The much-anticipated God of War spin-off, rumored to be a Metroidvania game set in Ancient Greece, has reportedly been delayed internally until 2026. According to Jeff Grubb, a trusted industry insider who discussed the topic on the Last of the Nintendogs podcast, the game won’t launch this year as expected. 
While no official release date has been confirmed, fans will likely have to wait a bit longer before seeing the first glimpse of this new addition to the franchise.
Details surrounding the project remain scarce, but it’s confirmed that this will be a 2.5D Metroidvania-style game. Unlike the mainline God of War games, which are known for their large-scale open-world environments and intricate combat mechanics, this spin-off will take a smaller-scale approach. Despite its compact scope, the game will still retain some Metroidvania elements, like unlocking new areas as you gain new abilities, a feature that echoes the gameplay style introduced in 2018’s God of War and refined in God of War Ragnarok.
The spin-off is not expected to replicate the epic scale of its predecessors, but there’s still potential for exciting innovations. Fans of God of War Ragnarok will remember the game’s roguelite update, which added a fresh twist to the formula and earned praise for its execution. However, whether this upcoming title can capture that same magic remains to be seen. For now, it’s a waiting game, as this delay pushes the anticipated release further into the future.