The June 2026 PlayStation State of Play was expected to be big. Nobody quite predicted this big. After more than an hour of reveals, the broadcast closed with nearly 20 minutes of raw gameplay from God of War Laufey — the sequel nobody saw coming, and the next mainline entry in Santa Monica Studio's iconic franchise. What followed was one of those rare gaming moments that genuinely surprises people: a new protagonist, a mythological afterlife unlike anything the modern God of War game has explored, and one very divisive gelatinous cube.

Here is everything you need to know about God of War Laufey.

What Is God of War Laufey?

Despite the name, God of War Laufey is not a spin-off. Santa Monica Studio and franchise director Cory Barlog have been clear on this point: it is a full mainline chapter in the series, and it is a continuation of the established timeline rather than a prequel or remake.

The title refers to Laufey the Just — the warrior giantess better known throughout the Norse saga as Faye. As the wife of Kratos and Atreus' mother, she was also the original owner of the Leviathan Axe. Players who remember the opening of God of War (2018) will recall her funeral pyre — that somber moment that set the entire journey in motion.

God of War Laufey picks up at precisely that moment and diverges. Instead of a peaceful end, Faye awakens in the Everywhen.

A New Protagonist With Deep Roots in the Series

Faye is voiced by Deborah Ann Woll, who reprises the role from her flashback appearances in God of War Ragnarök. The PlayStation Blog describes the game as bringing Faye "to the forefront — exploring the humanity, strengths, and flaws of the person whose legacy was beloved in the minds of many." She was the Golden Hand of the Jötnar, the most powerful protector of the Giants, and someone who fought Thor himself to a standstill. This is not a character without precedent. Her mythological weight rivals even the sons of Sparta that Kratos himself left behind — she simply channels it through a completely different, and far more agile, fighting style.

The Everywhen: The Afterlife of the Gods

The setting of God of War Laufey is one of the most ambitious things Santa Monica Studio has attempted. The Everywhen is described as "the birthplace and endpoint to which all magic returns" — a transcendent realm above the Nine Realms, where gods and creatures from different mythologies across all of history come together in a volatile, dangerous coexistence.

This means the game is no longer limited to Norse mythology. Egyptian gods, Mongolian war deities, and entirely new beings native to the Everywhen itself all populate this afterlife. It is a creative decision that dramatically expands the franchise's lore and gives the writers room to pull from virtually any mythological tradition they choose.

Faye arrives here after her funeral. She quickly discovers that the plans she put in place to protect Kratos and Atreus are now at risk — and that leaving the Everywhen may be even harder than simply surviving it.

Two Gods to Face: Sekhmet and Begtse

The gameplay reveal introduces two of the gods Faye will confront in the Everywhen. Sekhmet, the Egyptian warrior goddess of destruction, and Begtse, a Mongolian deity of war, are both decidedly hostile toward Faye's unexpected arrival. They represent the game's new multi-mythological scope — and suggest a boss roster unlike anything the series has seen.

God of War Laufey's Combat System

If there was one thing universally praised in the gameplay reveal, it was Faye's movement. Where Kratos fights like a brick wall — punishing enemies with sheer brutality and deliberate, bone-crushing weight — Faye is built around speed, control, and relentlessness. Game Director Ariel Lawrence and the development team describe her combat as combining "the movement and fluidity of the Greek era with the Norse era's approach to world-building and close ties with characters."

Crucially, Faye can move seamlessly between ground and air without halting momentum. This hyper-responsiveness opens up aerial combos and offensive chains that feel fresh while still carrying the tactical weight fans expect from the series. It is a little bit of everything the franchise has done well, distilled into a single, cohesive system.

The Leviathan Sword, Hilt to Edge, and Faye's Soul Abilities

Faye's primary weapon in the Everywhen is a legendary sword — and her relationship to it is already woven into the story. Upon her arrival, she earns the trust of Rue, the enchanted ribbon guardian charged with keeping the blade away from dangerous hands. Together, they unlock the sword's full potential, from hilt to tip.

Complementing it are Faye's soul abilities, dramatically amplified by the Everywhen's deep magical field. As the Golden Hand of the Jötnar, Faye can strike enemies with enough force to detach their soul from their body, then attack the soul directly or knock it into other enemies — creating combos and tactical possibilities that go far beyond anything Kratos' toolkit offered.

Meet Phranque: The Cube Who Broke the Internet

No discussion of God of War Laufey is complete without addressing Phranque (pronounced "Frank"). He is a large, gelatinous, luminous cube — a companion character voiced by Jack Quaid, fresh off his run as Hughie in The Boys. The PlayStation Blog describes him as "a curious cosmic cube with an earnest disposition" who will do whatever it takes to protect his friends and the creatures of the Everywhen.

Phranque is not merely decorative. He bounces around the battlefield, absorbs enemies, and actively participates in combat. He is joined by Rue, Faye's other companion — the enchanted ribbon guardian voiced by Perlina Lau.

The internet reacted to Phranque the way the internet tends to react to anything unexpected: loudly, and in every possible direction at once. Some viewers immediately declared their love for the cosmic cube. Others were more skeptical of whether a sentient jello block fits tonally inside a franchise built on brutal myth and tragedy. It is fair to note that God of War has always had an undercurrent of dark humor — Mimir's severed head being the most obvious example — so Phranque may land better in context than he did in a 20-minute reveal clip.

God of War Laufey Release Date and Platforms

God of War Laufey is confirmed as a PlayStation 5 exclusive, with no PC version currently planned. As of the June 2, 2026 State of Play, Sony has not announced an official release date. The game is listed simply as "coming soon" on the PlayStation Store, where it is currently available to wishlist.

Industry insider Jason Schreier has noted that the game is "not years away," which — combined with the polished state of the gameplay footage — narrows the release window to a probable late 2026 or early 2027 launch. In his extended interview published alongside the reveal, Lawrence suggested there is significantly more to show before launch. The franchise's historical cadence supports that optimism: God of War (2018) launched two years after its reveal, and Ragnarök shipped roughly two years after its announcement.

For now, the wishlisting page is live. A sequel this ambitious deserves a proper wait — but based on what Santa Monica Studio has shown so far, that wait already looks worth it.

Will Players Play as Faye in God of War Laufey?

Yes — Faye, also known as Laufey the Just, is the sole playable protagonist in God of War Laufey. Kratos is not a playable character in this entry. Santa Monica Studio has built the entire combat system, movement design, and narrative around Faye specifically, with Game Director Ariel Lawrence confirming that the game is designed from the ground up around her distinct abilities and personality. She is voiced by Deborah Ann Woll, who previously portrayed the character in flashback sequences during God of War Ragnarök.

How Is Playing as Faye Different From Playing as Kratos?

The shift from Kratos to Faye represents one of the most significant gameplay changes in the franchise's history. Kratos is defined by brutality and brute force — a methodical, ground-based fighter who overwhelms enemies through power and endurance, hitting like a brick wall and rarely leaving the ground. Faye's combat is built around the opposite principles: speed, aerial freedom, and precision. She transitions fluidly between ground and aerial combat without breaking momentum, chains attacks through soul-manipulation abilities unique to her as the Golden Hand of the Jötnar, and wields a legendary sword earned in the Everywhen rather than the Leviathan Axe she originally crafted. For returning players, the familiar weight and flow of the modern God of War game will carry over — but Faye asks for a meaningfully different, more agile playstyle.

What Mysteries From Previous God of War Games Might God of War Laufey Answer?

God of War Laufey is positioned to answer several long-standing questions that the Norse saga deliberately left open. Faye spent the entirety of God of War (2018) and Ragnarök as a figure shrouded in mystery — a dead woman whose fingerprints were on nearly every major event — and this sequel is designed to finally illuminate who she truly was and what she knew.

The Secrets Faye Left Behind

The most pressing mystery is the full extent of what Faye knew before she died. In God of War (2018), players discover she was fully aware of the prophecy surrounding Kratos and Atreus, and that she had orchestrated their journey from the very beginning — marking every tree that needed to be cleared, and choosing Kratos as her husband with deliberate purpose. How far that foresight extended, and whether she had prior knowledge of the Everywhen, remains unanswered.

The game is also likely to resolve the question Odin spent the events of Ragnarök obsessively pursuing: what lies beyond the afterlives of gods? The PlayStation Blog confirms that the Everywhen is precisely that answer. Odin feared it deeply — and understanding why could retroactively reshape players' reading of his motivations across both previous entries.

Finally, Faye's history as the Golden Hand of the Jötnar — the last great protector of the Giants — remains almost entirely unchronicled. What battles did she fight before meeting Kratos? What did she sacrifice to survive? And how did the most powerful warrior of her people end up living quietly in a cabin in Midgard, with a husband from Sparta who knew nothing of her true identity? God of War Laufey promises those answers, told in the only way Santa Monica Studio knows how: through combat, loss, and mythology at epic scale.

Is Kratos Involved in God of War Laufey or Is Faye the Main Character?

Faye is the main character of God of War Laufey — she is the sole playable protagonist, and the entire story, combat system, and world are built around her. Kratos is not a playable character in this entry. That said, he is far from absent from the game's emotional core. Faye's driving motivation throughout the Everywhen is the protection of the plans she put in place for Kratos and Atreus — meaning the Ghost of Sparta remains central to the story even if he never picks up a weapon on screen.

A Story About Kratos, Told Without Him

This is what makes God of War Laufey such a compelling narrative proposition. The game takes place in parallel with the opening of God of War (2018) — the moment Kratos and Atreus begin their journey to scatter Faye's ashes. While that journey unfolds in the world of the living, Faye is fighting a completely separate war in the Everywhen to ensure that journey can succeed. Every enemy she faces, every god she defeats, and every mystery she unravels in the afterlife is ultimately in service of the family she left behind.

Kratos is therefore woven into the DNA of God of War Laufey even in his absence. Whether he appears directly — through flashbacks, visions, or some mechanics native to the Everywhen — Santa Monica Studio has not yet confirmed. What is clear is that his relationship with Faye, and the life they built together before God of War (2018), will be explored in ways the previous games never had time for. Game Director Ariel Lawrence has described the game as exploring the "humanity, strengths, and flaws" of Faye as a person — which inevitably means examining who she was as a wife of Kratos, a mother to Atreus, and a warrior in her own right, long before the Norse saga began.