Is God of War Ghost of Sparta worth playing in 2025?

God of War Ghost of Sparta was the second game in the franchise to be released on the PSP. It managed to present a narrative that delved deeper into Kratos' past and added more context to his character. It was also a graphical leap over Chains of Olympus, which was praised by gamers around the world.

Ghost of Sparta came out over a decade ago, and it was even remastered for the PlayStation 3 as part of the God of War: Origins Collection to improve the overall experience for Sony's mainline console. While it was a technical masterpiece at the time, does it hold up all these years later?

The answer is yes, and this article will take a closer look at Ghost of Sparta to see why it is worth playing in 2025.

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God of War Ghost of Sparta takes a deeper look into Kratos' past

This entry in the God of War franchise dives deeper into Kratos' past (Image via Ready at Dawn)

The story here focuses on him starting out with visions from his past that still torment him. To investigate these lucid dreams, he visits Atlantis, where he learns about his missing brother, Deimos, who was abducted by the Gods at a very young age. Kratos spends the rest of the journey searching for his brother while fighting Thanatos, the God of Death.

Here, we get to see a more human side of Kratos, who cares and worries about his blood brother, which adds more emotional weight to his character. It also gives players a better understanding of why he hates the Gods. Even after all these years, the narrative still manages to leave a huge impact on gamers by giving Kratos some much-needed character development.

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God of War Ghost of Sparta's gameplay can feel outdated on the PSP

The gameplay is better in the remastered version on the PlayStation 3 (Image via Ready at Dawn)

Ghost of Sparta retains the hack-and-slash, combo-heavy combat from the previous God of War games. While this might feel like a major win for a handheld, it gets hampered by the clunky control scheme and lack of a right stick, which can make the gameplay unnecessarily difficult. Here, you also get to see the addition of new abilities and weapons that can make the enemy encounters feel fresh.

The platforming and puzzle sections can also feel frustrating at times because of the incredibly small left stick, which can make the gameplay feel extremely tiring for the thumb. However, these issues are fixed in the PlayStation 3 remaster of the game, which adds support for a right analog stick and makes the control scheme smooth for a more relaxing playthrough.

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God of War Ghost of Sparta's graphics and performance have aged poorly

The visuals and performance are enhanced in the remaster (Image via Ready at Dawn)

Ghost of Sparta was a technical phenomenon on the PSP when it first launched in 2010. The game was better than Chains of Olympus in terms of its visuals, performance, and character models. The title ran at a 480×272 resolution, locked at 30 FPS. While these specifications were satisfactory for the time, they don't hold up in today's world, where 60 FPS and 4K support have become the norm.

Fortunately, Ghost of Sparta was remastered for the PlayStation 3 as part of the God of War Origins Collection, which not only improved the controls but also enhanced the overall experience by locking the framerate to 60 at a 1080p resolution. While the PSP fails to compete with modern standards, the remastered version on the PlayStation 3 certainly holds up well technically in 2025.

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Is Ghost of Sparta worth playing in 2025?

God of War Ghost of Sparta is worth playing in 2025 (Image via Ready at Dawn)

The answer is yes! God of War Ghost of Sparta is absolutely worth playing in 2025. The narrative here looks at a more emotional side of Kratos, which is mostly missing from the Greek saga. This adds much-needed depth to his character, making him more likable and relatable to players. However, the game should be played on the PlayStation 3, as the remaster offers a better experience.

This is because the console runs the title at a locked 60 FPS at a 1080p resolution, which makes the visuals and performance feel smoother. The gameplay also takes advantage of the remaster, as DualShock 3 support lets Ghost of Sparta reach its full potential with a fluid control scheme. This makes the combat, puzzle-solving, and platforming sections a more enjoyable experience.