God of War Sons of Sparta reaches PS4 November 16 with two new modes
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God of War Sons of Sparta comes to PS4 on November 16, 2026. Santa Monica Studio’s Grace Orlady confirmed the date in a November 13 PlayStation Blog update. Mega Cat Studios will simultaneously add two modes on PS4 and PS5.
Hermes and Erebus explained
Hermes provides a speedrunning toolkit with split timing and a persistent scoreboard. Unlock it by completing the game or entering this sequence at the start menu: ↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → L1 R1 Touchpad.
Erebus makes both players and enemies fall in one hit. Choose the mode when starting a new game and selecting a save slot; it cannot subsequently be changed for that save.
A journey with young Kratos and Deimos
PlayStation’s game page describes two brothers searching for a missing cadet during their Spartan training. Their journey through Laconia combines environmental puzzles with enemy encounters. Mega Cat Studios presents the adventure in two dimensions, pairing pixel-art visuals with familiar series characters.
The PS5 release was February 13, 2026. November’s announcement therefore concerns PS4 availability and additional ways to play, rather than the game’s original launch. The save-specific selection deserves attention before beginning another attempt: racing a timer and surviving single-hit encounters offer different challenges. It is also worth separating the blog’s original February publication date from its November update when reading the announcement.
Why did the developers choose young Kratos?
A February PlayStation Blog interview with Mega Cat Studios explains the creative approach. The studio pitched Santa Monica Studio a pixel-art prequel. Game director Zack Manko highlighted a young Kratos who remains devoted to the gods and does not yet know his divine identity. Gifts of Olympus artifacts support exploration, puzzles and combat. Santa Monica’s narrative team wanted these formative experiences to provide another perspective on both the Greek-era character and the father he later becomes.
Do not confuse the new modes with The Pit
The previously announced Pit is a separate endgame challenge. Its February official introduction describes solo play and offline, two-player local co-op. Enemy encounters and rewards vary between attempts, while Agony modifiers change the challenge. One requires destroying objects to prevent enemies from healing; another makes defeated enemies explode. Earned Ashes of Agony can fund permanent upgrades between runs.
That older feature is background, not a description replacing November’s Hermes and Erebus additions. In particular, its local co-op support should not be assumed to apply to every new mode. Checking the chosen challenge before starting a save helps keep these distinct options clear.
Sources: PlayStation Blog, November 13 update; Official PlayStation game page. Image: PlayStation.
Developer interview, February 16, 2026; Official introduction to The Pit, February 26, 2026.
