Critically acclaimed would be an understatement for God of War. Making its way to the PlayStation 2 back in 2009 and continuing the saga up until 2022, God of War has been no short of a masterpiece in terms of storytelling, visual fidelity, and gameplay. But all good things must come to an end, and if you’ve wrapped up God of War Ragnarok. Then, you should check out 8 other games like God of War.
Dante’s Inferno
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, Xbox
Release Date: February 5, 2010
You could read Dante’s Inferno or…play it! Like classic God of War games, Dante’s Inferno featured an identical combat system with interchangeable weapons and upgrades. Albeit, with a little less polish than you’d expect. The music and gameplay won’t blow you away, but it scratches the itch.
Dante’s Inferno wasn’t worth the price at launch, but you can pick it up pretty cheap now. It’s a fun experience, but you’ll run into repetitive enemies with reskins, difficult bosses, which are a plus point, and…demon wangs.
Some love it. Some consider it the bastardization of a great literary piece, and others call it a God of War clone, but it’s a decent game for the price now. The gothic art style and sceneries are rather unique. It’s worth a try.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Platforms: Xbox, PlayStation, Microsoft Windows
Release Date: October 5, 2010
If your GOW high still hasn’t worn off, check out Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. It features a mixed bag of goodies and checks all boxes, be it story, gameplay, and a good soundtrack. But it’s been infamously known as a “God of War Clone”. Lords of Shadow uses mechanics identical to the original God of War Franchise.
The gameplay is pretty identical, to say the least. But where it stands out is the impressive story that speaks to you about Religion and Life. The mechanics tie in with the story in a rather interesting way, especially how Light and Dark Magic work.
Despite the harsh criticism of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow being a God of War clone or “not a Castlevania game”, Lord of Shadows is an incredible game in its own right.
Star Wards Jedi Fallen Order
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, Xbox
Release Date: November 15, 2019
Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order feels like a mishmash of Zelda, God of War, and the Uncharted Series. To further back this claim, one of the lead designers for God of War, Stig Asmussen worked as the game’s director.
Albeit a bit short, with a 12-hour main storyline, Respawn’s Fallen Order follows a similar route to God of War with its linear story and semi-open world map design. We didn’t expect EA to give us an absolute banger of a Star Wars Title, but guess their hearts grew three sizes for Christmas.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation
Release Date: September 21, 2021
If God of War and Horizon had a baby, it would be Kena Bridge of Spirits. Kena is cute, and fun and encourages exploration. It uses the same gameplay theme as God of War. Roam around a linear but semi-open world map to progress the story.
And the story doesn’t disappoint. You play as Kena, a spirit guide dedicating herself to guiding spirits into the afterlife. She grows on you and so does her story via subtle hints along the way.
But the going gets tough when it comes down to boss fights. The danger is quite apparent with Kena Bridge of Spirits featuring some of the most challenging boss fights in gaming history. God of War’s bosses are hard but Kena Bridge of Spirits is no cakewalk.
Darksiders 2
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
Release Date: August 14, 2012
Darksiders 2 is like GOW when it comes to Norse Mythology. Granted, it barely scratches the surface in terms of Mythology and has a deeper focus on Biblical History. But things start to become homogeneous when you take in looting and traveling realms.
Truth be told Darksiders 2 was pretty experimental and proved itself to be one of the biggest action-adventure games in the last decade. And it’s clear that God of War took some inspiration from the Darksiders formula.
Granted, held back by glitches and aged visuals, Darksiders 2 offers a fun M-rated adventure with its intuitive RPG elements and harrowing boss fights.
Rise of The Tomb Raider
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS, PlayStation, Xbox
Release Date: November 10, 2015
Rise of the Tomb Raider creates an emulsion of gorgeous vistas and puzzle-solving with a sprinkle of third-person shooting. Like God of War, it features linear levels that need be ran through to progress the story. The puzzle-solving also reminds me of God of War but to a lesser extent.
There are hub worlds to explore like God of War and the slightly similar traversal system with the 3rd person camera perspective. The characterization of cast members is kind of outshined by Lara and the main antagonist’s performance.
Overall, Rise of the Tomb Raider throws players a meaty treat to enjoy in terms of story-telling, stupefying visuals, and staggering puzzle-solving minigames.
Sekiro Shadows Die Twice
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, Xbox
Release Date: March 22, 2019
If you’re a fan of God of War but want to get rid of that itch left by FromSoftware Games, Sekiro gets the job done. While God of War is great storytelling, gameplay, and combat, Sekiro does it best. God of War is fine in the first half, but the fun starts to wear thin when you get the best armor upgrades to go up against repetitive enemies in late-game sequences.
But Sekiro does it best with enemy variety and challenging combat throughout the entirety of the game. Unlike God of War, the plot is basic, yet still presented in a visually appealing and unique way.
God of War tends to get easy even on harder difficulties. You really wish Kratos played more like a Souls character but hey, Sekiro exists. If you got a hang of God of War, you’ll do fine in Sekiro. But death is inevitable in a FromSoftware game.
Devil May Cry 5
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, Xbox, Amazon Luna
Release Date: March 8, 2019
Devil May Cry was the original inspiration for the classic God of War trilogy. You could even deem GOW as a DMC clone. Everything was similar. The weapon upgrade system. The addon abilities, the hack n slash combat, down to the red orbs you get for future upgrades.
Like GOW, DMC features small linear map sections that you unlock as you slay demons and monsters. While Devil May Cry stayed true to the original formula with its latest entry, Devil May Cry 5, God of War opted for less and it just works. Sometimes less is more, you know?
Devil May Cry 5 features over-the-top, gothically stylized characters. It’s pretty crazy how complex the combat system has become over the years and it’s no short of a fun time waiting to be had.
Conclusion
These 8 Games like God of War are sure to fill the void left by Ragnarok after you wrap up the game. We don’t know when we’ll get to experience another God of War installment further down the line. Till then, enjoy these 8 titles to get your itch scratched.
