The theme of God of War: Ragnarok and its release date is of great interest to many PlayStation players. The Santa Monica Studio sequel to what might be considered the best PlayStation 4 exclusive is easily one of the most anticipated releases of 2022, if not the most anticipated. However, beyond a vague 2022 release window, fans are left speculating when God of War: Ragnarok may actually arrive. A 2022 Christmas release for God of War: Ragnarok would make a lot of sense, but a recently discovered age rating outside of Saudi Arabia could imply an earlier than expected release.
Saudi Arabia’s official rating board, the General Audiovisual Media Commission, appears to have a God of War: Ragnarok rated and an age rating of 18 years. This is especially notable because Saudi Arabia has a different classification for unreleased games, called “To be classified”. In other words, Saudi Arabia has had enough access to God of War: Ragnarok to give a full rating of the game.
Before anyone assumes that God of War: Ragnarok development is finished or in a playable state, this is not how ratings traditionally work. Rating boards don’t typically play the games they rate. Even the ESRB rarely plays and tests post-launch games to ensure publisher transparency about in-game content. Otherwise, leaderboards are fully relevant to publishers providing a complete accounting of content that is deemed relevant to the game’s rating, which generally includes both text descriptions and video evidence.
God of War Ragnarok has been rated “M for 18+” by The official account of the age classification of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Official release date should be sooner than expected 👀#PS5#PS4 #GodOfWarRagnarok #GodofWar pic.twitter.com/85l9v99B6b— Joe Miller (@JoeMiller101) December 29, 2021
What that means is that God of War: Ragnarok is certainly still in its most intense period of development. But it is also advanced enough that the development team can submit an accurate summary of the game’s content, as well as videos showing its more “extreme” gameplay and scene content.
The big question is what this means for the God of War: Ragnarok release date. No one should expect God of War: Ragnarok to release this winter or spring due to Saudi Arabia’s rating, of course. Not only will Horizon Forbidden West take precedence for these seasons, but there is likely a lot to do, including the run-up to PlayStation marketing. However, it could mean a release date before the 2022 holiday season.
Last week, a leaked God of War: Ragnarok retail list included a September 30 release date. While it may just be a placeholder date, in combination with Saudi Arabia’s qualification, a September release could make a lot of sense. It may take some time before it’s officially confirmed, PlayStation is focused on Horizon Forbidden West and Gran Turismo 7 for early 2022, but PlayStation fans will likely be much more excited nonetheless.
God of War: Ragnarok will be released in 2022 on PS4 and PS5.
