The God of War franchise has gained huge popularity again recently with the release of two major new games for the franchise in 2018’s God of War and God of War: Ragnarok. The movement of the franchise from the original games, which were steeped in Greek mythology, and the Norse focus of the newer ones, have made a lasting difference for the franchise.
While modern-day game trailers are responsible for a much bigger marketing campaign than they were in 2005, the less cinematically spectacular trailers of the former games did an equally great job at generating hype for the franchise. God of War has always been a fantastically story-driven style of game, so it is no surprise that the franchise has seen some amazing trailer work.
6 God Of War 2 Trailer
The original God of War was a huge success on the PlayStation 2 when it was released in 2005, the game stands as the fourteenth-highest-selling game of all time on that platform. This meant that the marketing team for the sequel had an easy job. The sequel featured Kratos once again going up against the Gods after becoming one himself and being betrayed by Zeus, leading to him losing much of his power.
A female narrator told a tale over a mixture of cinematic and gameplay shots in this reveal trailer, which promised an even better gameplay experience than the original and a story that would be filled with intrigue, as Kratos attempted to change time and stop his death at the hands of Zeus. The hack ‘n’ slash style of the original games in the franchise was shown in all its glory in this trailer which kept the game trailer formula simple.
5 God Of War: Ghost Of Sparta Story Trailer
If video games aren’t marketed as heavily as movies, then handheld-console video games are another tier down from that. Fortunately, this first installment from the God of War franchise to make it onto the handheld PSP didn’t stick with the normal formula and got multiple trailers, including this exceptional story-based one.
Ghost of Sparta featured Kratos and his brother, Deimos, who had been taken from him when they were children by the Gods. Kratos goes on an adventure to free his brother, and in doing so begins to bring about the end of the God of Death. This excellent trailer was a great example of cinematic story trailers before they were as popular as they are now.
4 God Of War (2018) Story Trailer
The hype for new mythology and a new age in the God of War games was uncertain at first and required the more certain expression of a story trailer such as this to excite players afresh. The story, now much more focused on father and son than on the simple concept of Kratos against the world, was fascinating and thought-provoking.
Seeing the gameplay elements for this new age come together was exciting, but it was the focus on the story that drew most of the early attention to the 2018 God of War. This story trailer was a massive moment in bringing this franchise to new heights of exciting glory that it hadn’t attained in the past era of its games.
3 God Of War (2005) Trailer #1
Going back to the very beginning of the franchise, the first-ever God of War trailer shows fans today how the franchise managed to be a smash hit from the very beginning. The opening shots of Kratos claiming the Gods had abandoned him and the terrible acts he committed in war before summoning Ares provoked a lot of hype for this new game.
It was much rarer in 2005 to see a purely cinematically-focused game trailer, without an inch of gameplay. But the design of Kratos and this Greek-mythology-inspired world were enough to send gaming fans into a complete frenzy over the upcoming release of what would later become a PS2 classic.
2 God Of War: Ragnarok State Of Play Story Trailer
The most recent release in the God of War franchise has seen a fair share of trailers, but Ragnarok’s greatest moment of hype generation was the State of Play 2022 trailer which showcased both cinematics from the game and gameplay. This mixture is the perfect showcase of how to hype a modern game. Kratos' relationship with Atreus is a continually fascinating one to further explore as well, and the growth in him shown by the trailer was a good early start to their continued relationship.
Odin’s speech to Kratos as shots of their new adventure and conflict unfolded led to an unnatural level of hype, perhaps greater than any seen in the history of the franchise. Lines like Kratos saying “death can have me when it’s earned me” were particularly spine-chilling moments. The easy job the marketing campaign had after the massive success of the 2018 installment was hit out of the park in particular by this trailer.
1 God Of War 3 Trailer
God of War III was another game that had an easy marketing job, with the first two installments being hailed by fans and critics as great and then even greater. But the impressive cinematics coming out of this trailer in 2009 helped drive the success of the franchise to even greater heights. Kratos tearing his way through an army of enemies was the perfect, simple way to lead off the new hype.
Kratos had already reached hugely beloved levels of success and power as the protagonist of the first two games. But this trailer put him on another level which makes it easy to continue hailing this trailer as the best in franchise history all these years later.