God of War TV Series: Everything to Know About the Video Game Adaptation

Back in the day, video game adaptations were treated as disposable garbage not worth taking seriously, but that's changed in a big way lately thanks to the massive success of The Last of Us on HBO, Fallout on Prime Video, and Arcane on Netflix. It turns out video games are as good a source for stories as any other, even for prestige projects. And that's why Amazon and Sony have a live-action adaptation of the ultraviolent fantasy franchise God of War on the way for Prime Video.

God of War is one of the flagship video game brands for Sony, with the original game releasing back in 2005 for the PlayStation 2 and spawning more than a half-dozen sequels since then. The most recent title in the series, 2022's God of War Ragnarok, was Sony's biggest game launch ever. So despite its age, this franchise is currently hitting its stride — so it's the perfect time to adapt it in a big-budget TV series. Let's talk about it.

When does the God of War adaptation come out?

With casting still underway as of January 2026, God of War has a long way to go before it hits screens at home via Prime Video. But assuming filming starts in the first half of 2026, we can hope it will be on Prime Video sometime in 2027, but given the amount of special effects that will be required, 2028 is also a possibility.

What is God of War about?

The God of War series tells the story of Kratos, an ancient Spartan warrior who is manipulated by Ares into murdering his family in one of those classic Greek tragedies. Athena, seeing the wrong that was done to him, helps Kratos defeat Ares and claim his godhood for himself. The early games in the series told similar tales — some god tries to mess with Kratos, and Kratos goes on an extremely bloody quest for retribution. And Kratos is a real "I'm going to tear you apart with my bare hands" kind of guy, so these games are very violent and gory. 

But Kratos' battle with the Greek pantheon will only be backstory for Amazon's TV adaptation, because the God of War show will be adapting the story of the franchise's soft reboot God of War, released in 2018, and its 2022 sequel God of War: Ragnarok. In the rebooted series, Kratos has left the world of Greek mythology behind and lives in Midgard with his son, Atreus. In this story, Kratos' wife Faye has died, and he and Atreus must travel to Jotunheim to spread her ashes from the highest peak. But it turns out that Faye was the key to preventing Ragnarok, and it doesn't take long before Kratos runs afoul of some major Norse deities — most notably Freya.

The essence of this story, though, is centered on a father and son's perilous journey through an increasingly hostile land — it's like The Last of Us: Fantasy Edition in that regard, both in terms of subject matter and how much people love the story. So it makes sense for a big-budget TV adaptation. The series will tell the story a bit differently than the games did, though, since four of the five characters who have been cast in the show thus far (Odin, Thor, Heimdall, and Sif) had no meaningful presence in the story until Ragnarok. Clearly, some elements from that second game will be part of the TV show from the very start.

Introducing your live-action Kratos

The most important role has been cast on God of War. Ryan Hurst (Sons of Anarchy and The Walking Dead) will play this live-action version of Kratos on the series. Hurst has an existing connection to the franchise, having provided the voice of Thor in the game God of War: Ragnarok — one of the few voice roles Hurst has had in his three-decade career. Hurst is best known for his role in Sons of Anarchy as Opie, the rough biker with a sensitive side. Hurst also appeared in The Walking Dead as Beta and most recently starred in Kurt Sutter's The Abandons for Netflix.

God of War cast and crew

Hurst will be joined by Teresa Palmer, who is reportedly playing Thor's wife Sif, and Max Parker as Heimdall, who's a villain in this story. About a week after those folks were announced, Sony revealed that Mandy Patinkin (Homeland) will play Odin, and Olafur Darri Olafsson (Severance) will play his son Thor — with Odin being the story's main baddie. Additionally, Alastair Duncan will play Odin's former advisor Mimir, Jeff Gulka will play the dwarven blacksmith Sindri, and Danny Woodburn will play the dwarven weapons dealer Brok. You can expect more cast members to be revealed fairly soon.

The showrunner on God of War is TV legend Ronald D. Moore, who co-created the 2003 Battlestar Galactica reboot, Outlander, and For All Mankind. That track record is tough to argue with. 

God of War cast members:

• Ryan Hurst as Kratos
• Teresa Palmer as Sif
• Max Parker as Heimdall
• Mandy Patinkin as Odin
• Olafur Darri Olafsson as Thor
• Alastair Duncan as Mimir
• Jeff Gulka as Sindri
• Danny Woodburn as Brok

Where to get the God of War video games

If you want to know more about what this franchise is all about, or just play through the backstory of the series, you can peruse past games in the series on Amazon below.

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