God of War Laufey has already become a culture war disaster

PlayStation closed its June 2026 State of Play showcase with 20 minutes of gameplay for the next God of War game, God of War Laufey. It looks, to put it scientifically, cool AF. It has also immediately become a culture war disaster.

God of War Laufey is a spinoff of God of War (2018), which served as a tonal reboot for one of gaming’s most infamously meatheaded action series. The game opened with Kratos, he of the dual blades of fire and trophy case of countless corpses, mourning the death of his wife, Faye. Kratos and their son Atreus then embark on a journey to bring her ashes to the highest peak in the land — an emotional sendoff and thoughtful deconstruction of the unchecked masculinity that defined the original trilogy. Eight years later, God of War (2018) is still widely considered one of the best games of all time.

Laufey takes place concurrently with the events of the 2018 game, following Faye into the afterlife, where she encounters gods from various regions of the world, like Egypt’s Sekhmet and the Mongolian and Tibetan deity Begtse (and… a talking cube voiced by Jack Quaid?). Throughout God of War (2018) and its 2022 sequel, God of War Ragnarök, you’ll hear characters mention Faye’s combat prowess, and we finally get to see that firsthand in this new footage of Laufey. She can double-jump. She can air-juggle enemies. She can conjure magical explosions with her palms and fight giant screaming fire demons to a draw. In short, Faye really is the badass every character said she was.

Image: Sony Santa Monica/Sony Interactive Entertainment

Some people do not seem so thrilled about that.

“Sony did it again, you can thank the consultants,” one prominent X account wrote, alongside a headshot of Deborah Ann Woll (who plays Faye) and a screenshot of Faye looking exhausted. “Totally agree they really did Faye dirty here,” another user responded. “Deborah Ann Woll is stunning but the in-game model looks way more rugged and aged down.” Many other X users responded to the thread with images of female game characters alongside their IRL actors, seemingly to claim that AAA game developers allegedly design character models to intentionally look less conventionally attractive than their actors. “Well aren’t you excited to play as a old hag alongside her heckin wholesome chungus cube?” one user asked.

Other users pushed back against this sentiment, pointing out that the X poster had likely selected that initial screenshot specifically to generate as much outrage as possible, and that Faye looks great in every other frame. “Bro had to work overtime to find a bad still lmao,” one person wrote. Some users pointed out that Laufey begins shortly after Faye literally dies, and that anyone in those circumstances would reasonably need a minute before looking ready for a cover shoot. And more still made the case that her appearance doesn’t matter at all — the gameplay “looks fucking sick” regardless.

The debates around God of War Laufey extend beyond Faye’s character model. David Jaffe, director of the first two God of War games (and a regular firebrand in gaming corners), said in a stream that God of War Laufey looks “dull,” “uninspired,” and “like shit,” likening it to Square Enix’s 2023 pilloried action RPG Forspoken. (Side note: Forspoken rules.) The word “woke” has been thrown around a lot, as has “DEI,” though some have decried that stance as “unhinged.” They’ve raised the obvious question: What exactly makes God of War Laufey “woke”? That you’re playing as a woman?

The conversation around God of War Laufey is a mirror to the unfortunate reality of talking about video games on the internet in the 21st century. Whether it’s Last of Us 2, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Concord, Marathon, Highguard, you name it, it’s as predictable as clockwork that a major AAA game will become a lightning rod for the culture war. Given the undeniable rise of right-wing sentiment, some people no doubt legitimately hold beliefs that video games shouldn’t star anyone other than super jacked white dudes. But you’ll come across no shortage of social media accounts, many of whom are anonymous, posting opinions that seem devised to intentionally generate rage-driven engagement about forthcoming games. (This type of posting is more common on some social platforms than others. X accounts with a blue checkmark, which costs $3 a month, can earn revenue based on impressions.)

Image: Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

But despite the loud minority of fans making inane points about a game they have not played yet, God of War fans can’t be contained. Across social media channels, you’ll see plenty of people who are thrilled about God of War Laufey. They’re sharing their excitement about the combat system. They’re cracking jokes that Faye is on a heavy-metal death march of demon-slaying, while her husband and son embark on an ooey-gooey emotional road trip. They’re mining the gameplay footage for theories about its connection to the previous two God of War games. Same coin. Two sides. We do this every time.

God of War Laufey will be released on PlayStation 5. It does not have a release date. It could come out tomorrow and it will still feel like years (I’m so tired).