God of War Ragnarök is a 2022 action-adventure game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was released worldwide on November 9, 2022, for both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, marking the first cross-generation release in the God of War series, and was released for Windows on September 19, 2024. It is the ninth installment in the series, the ninth chronologically, and the sequel to 2018's God of War. Loosely based on Norse mythology, the game is set in ancient Scandinavia and features series protagonist, Kratos, and his now teenage son, Atreus. Concluding the Norse era of the series, the story follows Kratos and Atreus' efforts to prevent the nine realms from being destroyed by Ragnarök, the eschatological event which is central to Norse mythology and was foretold to happen in the previous game after Kratos killed the Aesir god Baldur.
The gameplay is similar to the previous 2018 installment. It features combo-based combat, as well as puzzle and role-playing elements. Improvements and additions include Kratos's main weapons: a magical battle axe and his double-chained blades, and a new magical spear; his shield has become more versatile, with different types of shields that have differing offensive and defensive abilities. His son Atreus, as well as some other characters, provide assistance in combat and can be passively controlled, though as a new feature in the series, Atreus is fully controllable in specific story segments.
Originally slated for a 2021 release, the game was delayed in part due to Kratos actor Christopher Judge's health problems in August 2019, and later, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on development. A free downloadable content pack titled Valhalla was released on December 12, 2023. Serving as an epilogue to Ragnarök, it follows Kratos as he participates in a series of trials within Valhalla, where he must come to terms with his past life in Greece.
Ragnarök garnered universal acclaim from critics and was praised for its storytelling, characters, visuals, level design, and quality of life improvements over its predecessor. Minor criticism focused on some gameplay mechanics, as well as the excessive hints during puzzles. The game sold 5.1 million units in its first week, making it the fastest-selling first-party launch week in PlayStation history, with over 15 million units sold by November 2023. At The Game Awards 2022, Ragnarök received a leading 11 nominations, including Game of the Year, winning six. It received a leading 12 nominations at the 26th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, ultimately winning seven awards including Adventure Game of the Year. It received a leading 15 nominations at the 19th British Academy Games Awards, the most nominations for any game in the history of the ceremony, from which it won six awards, including the EE Game of the Year Award.