way reality can be perceived. When you said that Western developers were not conforming to classical beauty you left no room for the subjective realities of beauty.
Not every female character needs to be Eve or a Dead or Alive girl.
"But now every god who dies comes to this Everywhen-place? Seems contradictory. "
Clearly going to be the premise of the game. Big part of Norse myth is the idea of the afterlife, according to Norse myth, you can go to up to 5 places after death. Which ever location Faye was meant to go was interrupted, as the character say, the gateway was closed.
That said, death in worlds of magic are confusing. Kratos has died in his own story several times, he killed the Gods, their beings went somewhere.
"My last point will perhaps ruffle some feathers from sensitive birds, but Faye could be easier in the eyes. "
Why? She's a mother and probably close to Kratos in "age" whatever age these gods age at. Kratos was old in Ragnarok, so not sure what you are getting at, infact I'm sure there are many women and men who like a gruff dude. ;-)
"I am honestly surprised nobody criticised Claire Obscure for that, because the whole party roster was drop dead gorgeous. It is not that big of a deal for me, but sex sells and I am not above admiting to like playing as beautiful people better."
Because the game wasn't a target needless hate because "women bad" as you technically played as a male character. Men were attractive and women were attractive.
Like this same crowd that insta-hated Intergalactic because the protag was female with a shaved head. The bounty hunter has a practical look, god forbid. The character literally played by a fucking gorgeous model and actress.
Agreed about the death in macigal worlds point. They could make something of it, I am sure. But sony has not told a good story in a long time. So I am sceptical.
"She's a mother and probably close to Kratos in "age"." So what if she is a mother? She could have been from "Milfgard", but the devs chose not to. Also, we don't know the age of Faye. What we do know is that age and apperance is not linked in gods as it is in humans. "Kratos was old in Ragnarök." Exactly my point. He looked way younger in 2018. Looks he might have had for several centuries. But he aged 20 years like a human in the span of three story years? (Admittedly with a teenage son that could happen even to a god.) And all the power to whoever likes the looks of Ragnarök Kratos better. I think it was a downgrade in beauty.
I think I did not get your point about Clair Obscure and Intergalactic. In Clair Obscure you play as men and women, but the main character is a woman, no? At least I thought so. And the lack of criticism I referenced would have been criticism from people who think that the cast is too beautiful. In contrast to Intergalactic that was criticised for the opposite. (Just to mention it, I don't think Jordan is beautiful, but whatever tickles your pickle.) But as I said, I think I am missing ypur point.
"So what if she is a mother? She could have been from "Milfgard", but the devs chose not to."
Time, actress is 41 and attractive, character looks like her. If we go by non-god aging, she's unlikely to be a 25 year old with a 11 year old son. So an older woman is more appropriate.
On the Kratos thing, I don't remember seeing a significant differences, prehaps graphical fidelity added a few more greys?
Main character is E33 is male, you control them in the main camp area. What criticism are you looking for against E33's characters? No one is complaining when characters are realistic but attractive, people complain when they are either (a) overly sexualised (see Stella Blade) or (b) Idiots who've never seen a real woman in their life saying main characters who are designed based on literal models are unattractive because they can't jerk off to them.
These games and characters aren't out to be attractive characters, they are out to be good characters.
Whilst I can agree to an extend that uglification can be a thing, I don't think it applies here. A lot of modern day beauty comes from make up and a lot care to a persons appearance. You think Faye has the time to bother with a skin care routine, applying make-up (with a very limited amount of make up). The actress however does have the time and puts a lot of effort in her appearance. Faye will be dirty, slightly wounded, covered in blood and dusty most of her adventure.
"Faye could be easier in the eyes."
This comment is kind of crazy because I can't imagine watching this video and that being one of my main take aways lol
Faye looks great, she just isn't dainty or beautified with make up. Instead she's a graceful middle aged mother just awoken from death. She also looks just like her actress. I think your idea of feminine beauty is probably narrow compared to your idea of masculine beauty. And that vision for feminine beauty doesn't make sense for the context your so often wanting to see it (Modern games trying to ground themselves in a contextual realism)
Kratos for example isn't exactly Nathan Drake (who is actually crazy gorgeous in Uncharted 4), but he is extremely masculine which probably does appeal to you and many people. That makes sense for his character and how he's intended to embody norse mythology with the beard etc.
Then you have someone like the new James Bond, who is not the hottest or masculine character character ever but charming and boyish and fulfilling that role of a young 007. Then there is the OG modelling of peter parker (2018) which definitely did not fit typical male beauty standards (comparable to Yotei's mode) but Peter is supposed to be relatable and unassuming.
Essentially you have all this range is male portrayal but to you it probably all just "looks the part".. I mean the male character from the new control isn't exactly hot but obviously he isn't meant to be and I doubt a single person bated an eyelid:
https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1200/1*7lbwPvmVaubMb630VKkoYg.png
I think you need to give the same grace to female characters to also look their part.
If you want you female equivalent of Nathan Drake, you have Lara Croft. I also think games not based off actors tend to push for more idolised features (Kratos is also in this category). Whereas when it's model of an actor it takes on more of their natural features and imperfections.
I have to appologise, I misspoke. What I meant to say was not "classical beauty" but "conventional beauty". Just as a clarification. (English is my second language, for whatever that is worth.)
And in response to all who replied with indignation (or with ruffled feathers as anticipated in the original comment): I shared my personal viewpoint. That was indicated by the text being my comment and not somebody elses. I am sorry we don't share a taste in beauty and that you have been subjected to mine through reading about it. I just have such a narrow idea of female beauty, I cannot help it. But that is wrong. Ten lashes for me. From now on I will only share my opinion after making sure it is approved by the council of Overton. Thank you for clarifying to me what is permissable to say about a fictional character. Not that I don't like how they look, apparently (if they are women; -and that is strange, because everytime I say that about men, nobody gives a damn). So I take it all back. Faye looks stunning and brave. Of course. Like every female character. Especially the butch and fat ones. Just not the overly sexualised ones. Because they are gross.
Until I internalise my lesson, I will end my comments with a disclaimer, just to be sure. "What I am writing here is my opinion, mine alone and deeply wrong."
The thing is, she acually IS a conventional beauty. That is how more mature, beautiful women look like without make up and filters. This might be an age thing, I'm middle aged myself so I look at women differently than a 20-year-old.
Never played a single second of a GOW game, but this is clearly another instance of a well established IP being highjacked to push a feminist agenda. Kratos is declawed and sidelined to make way for the new girlboss. Sweetbaby Inc consulting is reportedly all over this game.
Same thing happened with Spiderman 2 and it still sold 17 million so ultimately it may not matter.
Looks amazing, confusingly so. Like a little too unreal. And while I would have prefered their next game to follow a age up Atreus in like Egypt or something, whatever this is looks great.
I find the whole God afterlife concept very interesting and speaking of Egypt, I wonder how Sekhmet died. Looks like there is another God of War dead too. And we know Aries should be there too. I wonder if something is going around killing the other War God's. Would be hilarious if it turns out Aries got out and is killing his counterparts in the different myths.
Guess you should watch the new TR then.
Oh no! no anime with big boobies and jiggle physics to get the blood pumping during gameplay?
tbf... why hire and actress as the model if you don't actually want the in game character to look like her?
Personally I don't care either way... but it is weird that Sony continues to do this
She looks exactly the same as she does in the TV series Daredevil Born Again Season 2. I've seen side-by-side screenshots. It's a 1:1 facial scan aside from a scar. They didnn't seem to change anythingg. What you may have seen are photos under different lighting, makeup, or even retouched/filters.
