Sony’s reveal of a new God of War game with a new lead at the June 2026 State of Play put the franchise back into the conversation, but the game itself is years away from a PC port. The good news for PC players is that the cinematic action-adventure category has filled in around Kratos in the years since God of War (2018) hit Steam. There are now several games doing different parts of what made the Norse era great, and a couple of them do it better than the originals.
We ranked 7 God of War alternatives for PC that are on Steam, finished, and worth a playthrough. The list covers the obvious successors in the third-person action category, the soulslike candidates that share God of War’s combat weight without the cinematic narrative, and one wildcard that comes at the same emotional space from a different direction.
Why people want God of War alternatives
The PC release of God of War (2018) in 2022 was the moment many PC players got Kratos on their own hardware for the first time. The sequel, God of War Ragnarök, came to PC in 2024. With the Ragnarök story closed and the new game still a years-long wait away, the question becomes what to play next:
- The Norse story is over. Both Norse entries have been finished, replayed, and the DLC consumed. There is no new content arriving.
- The Greek games are aging. The PS2-era Greek God of War games hold up in spots but are clearly a generation behind. Emulation works but is not the same.
- PC players want something modern. The visual fidelity bar that Ragnarök set is high, and the alternatives need to match it to feel comparable.
- The action-RPG hybrid is the genre to scratch. God of War (2018) and Ragnarök sit between Devil May Cry pure-action and Witcher 3 open-world RPG. The alternatives below land at different points on that spectrum.
Quick comparison
| Game | Best for | Price (approx.) | God of War similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice | Atmospheric narrative action | Around $30 | High |
| Stellar Blade | Modern cinematic combat | Around $60 | High |
| Devil May Cry 5 | Pure stylish action combat | Around $30 | Medium-high |
| Star Wars Jedi: Survivor | Cinematic action-adventure | Around $50 | High |
| Elden Ring | Open-world challenging combat | Around $60 | Medium |
| Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice | Mechanical combat depth | Around $60 | Medium-high |
| Hogwarts Legacy | Story-driven action-adventure | Around $50 | Medium-low |
The 7 best God of War alternatives on PC
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice — best atmospheric narrative action
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is the closest tonal match in this list. Ninja Theory’s 2017 title shares God of War’s tight over-the-shoulder camera, deliberate combat, and central narrative about a parent’s grief — though Senua’s is processed through Pictish-Norse iconography and the experience of psychosis. Eight to ten hours, no padding, and a sound design that justifies the project on its own.
Where it falls short: Combat depth is limited compared to God of War — the encounter count is small and most fights resolve similarly. The sequel, Senua’s Saga, expanded the scope and is also worth playing.
Pricing:
- Around $30 standard, lower on sale.
- vs God of War: cheaper, shorter, narrower scope.
Migrating from God of War: The combat feel transfers. The exploration and gear progression do not — Hellblade is linear by design.
Bottom line: Pick this first when you want the same emotional weight in a tighter package.
Stellar Blade — best modern cinematic combat
Stellar Blade from Shift Up arrived on PC in June 2025 after its PlayStation exclusivity period. The combat reads as Sekiro and Bayonetta crossed — parry-and-counter mechanics with a stamina layer, layered on top of a third-person camera and cinematic story beats. The post-apocalyptic Earth setting is visually distinctive in a category dominated by Norse and medieval art.
Where it falls short: The story is the weakest part — the script and acting do not match the combat polish. Some encounter design relies on memorisation more than mechanics.
Pricing:
- Around $60 standard.
- vs God of War: comparable price, comparable production scale.
Migrating from God of War: The parry and dodge timing is closer to Sekiro than to Kratos. The combat reads similar visually but plays differently.
Bottom line: Pick this for the closest modern PlayStation-style cinematic action game on Steam.
Devil May Cry 5 — best pure stylish action combat
Devil May Cry 5 is the pure-action benchmark. Three playable characters with completely different combat systems, a stylish rating system that rewards variety, and Capcom’s tightest combat design in years. If you played the Greek God of War games for combos and combat ceiling, DMC5 is what those games were trying to grow into.
Where it falls short: No semi-open exploration; encounters happen in arena rooms connected by short paths. The narrative is intentionally over-the-top in a register God of War’s Norse era avoided.
Pricing:
- Around $30 standard, often deeply discounted.
- vs God of War: cheaper, much higher combat ceiling.
Migrating from God of War: Combat instincts transfer with practice. The story tone is a different register entirely.
Bottom line: Pick this if you want the action category at its mechanical peak and you do not need a heavy story.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor — best cinematic action-adventure
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is the most direct structural successor to God of War (2018) — third-person action with a focus character, semi-open exploration zones connected by traversal paths, light progression systems, and a cinematic story that does the heavy lifting between fights. The lightsaber and Force combat have depth, and the world feels lived-in rather than decorated.
Where it falls short: PC performance is uneven; some hardware configurations still have stutter issues that the post-launch patches did not fully fix. Cal Kestis is not Kratos — the protagonist comparison is unflattering.
Pricing:
- Around $50 standard, regular sales below $30.
- vs God of War: cheaper, lighter on combat depth, heavier on traversal.
Migrating from God of War: Combat timing transfers. The exploration loop is comparable. Star Wars context is the question — players who do not care about it lose some of the appeal.
Bottom line: Pick this for the closest structural match to God of War (2018), if you can tolerate the PC port’s rough edges.
Elden Ring — best open-world challenging combat
Elden Ring is a different category technically but lands in the same conversation. The combat weight, the bosses-as-storytelling, and the lonely-protagonist atmosphere overlap with what God of War does at its best. The open world makes it the longest game on this list — 80 to 120 hours for a full playthrough — and the difficulty is uncompromising in a way Kratos never was.
Where it falls short: Difficulty is a real barrier. The story is delivered through item descriptions and environmental implication rather than cutscenes; players who came to God of War for the father-son arc will not find a comparable narrative.
Pricing:
- Around $60 standard, Shadow of the Erdtree DLC sold separately.
- vs God of War: comparable price, far more content, much higher difficulty.
Migrating from God of War: Combat instincts partially transfer — dodge timing is faster, parries are harder. The exploration and progression are at a different scale.
Bottom line: Pick this if you want a long, demanding game in the same emotional register.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice — best mechanical combat depth
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is the FromSoftware game that lands closest to God of War’s combat philosophy. Deliberate hits, posture management, parry-and-counter as the central loop, and a sengoku-era Japan setting that gives the same gravity God of War’s Norse setting did. Shorter than Elden Ring, more focused, and arguably tighter in design.
Where it falls short: Brutal difficulty. The parry-or-die combat loop is unforgiving until it clicks; the wall is real.
Pricing:
- Around $60 standard, frequent sales below $30.
- vs God of War: comparable price, much higher difficulty ceiling.
Migrating from God of War: The combat feel is closer than any other FromSoftware game. The narrative restraint matches God of War’s Norse era.
Bottom line: Pick this if Kratos’s combat weight was what hooked you and you can take a difficulty step up.
Hogwarts Legacy — best story-driven action-adventure for lighter combat
Hogwarts Legacy is the wildcard on this list. The Harry Potter setting carries a built-in audience, but the structural design — open semi-zone exploration, third-person magic combat, a story protagonist with growing power, side quests that respect player time — lines up with what God of War (2018) did in a lower-difficulty register. The combat is lighter and more spectacle than depth.
Where it falls short: Combat lacks God of War’s tactile weight. The story is broad-appeal rather than deeply written. Performance on lower-spec hardware is uneven.
Pricing:
- Around $50 standard, regular sales below $25.
- vs God of War: cheaper, lighter combat, broader audience.
Migrating from God of War: The structural feel transfers. The mechanical depth does not — Hogwarts Legacy is closer to an Assassin’s Creed than to a God of War.
Bottom line: Pick this if you want God of War’s structural template at a lower difficulty and a brighter tone.
How to choose
Pick Hellblade if the narrative weight of Kratos and Atreus was the point. Pick Stellar Blade for the closest modern cinematic action experience on Steam. Pick Devil May Cry 5 if combat depth was the love language. Pick Star Wars Jedi: Survivor for the most direct structural match.
Pick Elden Ring if you want a long, demanding game in the same emotional register. Pick Sekiro for the closest combat-feel match with a difficulty step up. Pick Hogwarts Legacy for a lighter take on the same template.
Stay with the existing God of War games on PC — both the 2018 entry and Ragnarök — only if you have not finished the Norse era. Once you have, this list is where to go next while waiting for the new game’s PC port.
FAQ
Will the new God of War come to PC?
Sony has not announced a PC release date for the new God of War title revealed at the June 2026 State of Play. The pattern with God of War (2018) and Ragnarök was a roughly two-year gap between PS5 release and Steam release. Expect a similar window once the new game’s PS5 launch is dated.
What is the best God of War alternative on PC?
For most God of War fans, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is the closest tonal match. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is the closest structural match. Stellar Blade is the most graphically comparable modern game. Pick based on which part of God of War mattered most to you.
Are FromSoftware games like God of War?
Partially. Elden Ring and Sekiro share God of War’s combat weight and atmospheric storytelling but operate at a much higher difficulty. Sekiro’s parry-and-counter combat is the closest mechanical match. Elden Ring’s open exploration is a different category. Players new to FromSoftware games should expect a sharper learning curve.
Can I play God of War on PC without a controller?
Yes, both God of War (2018) and Ragnarök support keyboard-and-mouse, though both were designed around controller input. The combat is meaningfully more comfortable on a controller. Steam Input lets you customise either mapping.
What is the best PC port of a PlayStation exclusive?
God of War (2018), Horizon Zero Dawn, Spider-Man Remastered, and Stellar Blade are the strongest PC ports from Sony’s first-party studios in recent years — each one runs well on a wide range of hardware and adds keyboard-and-mouse support plus uncapped frame rates. The Last of Us Part I had a rougher launch but has been patched into shape.
