God of War Sons of Sparta is coming to PS4 on November 16 at midnight local time, Santa Monica Studio announced on the PlayStation Blog on November 13, 2026. At the same moment, developer Mega Cat Studios releases a patch with two new modes, Hermes Mode and Erebus Mode, on both PS4 and PS5.
Who Gets What, and When
- PS4 players: the game itself, from November 16 at midnight local time, with both new modes.
- PS5 owners: the two modes arrive in a patch released at the same time as the PS4 version.
- Price: Sony’s post gives no PS4 price and does not say whether buying one version gets you the other. The PS5 version sells for $29.99 on the PlayStation Store, and the Digital Deluxe Edition for $39.99.
Sons of Sparta came out on PS5 in February. It is a retro-inspired 2D action platformer set in Kratos’ youth, as he and his brother Deimos train at the Agoge outside Sparta.
How to Unlock Hermes Mode and Erebus Mode
- Get the patch. On PS5, update the game. On PS4, download it from November 16.
- Start a new game. The mode is picked when you start a new game and choose a save slot.
- Pick carefully. Santa Monica Studio says that once a mode is selected, the mode for that save file cannot be changed.
Hermes Mode is a speedrunning toolkit “with a split-based timer, persistent scoreboard, and more.” It opens after you beat the game for the first time. To skip that, enter this code in the start menu:
Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, L1, R1, Touchpad
Erebus Mode is what the studio calls “the ultimate challenge,” where both you and your enemies fall in a single hit. The post gives no unlock condition for it.
What This Means for Players
PS4 owners who never moved to a PS5 get their first shot at Sons of Sparta, and PS5 players who already finished it now have a reason to start a fresh save. Since a save’s mode is locked once chosen, a finished save stays as it is: Hermes and Erebus runs begin on a new slot.
Sons of Sparta is also the God of War to play while the next big one waits. Santa Monica Studio moved God of War Laufey to a new release date, and we have covered its pre-order bonuses and editions and its $149.99 Collector Box.
The new game also leans on the PlayStation history of a younger Kratos. Antony Del Rio, who voiced him in Ghost of Sparta in 2010, plays the young Kratos again, with TC Carson narrating as the adult. Chains of Olympus is an honorable mention on our best PSP games list, as are God of War and God of War II on our best PS2 games list.
Source: Grace Orlady, Communications Director, Santa Monica Studio, PlayStation Blog, November 13, 2026.