Originally slated for a 2021 release, the game was delayed in part due to Kratos actor Christopher Judge's health problems in August 2019, and later, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on development.

Fury is the standard mode for Spartan Rage and is identical to the previous game in which Kratos uses bare handed attacks to greatly damage enemies.

[8] The character Atreus provides super assistance through artificial intelligence (AI), helping in combat, traversal, find treasures, exploration, and puzzle-solving.

Other major returning characters include Freya (Danielle Bisutti), a Vanir goddess, former Queen of the Valkyries, and Odin's ex-wife, also known as Frigg, who seeks revenge against Kratos and Atreus for the death of her son, Baldur; and the Huldra Brothers, Brok (Robert Craighead) and Sindri (Adam Harrington), a pair of dwarven blacksmiths who assist Kratos and Atreus by forging new gear and also found a way to travel to other realms without using the realm travel table in Týr's Temple.

A new character is Angrboda (Laya DeLeon Hayes), one of the last remaining Giants hiding in Jötunheim in a secluded forest called the Ironwood, protecting its animals.

Other allies include Ratatoskr (SungWon Cho), the squirrel guardian of the World Tree; Lúnda (Milana Vayntrub), a dwarven blacksmith who is part of Freyr's resistance army; and Skjöldr (A.J.

Thor (Ryan Hurst), the Aesir God of Thunder and eldest son of Odin, serves as a secondary antagonist; he is the half-brother of Baldur and father of Modi and Magni, all of whom Kratos and Atreus killed in the previous game.

Another antagonist is the Aesir god Heimdall (Scott Porter), another son of Odin and half-brother to Thor who has a superiority complex and believes himself untouchable due to his foresight ability.

The Valkyries Sigrun (Misty Lee), Gunnr (Anna Campbell), and Eir (Sarah Sokolovic), who had minor roles in Ragnarök, act as guides for Kratos and Mímir in Valhalla.

It begins poorly, but the tides turn when Angrboda arrives with Fenrir and the snake Atreus saved, now grown into Jörmungandr, who battles Thor while Sindri destroys Asgard's wall.

Atreus resolves to find surviving Giants and bids farewell to Kratos, who then discovers a mural depicting himself as a beloved god of peace and justice.

Asgard's Einherjar are cleared out, Freya kills the vengeful Valkyrie Queen Gná and reclaims her mantle, the Aesir relocate to Vanaheim and achieve peace with the Vanir, Thrúd wields Mjölnir to honor Thor, and the real Týr is found and freed in Niflheim.

Prior to coming to Valhalla, Freya, now Queen of the Realms, invited Kratos to join her council as the new Norse God of War, but he refused, reluctant to wield such power again after abusing it during his time in Greece.

In the secret ending, Sigrun decides not to go through the trials to restore her connection to Valhalla, instead choosing to leave her post as a Valkyrie and travel the world alone to find her own purpose.

In June 2021, head of PlayStation Studios, Hermen Hulst, confirmed that the game had been delayed, partly due to the pandemic,[30] as he stated that there were issues getting access to performance capture and talent.

[23] Santa Monica Studio issued a statement regarding the delay, which said that while they were focused on delivering a top-quality game, they also wanted to maintain the safety of those involved with the development.

Due to the change in his voice, supervising dialogue designer Jodie Kupsco said "We had to go in and even out that performance so [that in the game] it sounds like it took place over a short period of time".

[32] In a series of tweets posted by Kratos actor Christopher Judge in late September 2021, he said that he was the reason that the game was delayed due to surgery he needed in August 2019, and that Santa Monica allowed him time to recover and rehabilitate before continuing production.

[37] The decision to end the Norse era with Ragnarök was ultimately left to Barlog,[36] and Williams stated that although they had to make adjustments for pacing, the story was not scaled back.

[38] Narrative director Matt Sophos revealed that during early development, there was an idea pitched in which Kratos died during his first battle with Thor and then there would have been a 20-year time jump where Atreus would rescue him from Helheim.

Other casting announcements included Ryan Hurst as Thor, Ben Prendergast as Týr, Laya DeLeon Hayes as Angrboda, and Usman Ally as a dwarf named Durlin.

The developers, however, defended the decision due to the diversity of the Dwarves in the game, among other changes such as Mímir having a Scottish accent, and the fact that Angrboda is of a mythological race with a power of transformation.

The soundtrack features Faroese singer Eivør on the tracks "God of War Ragnarök", "Holding On", "Svartalfheim", "Pull of the Light", and "Remembering Faye".

In working with McCreary, Hozier said they were able to find a balance so that the song was "not too elegiac, not too much of an elegy, not too sweet, not too lullaby-esque, not too outrageously doom and gloom, and not too absolutely metal".

Paolo Ragusa of Consequence described the song as "a daring, cinematic number that hits at all the thematic notes of God of War: Ragnarök, and finds Hozier using his signature velvety tone to evoke both tenderness and awe".

[91][92] Writing for IGN, Simon Cardy said that Ragnarök provided fresh interpretations of well-known Norse mythological characters, and the actors gave them a unique take that was different from their popular MCU counterparts.

He also said the combat harkens back to the series roots, noting that the Blades of Chaos have a more similar feel to how they performed in the Greek games, but still also felt modern.

[80] Writing for PCMag, Clay Halton stated it was the game's "most tedious aspect", as it can be difficult to determine which weapon or armor piece needs upgraded.

[95] In Japan, the PlayStation 5 version of God of War Ragnarök sold 29,377 physical units, making it the third best-selling retail game during its first week of release in the country.

[119][120] Prior to the release of the 2018 installment, Cory Barlog said that after the Norse era of God of War, future games could see the series tackling either Egyptian or Maya mythology.