From Sparta to Midgard

God of War began in 2005 on the PlayStation 2, made by Santa Monica Studio, with one of gaming's angriest heroes: Kratos, a Spartan warrior bound to the god of war, chained to a pair of flaming blades and driven by revenge against the gods of Olympus. Over a trilogy and several side stories, his rage tore the Greek pantheon apart.

Then, in 2018, the series reinvented itself. An older, quieter Kratos, now living in the snowy forests of Norse myth, set out with his young son Atreus to scatter his late wife's ashes from the highest peak in the realms. The game won Game of the Year at The Game Awards, and its sequel, Ragnarök, followed in 2022. A God of War rug carries both halves of that story, the fury and the redemption. Ours are printed into short velvet, so carved runes, frost, embers and the ash-white of Kratos's skin come out with real texture, and they go in the washing machine.

Two mythologies, two looks

	The Greek saga	The Norse saga
Games	God of War I–III, Ascension, Chains of Olympus, Ghost of Sparta	God of War (2018), Ragnarök, Valhalla
Kratos	Young, furious, the Ghost of Sparta	Bearded, older, a reluctant father
Weapons	The Blades of Chaos	The Leviathan Axe, the Blades again, Draupnir
Palette	Blood red, gold, marble, fire	Frost blue, forest green, iron grey, ember orange
Rooms it suits	Dark game rooms, man caves	Living rooms, cabins, calmer game rooms

The Norse games' frost blue and forest green suit a calm living room or a cabin, and the Leviathan Axe makes a striking centerpiece for a game room.

Choose the era that means most to you. The Greek games are pure spectacle; the Norse games, for many players, are something more personal.

Olympus and the Greek saga

The original games are a tour of Greek mythology at its most violent and spectacular: Mount Olympus above the clouds, Pandora's Box, the Temple of the Oracle, the labyrinth of Daedalus, and gods and monsters from Zeus, Poseidon and Hades to Medusa, the Hydra and the Titans. Their art is marble, gold and blood-red, with fire wherever Kratos goes. A Greek-era design, Olympus at dawn, a column-framed temple, the Blades of Chaos crossed over a meander border, makes a bold, classical rug that suits a dark game room or a man cave.

Kratos

Kratos's look is one of the most distinctive in games: skin pale with the ashes of his family, a red tattoo running from his face down his body in memory of his brother, and, later, a thick beard and the weathered calm of a man trying to be better. A Kratos portrait, stern and scarred, is the defining God of War rug. In the Norse style, against snow or a forest, it feels almost like a painting; in the Greek style, wreathed in fire, it's a battle cry.

Father and son

The heart of the modern games is Kratos and Atreus: a father who doesn't know how to show love and a son who doesn't know he's a god. Their journey, arguments, lessons, quiet moments by the fire, is what made players cry. A design of the two of them together, looking out over the realms, is the most meaningful God of War rug there is, and a fitting gift between fathers and sons who played the games together.

The Leviathan Axe and the Blades of Chaos

Few game weapons are as satisfying as the Leviathan Axe: frost-covered, rune-etched, thrown across a battlefield and recalled with a flick of the wrist. The Blades of Chaos, twin flaming blades on chains, are its fiery opposite. Weapon designs work beautifully as shaped rugs, cut to the outline of the axe head or the curve of a blade, through our shaped rugs, or as a striking center image on a rectangle.

The Nine Realms

The Norse games stretch across the realms of Yggdrasil, and each has its own color and mood:

• Midgard, the snowy forests and the Lake of Nine.
• Alfheim, the glowing realm of light elves.
• Helheim, frozen, grey and silent.
• Muspelheim, fire, lava and black rock.
• Vanaheim, lush, overgrown and green.
• Svartalfheim, the dwarves' mines and machinery.
• Jötunheim, the land of giants, and Asgard, the walled city of the Æsir.

A realm-inspired rug lets you pick a palette for a room: Alfheim's glow for a bedroom, Muspelheim's embers for a dark game room, Midgard's snow and pine for a cabin-style living room.

Runes and Norse knotwork

The modern games are covered in Norse runes and carved knotwork, on doors, shrines, weapons and the giants' murals that tell the story's secrets. Runes and knotwork make some of the most elegant God of War rugs, closer to Scandinavian folk design than to game art. They suit a living room or a study where a character portrait would feel too much, and look right at home beside dark wood, wool throws and candlelight.

The World Serpent and the gods

Jörmungandr, the World Serpent, rising from the Lake of Nine is one of the series' most breathtaking sights. Thor with his hammer, Odin with his raven, Freya and her magic, Baldur, the god who can't feel anything, and the dwarf brothers Brok and Sindri round out the cast. A World Serpent design, coiled around a round rug, is a beautiful, dramatic piece for a game room or a man cave.

Faye and the giants

The whole Norse journey begins with a loss. Faye, Kratos's late wife and Atreus's mother, carved the hand-marked trees that frame the opening of the 2018 game, and her story, and the giants' murals that hide prophecies in carved stone, slowly reveal how much she knew. Designs inspired by those painted murals, with their flat colors and folk-art figures, are among the most beautiful in the series: storytelling in pigment, made for fans who want something quieter than a battle.

The music

Bear McCreary's score for the 2018 game, with its Nordic choirs, deep drums and the haunting main theme, is a big part of why the Norse games feel so mythic. Fans play it while working, reading and driving. A rune-carved or realm-inspired rug in a music corner, beside a record player or a set of speakers, is a quiet tribute to it, and a reminder of the first time that choir swelled over the Lake of Nine.

Mimir and the companions

Mimir, the talking head on Kratos's belt, is the series' storyteller and comic relief, endlessly cheerful about having been decapitated. He, the dwarves and the giants' murals give the Norse games their warmth. A Mimir design is a funny, affectionate choice for fans who loved the boat rides as much as the boss fights.

A PlayStation room

God of War is one of PlayStation's flagship series, and a rug from it is a natural anchor for a PlayStation-themed setup. Pair it with cool blue accent lighting, a figure of Kratos and Atreus on a shelf and a framed print of the realms. If your shelf also holds The Last of Us or Ghost of Tsushima, God of War makes the boldest centerpiece. Under the gaming chair, choose Standard in 3.3×5 or 4×6 ft: its 5 mm crushed velvet on a non-slip faux leather back lets wheels roll freely.

Man caves and cabins

God of War's Norse look, axes, runes, fur, firelight, is a natural fit for a man cave, a home bar or a cabin-style den. A large rug in Premium velvet, 7 mm plush on a bamboo and cotton back, feels heavy and warm underfoot in 5×7 ft. Pair it with leather, dark wood and a lantern-style lamp. For more ideas, see our man cave rugs.

Sizes and levels

Under a gaming chair, choose Standard in 3.3×5 or 4×6 ft. In a living room or den, choose Premium in 5×7 ft. A rune circle or World Serpent design on a 4.6 to 5.2 ft (140 to 160 cm) round rug makes a striking centerpiece, and a Leviathan Axe cut to shape suits the floor beside a display shelf.

Gifts

A God of War rug is a strong gift for a PlayStation player, and an especially meaningful one between a parent and child who played the Norse games together. If you aren't sure which era they love, the Norse saga with Kratos and Atreus is the safest choice for most players today. Every rug is printed to order in 1–3 business days and ships from Turkey; US delivery usually takes 2–5 business days after that.

Care

Vacuum on a low setting each week, blot spills with cold water straight away and wash the rug on a gentle, cold cycle when it needs it; let it air dry flat. The design is printed into the fibers, so the frost stays blue and the embers stay bright through years of use.

A note on the series

Brok and Sindri's forge

The dwarf brothers Brok and Sindri, the bickering blacksmiths who forged Mjölnir in Norse myth, upgrade Kratos' gear throughout the Norse saga, one rough and blue-skinned, the other fastidious and afraid of germs. A rug of their forge, glowing anvil, hammer and runes carved into stone, suits a workshop corner, a man cave or a desk where players spend more time upgrading than fighting.

Padrift is an independent studio. God of War and its characters are named to describe what our designs are inspired by; we are not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by Sony Interactive Entertainment or Santa Monica Studio.