God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarok raised the bar for immersive, narrative-rich action-adventure games. It’s only the fifth time IGN has awarded consecutive mainline games in a series review scores of 10, putting God of War in the company of The Legend of Zelda, Grand Theft Auto, Metal Gear Solid, and The Last of Us.
Naturally, comparing a game to God of War sets it up for failure, and in turn, sets you up for disappointment. These games don’t necessarily exceed the bar set by Santa Monica Studio, rather they share and successfully implement notable design and/or gameplay characteristics found in the recent God of War games.
So as we await news on the future of Kratos and Atreus, these are 7 games God of War fans may enjoy, whether you come to the series for its visceral third-person combat, inspired world design, compelling narrative, and/or exploration of Norse mythology.
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
For fans of God of War’s combat, Norse setting/mythological exploration, and/or story.
Like Kratos in God of War (2018), Senua embarks on a perilous journey motivated by a deceased lover — a journey set within a similarly mythology-rich Norse world. Senua’s journey takes her to Ninja Theory’s iteration of Helheim, a mythological realm that will be familiar to those who played God of War, with appearances from shared characters like Garmr and Surtr. Like Kratos, Senua even carries and communicates with a decapitated head that swings from her hip.
As for the gameplay, Hellblade and God of War share visceral third-person combat played from a tight, over-the-shoulder perspective. Cinematically, both games effectively employ a continuous, one-shot approach in service of elevated immersion.
Each character-driven narrative is bolstered by an excellent performance: Melina Joergens (Senua) and Christopher Judge (Kratos) each won Best Performance at The Game Awards, in 2017 and 2022, respectively.
Available on: Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC | IGN’s Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice review
The Last of Us Parts 1 & 2
For fans of God of War’s story, immersive world, and/or cinematic qualities.
The Last of Us doesn’t share a lot in common with God of War from a setting or moment-to-moment gameplay perspective, though they can both be placed under the umbrella of thoughtfully designed, story-rich, technically marvelous, Sony-developed third-person action-adventure games. It’s a genre Sony and its first-party studios have mastered over the last two console generations, and no games embody that mastery more than God of War and The Last of Us.
The best-in-class narratives in both series are driven by well-written characters and the emotionally complex relationships they share. Those who enjoyed the father-son dynamic of Kratos and Atreus will likely enjoy the parent-child-like dynamic of Joel and Ellie, as both games pair a morally questionable protector archetype with a vulnerable, wise-cracking teenager, and task the former with guiding the latter through a world of death and deceit.
Available on: Part 2: PS5, PS4; Part 1: PS5, PS4, PS3, PC | IGN’s The Last of Us Part 2 review
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
For fans of God of War’s Norse setting/mythological exploration, combat, and/or RPG mechanics.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla took Ubisoft’s flagship series to Northern Europe against the backdrop of Norse mythology. Many characters from the Nine Realms will be familiar to God of War players, including Odin, Loki, Thor, Freya/Freyja, and Tyr.
Valhalla’s bloody, melee-weapon-based combat may appeal to God of War fans, while those who enjoyed GoW’s RPG elements will find even more of the genre’s mechanics baked into Valhalla — skill tree, loot, side activities galore, and stat-affecting armor that can be upgraded through resource gathering and crafting.
See more games like Assassin’s Creed if you liked Valhalla.
Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, PC | IGN’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla review
Jotun
For fans of God of War’s Norse mythology and/or boss fights.
Jotun offers a visually different exploration of Norse mythology. It trades the realistic graphics of God of War for beautifully hand-drawn environments and characters, including iterations of Jormungar, Thor, Freya, Mimir, and Odin.
Jotun is a slower game than God of War, built largely on exploration and light puzzle-solving, though it’s capable of ramping up the intensity with well-designed, challenging boss fights against massive Norse giants.
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, Switch, Wii U, PC | IGN’s Jotun review
Rise of the Tomb Raider
For fans of God of War’s semi-open-world design.
Rise of the Tomb Raider most notably shares God of War’s semi-open-world design, presenting players with multiple Metroidvania-like areas in which the levels circle back on themselves and expand as you progress. This design is well suited for games that balance combat, puzzles, and exploration, which Rise of the Tomb Raider and God of War do exceptionally well.
Tomb Raider relies more on ranged combat, though its third-person perspective will be comfortable for God of War fans, as will Rise’s snowy setting and character-driven narrative.
See our guide to playing the Tomb Raider games in order.
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC | IGN’s Rise of the Tomb Raider review
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order & Survivor
For fans of God of War’s semi-open-world design and/or combat.
For those who love the semi-open-world design detailed above, we also recommend Respawn’s Star Wars Jedi games. Like God of War, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Survivor are built around several explorable hubs with areas gated by progression-based abilities.
GoW fans may also enjoy Jedi’s satisfying, melee-based third-person combat and inspired, challenging boss fights. The two series also share the secret sauce for a successful action-adventure game: engaging moment-to-moment gameplay within an immersive world propelled by rewarding exploration and a compelling story.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Survivor were directed by Stig Asmussen, who directed God of War 3 for Sony Santa Monica before joining Respawn.
See our picks for the best Star Wars games of all time.
Available on: Survivor: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC; Fallen Order: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, PC | IGN’s Star Wars Jedi: Survivor review
The Walking Dead: Season 1
For fans of God of War’s story.
Telltale’s The Walking Dead lives on the opposite end of gaming’s interactivity spectrum: It’s a choice-based point-and-click adventure game with sparse action sequences experienced through QTEs. Playing The Walking Dead is nothing like playing God of War; experiencing it — the emotional resonance of its characters and story — is.
Over five episodes, The Walking Dead’s first season tells one of the most memorable stories in games. Like God of War (and The Last of Us), you play as a gruff man in search of redemption tasked with protecting and educating a precocious child in the midst of apocalyptic destruction. Lee and Clem are not blood, but their relationship quickly takes on the parent-child dynamic that fills the heart of God of War’s narrative.
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Mobile | IGN’s The Walking Dead: Season 1 review
New to the God of War franchise? Check out our breakdown of the series’ chronology to discover the best way to play the God of War games in order or sort through our roundup of every IGN God of War review.
Jordan covers games, shows, and movies as a freelance writer for IGN.
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