As the new year approaches, God of War Ragnarök and other PlayStation exclusives’ speculative 2022 release date remains one of the gaming industry’s most-followed developments. Ragnarok’s release date raises hope that 2022 is the year players will get their hands on the sequel. But while the new year seems promising, there aren’t any guarantees about when the game will finally find its way to store shelves.

When Cory Barlog and the Santa Monica crew revealed God of War during E3’s 2016 events, the game came as a dream-come-true announcement. It had been almost four years since Ascension came out, and players were ready for a new Kratos to rise from the past’s ashes; God of War fulfilled all of those wishes. After the reveal, anticipation grew for when it would finally release. It finally launched around two years later in 2018, but Santa Monica struggled to meet the April 20 deadline. God of War Ragnarok’s recent reveal trailer could mean it’ll follow its predecessors and come out years later, but the game’s development is different this time around. It’s looking more likely that the gaming community will see an official announcement about a release date soon.

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While God of War Ragnarok could have more delays, Santa Monica wants to release it in 2022, and the company probably wants to keep it that way. Additionally, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Spider-Man 2 might end up with 2022 releases. It’s a revolutionary time for game developers because the pandemic has forced companies to innovate their styles of work, and while all of these studios are grappling with the same issues, they’ve had enough time to adjust or move back to more traditional environments.

Santa Monica likely doesn’t want to rush God of War Ragnarok because – as time has shown – rushed titles usually have turbulent launches, like Cyberpunk 2077 and Battlefield 2042. In February, devs said that Ragnarok will release when it’s done. Later in June, Santa Monica issued a statement on Twitter saying that God of War Ragnarok’s release window is moving into 2022, probably because of various complications to meet initial deadlines. Santa Monica likely made the correct decision in light of other recent controversial launches from big studios that haven’t panned out well.

Since then, it’s been revealed on Twitter by PlaystationSize that the PlayStation database listing now has the release date for God of War Ragnarok’s release date at September 30. This is, in all probability, a placeholder date, especially since several other games have the same date, which happens to be the last day of the third quarter. Speculation about God of War Ragnarok’s release date doesn’t ultimately compare to the importance of the game’s content, which should likely be the overriding priority for every studio. While there’s a genuine sentiment of disappointment that comes with a postponed release date, it’s usually for the better. Elden Ring, the winner of The Game Awards 2021 and 2022 most anticipated game, moved its launch date to January 2022 and then again to February, probably for the same reasons God of War Ragnarok was pushed.

It’s unlikely that Ragnarök’s release will get moved into 2023, especially since the reveal trailer shows how far along it is, but a slim chance exists. When Cory Barlog played the opening scenes of God of War during E3 2016, the game was nowhere near a finishing point, which is why it didn’t launch until April 2018. However, God of War Ragnarök’s reveal trailer looks to be a lot further along. It showed a surprising amount of gameplay footage and even let the community in on some seemingly crucial aspects of the narrative through narrative scenes, such as Kratos and Autreus finding Tyr trapped in a prison cell and Freya lunging at Kratos to fight him. Logically this seems to indicate that the game is getting close to being content complete, if not quite near the end of its development.

If so, Santa Monica will likely announce the official planned release date for Ragnarok shortly after God of War’s PC release in January. It seems the plan is to let players experience the new and enhanced version on PC while the dev team puts the finishing touches on the other, which would likely put the launch date for God of War Ragnarok somewhere between mid-to-late 2022. However, the sequel can still follow the last game’s path and launch almost two years after the reveal trailer.

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While it’s unlikely that God of War Ragnarok will follow its predecessor’s launch schedule, the option is still there should unanticipated development hurdles crop up. Undoubtedly, this would push the release date into 2023, and as unfortunate as that would be, it might not come as a complete surprise, especially if further complications with the pandemic and COVID-19’s omicron strain disrupt plans. Elden Ring may win MAG three consecutive times, and God of War Ragnarok also has a chance of showing up as a contender for the third year in a row. But most evidence still points toward a 2022 release being the most likely, so fans shouldn’t lose heart until an official announcement gives them reason to.

Will God Of War Ragnarök Or Avatar Frontiers Of Pandora Release First

God of War Ragnarok isn’t the only video game with an ambitious following and hope for a release soon. Ubisoft revealed Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora on June 12, and it made for an impressive display with a stunning graphical display. While the game is based off of the universe that was first seen in the Avatar movie released back in 2009, Frontiers of Pandora is a brand-new story.

However, what’s less certain is the date that the game will launch. At this point there’s not much to base any date speculation around since the reveal trailer was quite vague; it only showed cinematics and gave no specific clues about the narrative or story. Like the movie, it’ll probably have something to do with outside forces trying to colonize Pandora, and the native people will have to stand up and stop them, but beyond this, it’s anyone’s guess. While the game could have a 2022 release, it’s more probable that Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora will launch in 2023, giving God of War Ragnarok a head start.

What God Of War Ragnarök Means For Spider-Man 2 PS5

Another anticipated PlayStation exclusive is Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 from Insomniac. While the game’s revel trailer wasn’t nearly the in-depth spectacle that God of War Ragnarök’s turned out to be, it showcased some impressive aspects of the game, like running on a PS5 in realtime. Spider-Man 2 looks to be well into development, though the release window has thus far only been set at a vague “2023.” It’s not likely that either game will interfere with the release of the other, given development from different studios under the PlayStation umbrella. So while Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 likely won’t launch alongside Ragnarok, it’s up in the air just how long fans will have to wait into 2023. If nothing else, the delay of God of War Ragnarök shows that Sony is willing to keep something in the stable if it seems to be in the best interest of the product, so whether fans will ultimately have to wait until 2024 for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 remains to be seen.

Source: PlaystationSize/Twitter

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Preston Pearl
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Preston Pearl is a contributing writer based out of the US. He publishes work for the Game Features sector of Screen Rant.

While being a Secondary English education major at Kentucky State University and educator in Frankfort, KY; he also spends time writing fictional short stories, gaming, weight lifting, and — most importantly — enjoying time with friends and family.

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