The first God of War video game was released in 2005, becoming a tentpole franchise for Sony. In honor of the series’ milestone anniversary in 2025, a God of War: 20th Anniversary Retrospective is being released.

God of War follows Kratos, who serves the various Greek gods as a warrior. Kratos had previously been a Spartan warrior, and chose to pledge himself to the God of War, Ares, as a way to both avoid death and gain power. As part of this pledge, Kratos was bonded with the Blades of Chaos, twin chained weapons that remain attached to Kratos’ wrists.

Following this pledge, he waged war across the land – but in one instance of attacking a village, he killed his own wife and daughter. After renouncing his pledge to Ares, Kratos is cursed to carry the ashes of his family with him on his skin, turning his skin white and earning him the nickname of the “Ghost of Sparta.”

The anniversary retrospective will provide a behind the scenes look at the game franchise’s history, which includes art, interviews with the creative team, and more. Volume One contains the Greek Saga in the God of War trilogy and its spinoffs, then Volume Two covers the Norse Era in the 2016 God of War game and God of War: Ragnarok. It was written and compiled by Rick Barba, who has crafted similar guides and art books.

The set is available in a standard edition hardcover book set in a slipcase. The deluxe edition features a two-piece slipcase with exclusive new cover designs on each book, deluxe gilded edges, ribbed spines, ribbon bookmarks, and two lithographs with moments from each era.

Both editions will be available on July 8, 2025.