Santa Monica Studio has set a February 16, 2027 release date for God of War Laufey, the next major game in the God of War series. The date was confirmed during a San Diego Comic-Con panel and across PlayStation's official social media channels (Engadget). The game will launch only on PS5 and is available to wishlist now on the PlayStation Store.

God of War Laufey changes the series' formula in one big way: Laufey, also known as Faye, the wife of Kratos, is the character you play. The story follows Faye after her death in God of War Ragnarok, as she travels through the afterlife of the gods to save the ones she loves (PlayStation Blog). The setting is described as a land full of dangerous magic.

The game was first announced during a PlayStation State of Play event on June 2, 2026, with a PlayStation Blog "first look" post published the same day (PlayStation Blog). About three weeks later, on June 25, PlayStation's YouTube channel published a gameplay reveal trailer showing Faye using aerial combat and magical abilities (YouTube). A companion video, "Introducing Faye," featuring the game's Narrative Director and Lead Writer discussing the character, went up the same day (YouTube). The release date announcement at Comic-Con came about a month after that gameplay footage appeared.

Santa Monica Studio also confirmed at the SDCC panel that another Kratos-led God of War game is planned after God of War Laufey (Engadget). That detail means Laufey is a side installment rather than a permanent switch away from Kratos, though the studio has not said when the next Kratos game will come.

The broader context here is that making Faye the playable character is a meaningful creative bet for a series that has always been about Kratos. The 2018 reboot and its sequel, Ragnarok, were built around Faye's absence and the way she shaped Kratos and Atreus from beyond the grave. Putting players in her shoes, in an afterlife setting, flips that relationship rather than continuing it.

The combat footage shown so far suggests a different style than Kratos's heavy, ground-based axe fighting. Aerial combat and magical abilities mean more movement in the air and at a distance, which would be a change from the weighty, grounded feel of the recent games. How far the studio pushes that change will shape whether Laufey feels like its own game or a repainted version of the existing formula.

The February 2027 window places the launch early in the year, avoiding the crowded holiday season. PS5 exclusivity is consistent with the franchise's recent history, though the console's user base will be another year older by the time the game arrives.

In my view, the gap between Ragnarok's November 2022 release and Laufey's February 2027 launch, roughly four years and three months, is worth noting. That is longer than the four-year gap between the 2018 reboot and Ragnarok, which suggests either a more ambitious game or the extra work that comes with building around a new main character, combat system, and setting all at once. The confirmation of a future Kratos-led title indicates the studio sees Laufey not as a one-off experiment but as a branching point in a larger plan for the series.