God of War Franchise Offers Free Updates, Avatars and Classic Game for Limited Time

The God of War franchise, celebrating its 20th anniversary, has released several free promotional offerings for fans. These include a content update for God of War: Ragnarok, anniversary-themed avatars with regional redemption codes, and the availability of the original God of War HD at no cost for PlayStation Plus members. These freebies provide fans with various ways to engage with the franchise, whether through new in-game content, profile customization, or accessing classic games.

Dark Odyssey Collection Update for God of War: Ragnarok

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the God of War franchise, Santa Monica Studio released the Dark Odyssey Collection as a free update for God of War: Ragnarok. The update was made available on March 20, coinciding with the franchise's anniversary on March 22. This special collection is accessible to both PlayStation and PC players.

According to the PlayStation blog announcement, the Dark Odyssey Collection is "inspired by the working name of God of War (2005) and the skin that originally appeared in God of War II as a reward for beating the game on God Mode difficulty." The collection features a classic black and gold theme for the 20th anniversary.

Key components of the Dark Odyssey Collection include:

• Exclusive skins for Kratos and Atreus, inspired by their appearances from earlier titles in the franchise
• The Ghost of Sparta skin for Kratos, which is reminiscent of his alternate look in God of War II

This update represents one of the more substantial free offerings from Santa Monica Studio, providing new cosmetic content for players to enhance their gameplay experience in God of War: Ragnarok.

Anniversary Avatars and Redemption Process

In celebration of the God of War franchise's milestone anniversaries, Sony has offered free avatars for PlayStation Network users. These avatars have been distributed during different anniversaries and have specific regional redemption codes.

First Anniversary Avatars

To celebrate the first anniversary of the 2018 God of War release, Sony offered free avatars and a PS4 dynamic theme to all PS4 owners, regardless of whether they owned the game. The dynamic theme featured Kratos and Atreus traversing the Lake of Nine. These were available directly through the PlayStation Store.

20th Anniversary Avatars

For the franchise's 20th anniversary, Santa Monica Studio provided a special PSN avatar that was available in all regions. The avatar required redemption using specific regional codes:

• Americas: F27X-L946-8PTH
• Europe: HMCJ-N3JM-4TT2
• Japan: 6F3K-RR8X-2KEM
• Korea: HRLN-L4AG-88GD
• Asia: 8RC3-DEFT-NJPC

The redemption process varies slightly depending on the platform:

For PS5/PS4: 1. Go to your profile 2. Click Edit (may require password input) 3. Click on Avatar 4. The newly redeemed avatar should appear in the top row

For the PS App: 1. Click on your profile picture/name on the top left 2. Click Edit Profile (may require password input) 3. Click on Avatar 4. The newly redeemed avatar should appear in the top row

Some fans expressed disappointment with the simplicity of the 20th anniversary avatar, having hoped for more substantial offerings such as new game announcements or remasters of the original trilogy. Despite this, the avatar remains a free collectible for PlayStation Network users to personalize their profiles.

Free God of War HD for PlayStation Plus Members

Sony has made the original God of War HD available at no cost for PlayStation Plus members during limited promotional periods. This offering provides subscribers with access to the classic game in high definition running at 60 frames per second, with PS3 Trophies added.

Key details about this free offering include:

• The game is available for PlayStation 3 and PS Vita platforms
• It runs at 60 frames per second in high definition
• The game has been retrofitted with PS3 Trophies
• The offer was limited to a two-week promotional period
• Once claimed, the game remains in the subscriber's library as long as they maintain an active PlayStation Plus membership
• PlayStation Plus costs £39.99 per year (in the UK market) and provides access to at least 14 games at any one time and over 65 games annually

This offering represents a way for new players to experience the origins of the franchise while providing veterans an opportunity to revisit the classic title with enhanced visuals and performance.

Other Free Promotional Offers

Beyond the major offerings mentioned, Sony and Santa Monica Studio have provided various other free items to celebrate the God of War franchise:

• Thank You content for fans who supported the series
• Special commemorative content marking significant milestones in the franchise's history
• Regional-specific promotional items that require code redemption

These smaller promotional items, while less substantial than the content updates or free games, still provide fans with additional ways to engage with the franchise and express their fandom.

Conclusion

The God of War franchise has offered several types of free content to fans over the years, particularly around significant anniversaries. These offerings range from substantial content updates like the Dark Odyssey Collection for Ragnarok to smaller items like avatars and themes. Additionally, Sony has made classic God of War games available at no cost for PlayStation Plus members during promotional periods.

For fans interested in claiming these freebies, the process typically involves either direct downloads from the PlayStation Store or redemption of regional codes through the PlayStation Network. The availability of these offers is often time-limited, so interested players should act promptly when promotions are announced.

While some fans have expressed disappointment that certain anniversary offerings didn't meet their expectations, the variety of free content still provides multiple ways for players to engage with the franchise, whether through new gameplay content, profile customization, or accessing classic titles.

Sources

1. Free God Of War Ragnarok Update Available; Download Dark Odyssey Collection As Freebie
2. God of War celebrates first anniversary with free avatars PS4 theme
3. Claim your God of War 20th anniversary freebie
4. PlayStation Plus free games June 2022 includes God of War
5. PSN codes for God of War 20th anniversary freebie
6. God of War code for free avatar
7. God of War HD - an extra freebie for PlayStation Plus members