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Preorders for God of War: Laufey open on September 29, 2026 at 10:00 AM. Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) made the announcement on September 28. The game is slated to release for PS5 on February 16, 2027.
The protagonist is Kratos’ wife, already dead by the time of God of War (2018) — Faye, or Laufey, to use her original name. How did that quiet master archer become the Guardian of the Giants? Santa Monica Studio itself is telling that prequel story.
Alongside preorders opening, SIE detailed the weapon system, the preorder bonus and what’s inside the Digital Deluxe Edition. The single line about a weapon that shifts from a serpent into a bow is enough to hook plenty of people on its own.
Even as someone who lives with a Steam Deck permanently in hand, this is a sit-up-straight-in-front-of-the-PS5 situation. Let’s go through it step by step.
When do God of War: Laufey preorders start? Release date and the basics
Preorders are scheduled to open at 10:00 AM on September 29, 2026, with release set for February 16, 2027 on PS5. That’s per SIE’s official announcement.
The God of War series established its global reputation with the two Norse-era entries (2018 and Ragnarök). Following that up not with a side story but with a prequel that swaps out the protagonist entirely says a lot about how confident Santa Monica Studio is feeling.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Title | God of War: Laufey |
| Release date | February 16, 2027 (planned) |
| Platform | PlayStation 5 |
| Preorders open | September 29, 2026, 10:00 AM (planned) |
| Developer | Santa Monica Studio |
| Protagonist | Faye (Laufey) / Kratos’ wife |
There’s still nearly a year and a half until launch. Opening preorders this early probably comes down to the practical need to gauge demand for limited editions. No reason to panic-buy, but if you’re after the bonus, you’ll want to lock it in on day one.
What is the serpent-to-bow weapon? Laufey’s combat system
In the Eternal Realm, Faye’s weapon shifts from the form of a serpent into a bow. That makes for combat built around range, completely unlike Kratos’ Leviathan Axe or Blades of Chaos.
There are two firing modes. Pull the aim trigger all the way and you get a precise, deliberate shot; fire from the hip and you get rapid shots that rack up volume. There’s also an element of swapping between different arrows depending on the situation, so it doesn’t look like it’ll collapse into a simple “bow equals safe ranged play” equation.
Beyond that, customizing unique abilities uses “scales.” The weapon’s serpent form and the name of the progression system dovetail neatly. Santa Monica is genuinely great at this kind of consistency in the details.
I’ll be honest about the concern, too. For anyone whose pleasure in this series came from the heft of beating enemies down with an axe and blades, it’s an open question whether bow-centric combat delivers the same satisfaction. Go in expecting the heavyweight action of the previous games and you might come away underwhelmed.
What’s in the preorder bonus and the Digital Deluxe Edition?
The preorder bonus is three items: the “Last Wish” armor set for Faye, the “Golden Leaves” cosmetic for Frank, and an in-game resource pack.
The Digital Deluxe Edition bundles the following on top of the digital version of the main game.
- Digital mini art book
- Digital soundtrack
- “Dark Alchemy” armor set (armor, greaves, bow scales, blade, catalyst)
What stands out is the breakdown of that “Dark Alchemy” armor set: it includes not just armor and greaves but bow scales, a blade and a catalyst. In other words, the bonus contains items that plug directly into the “customize unique abilities with scales” system described above, so this is more than a cosmetic swap.
Going on my gut as a former otaku-shop clerk, armor sets like this are usually tuned to make the early game a bit easier and nothing more. They shouldn’t break the balance. But they definitely change how a first playthrough feels, which is what makes the call tricky.
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God of War: Laufey preorder information roundup
Here’s the recap. God of War: Laufey is scheduled to open preorders at 10:00 AM on September 29, 2026, with release on February 16, 2027 for PS5. Santa Monica Studio is developing, and the protagonist is Kratos’ wife, Faye.
Her weapon shifts from a serpent into a bow in the Eternal Realm, and how you pull the aim trigger switches between precision shots and rapid fire. Swapping arrows and customizing unique abilities with “scales” form the core of progression. The preorder bonus is the “Last Wish” armor set, the “Golden Leaves” cosmetic for Frank, and an in-game resource pack. The Digital Deluxe Edition consists of the digital main game plus a digital mini art book, a digital soundtrack and the “Dark Alchemy” armor set (as of September 2026, per the official announcement).
Building a game around a character who is already dead is a bold swing on its own. Faye’s story has a predetermined ending, and the player is marched toward it. That it still looks so promising comes down to a combat system rebuilt around a single bow after throwing out the axe and blades that defined the series — this is not a studio treating a side story as a side project. The flip side is that anyone chasing the heavy, bruising melee of the last two games isn’t the audience here.
Preorders open September 29 at 10:00 AM. Release is February 16, 2027, exclusive to PS5.
Nokko Oda
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