God of War is celebrating 20 years later this week

God of War, the series, will officially turn 20 years old on March 22nd, which is the date that the first game released. In that time there have been 9 games, though most people only know of 8, as well as comics, figures and more.
In celebration of 20 years, Santa Monica Studio have announced that God of War Ragnarök will get a special update on PlayStation and PC that will embrace the series original working title Dark Odyssey. The update will arrive the day before the series 20th anniversary on March 21.
What is included in the update are new armours for Kratos, Atreus and Freya, that take inspiration from the Dark Odyssey name. Kratos also gets a new skin, which is inspired by the skin that players could unlock after being God of War II on God Mode difficulty. You can see the looks for the new skin, outfits and weapons below.
Players will be able to access the collection below from any Lost Items chest in the base game or automatically while in Valhalla. Here is the full list in text form, so you can make it easier when ticking them off.
Dark Odyssey Armor & Appearance for Kratos
Dark Odyssey Kratos Appearance
Dark Odyssey Armor Set for Kratos (Dark Odyssey Breastplate, Dark Odyssey Bracers, Dark Odyssey Belt)
Dark Odyssey Companion Armor
Dark Odyssey Vestment for Atreus
Dark Odyssey Witch Frock for Freya
Dark Odyssey Weapon Appearances & Attachments*
Dark Odyssey Leviathan Axe [Appearance] & Dark Odyssey Knob [Attachment]
Dark Odyssey Blades of Chaos [Appearance] & Dark Odyssey Handles [Attachment]
Dark Odyssey Draupnir Spear [Appearance] & Dark Odyssey Hind [Attachment]
Dark Odyssey Shield Appearances & Rönd
Dark Odyssey Guardian Shield [Appearance]
Dark Odyssey Dauntless Shield [Appearance]
Dark Odyssey Stone Wall Shield [Appearance]
Dark Odyssey Shatter Start Shield [Appearance]
Dark Odyssey Onslaught Shield [Appearance]
Dark Odyssey Spartan Aspis Shield [Appearance]
Dark Odyssey Rönd
Those marked with the * will only be available to players who have fully upgraded the items, as they are only designed for that configuration.
That is all that the group are doing for the game, but there is more happening outside of it. Here is everything else that fans of the series can look forward to. Just a note, this information is taken directly from the PlayStation Blog, as such local release confirmation is not yet known, most groups below do ship to Australia, just expect a decent price to be attached to that.
God of War: 20th Anniversary Retrospective
Pre-Orders Open: Monday, March 17
Journey alongside Kratos’ mortal creators with a two-volume retrospective book set chronicling the 20-year development of the God of War series.
Featuring interviews from key developers, the God of War: 20th Anniversary Retrospective set brings together stories, insights, and art capturing an intimate, behind-the-scenes look into how the games came to be.
Cook and Becker 20th Anniversary Print Collection
Pre-Orders Open: Tuesday, March 18
We’re delighted to have the chance to work with Cook and Becker in creating a set of new art prints focusing on key installments in the franchise. The first two pieces are by artist Ollie Hoff, who has captured God of War (2005) and God of War (2018) with his amazingly beautiful style.
Here’s a sneak peek of one of the pieces, keep an eye out for the full reveal next week!
Fangamer Jörmungandr Plush
Pre-Orders Open: Wednesday, March 19
67 inches of World Serpent can be yours to own (soon). The Giant plush doubles as a puppet with a hidden sleeve behind his head so you can re-enact his fateful meeting with Kratos and Atreus in the Lake of Nine.
This extra soft version of Jörmungandr also has a magnetized tongue with a little Leviathan Axe that can be kept safe inside his mouth or removed if you find someone worthy enough to use it.
Laced Vinyls 20th Anniversary Collection
Pre-Orders Open: Thursday, March 20
Partnering with Laced Records to create a truly gargantuan 13-disc Limited Edition vinyl set spanning God of War (2005) to God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla (2023) – a collection worthy of not just one pantheon, but two.
In addition to this box set, we’re bringing the soundtracks of the Greek saga to vinyl for the first time ever. You can pick up Limited Edition double LP sets for God of War (2005), God of War II, and God of War III.
Insert Coin 20th Anniversary T-Shirt Collection
Pre-Orders Open: Friday, March 21
From God of War (2005) to God of War Ragnarök (and every game in-between), each logo has been given a metallic, golden finish that pops against the black fabric. Whether you get the shirt for your first God of War, your favourite, or maybe the whole set – you can rep the entire series in style.