All God Of War Games Playable On PS5 Right Now
Mia Lopez
Published Mar 29, 2026
The God of War series has reached a total of eight games with Ragnarok, but not all of the PlayStation exclusives are playable on the PS5.
Summary
- God of War now has a total of eight games, beginning on the PlayStation 2, with its most recent installment on the PS5.
- All mainline console releases of God of War can be played on the PS5, but some require a PS+ Premium subscription.
- Unfortunately, the two God of War games released for the PSP are not playable on the PS5.
The unexpected release of DLC for God of War's latest has brought even more of Kratos' journey to the PlayStation 5. Ever since the PlayStation 2 era, God of War has been one of Sony's flagship franchises for its line of consoles and handhelds. The last two console generations saw something of a reinvention for the series, starting with 2018's simply-titled God of War, a soft reboot. God of War Ragnarok's Valhalla DLC, however, grapples directly with the series' earlier games, most of which can be played on the PS5.
The series began in 2005 with the original hack-and-slash God of War on the PS2. Players take control of Kratos, who is formerly a commanding officer and great warrior under the Greek god of war, Ares. Tragedy befalls Kratos when he is tricked by Ares into killing his own wife and daughter, a ruse Ares hoped would mold Kratos into an even greater killer by detaching him from his emotional anchors. Kratos' anger and violent revenge for Ares' betrayal are the narrative impetuses that began the series, which now has a total of eight games. Six of the eight games are playable on PS5, and it's arguably the two least pertinent that are unavailable.
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Every mainline console release in the God of War series is playable on the PlayStation 5, albeit with some caveats. There are only three that are directly supported – God of War 3 Remastered, God of War (2018), and God of War Ragnarok. God of War 3 Remastered and the 2018 soft reboot are both native PS4 games, and will run at 60 frames per second on Sony's latest console after God of War's PS5 patch in 2021. God of War Ragnarok was released as a cross-generation title, playable on both PS4 and PS5.
Unfortunately, God of War 3 is the only pre-PS4 game in the series to have gotten a remaster which is directly compatible with the PS5. It's arguably the best title of the original, fixed-camera games, so God of War 3 isn't a bad place to start, but anyone looking to play the whole mainline series will need to utilize other means. In order to play the original God of War, God of War 2, and God of War: Ascension on PS5, a subscription to PlayStation Plus Premium is required, which grants access to the Classics Catalog.
Premium's Classics Catalog has the HD versions of the first two games, which were remastered for the PlayStation 3, and must be streamed on the PS5. The same is true for Ascension, which never received a port or remaster for another platform. PS3 titles are a sticking point for the PS5's backward compatibility – they cannot be downloaded, so in addition to a PS+ Premium subscription, a stable internet connection is required to play God of War (2005), God of War 2, and God of War: Ascension on PS5.
God of War 3 Remastered, God of War (2018), and God of War Ragnarok are also included in the PS+ Premium catalog, making the entire mainline console series available as long as a subscription is active.
God Of War Games Playable On PS5 | Original Platform | How To Play On PS5 |
|---|---|---|
God of War (2005) | PS2 | Streamed via PS+ Premium subscription |
God of War 2 | PS2 | Streamed via PS+ Premium subscription |
God of War 3 Remastered | PS4 (remaster of PS3 original) | Played via PS5 backward compatibility, or streamed via PS+ Premium subscription |
God of War: Ascension | PS3 | Streamed via PS+ Premium subscription |
God of War (2018) | PS4 | Played via PS5 backward compatibility |
God of War Ragnarok | PS4/PS5 | Native PS5 game |
Release order (how they're listed in the table above) is the recommended way to play the God of War games, even though Ascension is a prequel and is chronologically the earliest game in the entire series. The original trilogy and Ascension are distinctly different from the two newest installments – all four are fixed-camera, hack-and-slash games; 2018's soft reboot reinvented God of War's combat with a third-person perspective. Playing in release order lets Kratos' story unfold in the manner it was written, but also lets players experience the natural evolution of the series' gameplay.
God Of War's Two PSP Games Are Not Playable On PS5
Sadly, the two God of War games that were released for the PlayStation Portable – Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta – are currently not playable on the PlayStation 5. This is one unfortunate consequence of the new PS+ model subsuming PlayStation Now, Sony's previous game streaming service. PlayStation Now had made it possible to play all eight God of War games on PS5, but the series' two PSP installments have not been brought to the PS+ Premium Classics Catalog. Doing so would theoretically be possible; both Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta were included as digital downloads in the God of War Saga collection released for the PS3 in 2012, so these versions could conceivably be streamed through PlayStation Plus Premium.
Although both PSP games can be considered bonus chapters to Kratos' story, fitting into the God of War timeline on either side of the original game, Chains of Olympus has acquired newfound prominence after the release of God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla. Helios' decapitated head appears in Valhalla, and even though his death occurs in God of War 3, Chains of Olympus details foundational moments in the Greek Sun god's relationship with Kratos. Most importantly, Kratos saves Helios' life in Chains of Olympus, giving Helios a debt he feels he must repay, which is referenced in both God of War 3 and throughout Ragnarok's Valhalla DLC.
Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta are ultimately fairly short romps through God of War's rendition of Ancient Greece, but it's unfortunate that the entirety of the series can't be experienced on Sony's latest hardware. The six home console games are certainly enough to satiate any longtime God of War fan revisiting the series or newcomer hoping to play through Kratos' journey for the first time, but the PSP games are still sorely missed. Sony regularly adds new retro games to the PS+ Premium Classics Catalog, so there's still hope that one day every God of War game will be availalbe on the PlayStation 5.
