God of War Laufey Gameplay Reveal | Play as Faye, 2027

PlayStation completely blindsided everyone at the June 2, 2026 State of Play by dropping a 20-minute gameplay reveal for the next mainline entry in one of gaming's biggest franchises: God of War Laufey. Developed by Santa Monica Studio, this is the first game in the series where you do not play as Kratos. The spotlight shifts entirely to his legendary warrior-wife, Laufey (Faye), voiced by Deborah Ann Woll.

The Plot | Awakening in The Everywhen

The story picks up directly during the opening moments of God of War (2018). Immediately after Kratos and Atreus cremate Faye's body and set out to scatter her ashes, she unexpectedly awakens in a multi-mythological afterlife prison called The Everywhen. She quickly discovers that the meticulous plans she put in place to protect her husband and son are under threat from rival deities, and that escaping this chaotic spirit realm is the only way to preserve her family's fate.

The Everywhen is not limited to Norse mythology. Gods and warriors from Greek, East Asian, and Mongolian traditions are locked in a brutal war for dominion over the afterlife, giving Santa Monica Studio a sandbox of world mythologies to pull from that dwarfs anything in the series to date.

The Cast | Faye's Strange Crew

Character	Voice Actor	Role
Laufey (Faye)	Deborah Ann Woll	Protagonist, Guardian Giant of Jotunheim and Kratos' late wife
Phranque	Jack Quaid	A friendly, talking gelatinous cube Faye meets in an afterlife prison camp
Rue	Perlina Lau	A sentient magical ribbon wrapped around the hilt of a mystery sword

Gameplay | How Faye Fights

Kratos spent years praising Faye's martial ability. The 20-minute showcase finally proves why. Her playstyle is fundamentally different from Kratos' slow, grounded axe-brawling:

High Agility and Verticality: Faye is incredibly light on her feet. She features a true double-jump, rapid air-dashes, and combat mechanics built around launching and juggling enemies in mid-air.
The Soul-Splitting Blade: Wielding the mystery sword bound to Rue, Faye executes fast, acrobatic slicing combos. She can also use soul magic to physically rip an enemy's spirit from their body, leaving them defenseless.
Mythological Breadth: The trailer shows Faye fighting heavily armored Mongolian soldiers and a cinematic boss battle against the wrathful war deity Begtse, confirming the franchise is officially moving far beyond Nordic lore.

Release Window, Platform, and What We Know

Sony did not announce an official release date or window during the showcase. However, Bloomberg's Jason Schreier reported shortly after the event that the title is "not years away," making a 2027 release window the most probable outcome, given that Marvel's Wolverine is already locked for September 2026.

God of War Laufey is a standalone, full-priced PlayStation 5 exclusive with no multiplayer. The experience is strictly single-player. Kratos is confirmed to appear in some spectral capacity for narrative moments but is not playable. The unnamed East Asian baby dragon companion teased in the trailer also travels with Faye at certain points.

Why This Matters

Santa Monica Studio is doing something genuinely risky here. The God of War franchise was rebuilt around Kratos and Atreus, and the father-son dynamic defined two consecutive critical darlings. Centering the next entry on a brand-new protagonist, with a fundamentally different combat philosophy, in an entirely new mythological setting, is one of the boldest swings a first-party PlayStation studio has taken in years. The 20-minute showcase suggests they have the goods to back it up.

For more from the June 2 showcase: Marvel's Wolverine gameplay reveal | Ace Combat 8 release date confirmed | Video Games hub.