Best Norse Mythology Video Games
A guide to the greatest video games based on Norse mythology, from God of War to Assassin's Creed Valhalla to Hellblade, with the myths they draw on.
Norse mythology has been a major source of inspiration for video games since the 1980s, with a particular explosion of interest in the 2010s and 2020s, when the success of the God of War series, the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla game, the Hellblade series, and many other games have made the Norse tradition one of the most important sources for the modern video-game industry. The most prominent Norse-themed video games of the modern era include God of War (2005, 2010, 2018, 2022), Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (2020), Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (2017) and Hellblade II: Senua’s Saga (2024), Nier: Automata (which is not specifically Norse but draws on Norse elements), Valheim (2021), Jotun (2015), Tyr: Chains of Valhalla (2018), and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (which has significant Norse elements). This page surveys the most important Norse-themed video games and the myths they draw on.
The God of War Series
The God of War series, developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, is the most famous Norse-themed video game franchise. The series began in 2005 with a game set in Greek mythology, but the 2018 reboot (God of War) and its 2022 sequel (God of War: Ragnarök) are set in the Norse world, with the protagonist Kratos (a Greek demigod) and his son Atreus (whose identity as the Norse god Loki is gradually revealed) traveling through the world of the Norse gods.
The 2018 God of War draws on a wide range of Norse sources. The character of Baldur (the son of Odin) appears in the game as the antagonist, the figure of Mimir (Odin’s advisor, the keeper of the well of wisdom) is one of Kratos’s companions, and the world tree of Norse cosmology, Yggdrasil, is the central structure of the in-game world. The game is a tour of the Norse mythological landscape, with the players encountering figures and themes drawn directly from the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda.
The 2022 sequel, God of War: Ragnarök, deals with the events leading up to the Norse apocalypse. The game is structured around the figure of Ragnarok, the end of the world in Norse mythology, and the game’s narrative is a direct retelling of the Norse eschatology. The game features figures such as Thor, Odin, Freya, Tyr, and the world-serpent Jörmungandr, and the game uses the Norse sources as the foundation for its narrative and its imagery.
The God of War series is, in this sense, the most thorough modern adaptation of the Norse mythological corpus, and the series has been one of the most critically acclaimed in the video-game industry. The 2018 God of War won multiple Game of the Year awards, and the 2022 sequel has been similarly successful. The series has, in turn, made the Norse tradition newly visible to a generation of video-game players.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft, is the twelfth major installment in the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Released in 2020, the game is set in the Viking Age, in the 9th century, and follows the protagonist Eivor (a Viking raider) through the Anglo-Saxon invasion of England and the wider Viking world.
The game draws on the historical and mythological sources of the Viking Age. The historical sources include the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the Vita Ansgari of Rimbert, and the surviving archaeological record of the Viking Age. The mythological sources include the Prose Edda, the Poetic Edda, the Völsunga saga, and the wider Norse mythological corpus. The game’s narrative includes encounters with figures such as Odin, Thor, Freyja, Loki, the Valkyries, and the world-serpent, and the game’s imagery is drawn directly from the surviving Norse iconography.
The game is set, in part, in the Asgard of the Norse imagination, and the game’s narrative is structured around the figure of the Norse god Odin. The game is a major source of the modern popular image of the Viking Age, and it has been one of the best-selling video games of the modern era. The game is, in this sense, a major source of the modern popular engagement with the Norse tradition.
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice and Hellblade II: Senua’s Saga
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, developed by Ninja Theory and published in 2017, is a critically acclaimed action-adventure game that draws on the Norse and Celtic traditions. The protagonist, Senua, is a Pict warrior who travels to the Norse underworld, Helheim, in order to retrieve the soul of her dead lover. The game is a profound meditation on mental illness, with the game developers working with neuroscientists and with people who experience psychosis to represent the experience of the protagonist.
The 2024 sequel, Hellblade II: Senua’s Saga, continues the narrative of Senua, and the game is set in the Viking Age Iceland of the sagas. The game draws on the Saga of the Ynglingar and on the wider Norse mythological corpus, and the game is one of the most visually striking in the modern video-game industry.
The Hellblade series is, in this sense, a major modern engagement with the Norse tradition, and the series is a major source of the modern popular image of the Viking Age. The series is also a focus of academic study, with the game’s representations of mental illness being studied in the context of the wider cultural representation of mental illness.
Valheim
Valheim, developed by Iron Gate Studio and published by Coffee Stain Studios, is a survival-crafting game released in early access in 2021. The game is set in a procedurally generated world based on the Norse mythological landscape, with the player taking on the role of a fallen Viking warrior who must prove himself worthy of Valhalla.
The game is, in part, a Viking-themed survival game, with the player gathering resources, building shelters, and fighting monsters drawn directly from the Norse corpus. The monsters of the game include the Eikthyr (a giant stag with antlers of lightning), the Ancient One (a giant tree-being), the Bonemass (a giant blob of bone), the Moder (a great dragon), and the Yagluth (a fire giant of the southern realm). The game is a major source of the modern popular engagement with the Norse tradition, and the game has been one of the most successful survival-crafting games of the modern era.
Jotun
Jotun, developed by Thunder Lotus Games and published in 2015, is an action-adventure game that draws on the Norse mythological tradition. The protagonist, Thora, is a Viking warrior who has died an inglorious death and who must prove herself worthy of Valhalla by defeating the Jötnar (the giants of Norse mythology). The game is a beautiful hand-drawn representation of the Norse world, with the player fighting through five major bosses — Vignir, the Slime God; Glöð, the Fire Giant; Brúðr, the Ice Mother; Ægir, the Sea Serpent; and Jörmungandr, the World Serpent.
The game is, in this sense, a major modern engagement with the Norse mythological tradition, and the game has been widely discussed in modern scholarship. The game is one of the most visually striking in the modern video-game industry, with its hand-drawn art style drawing directly on the medieval Scandinavian sources.
Tyr: Chains of Valhalla
Tyr: Chains of Valhalla, developed by Enplex Games and published in 2018, is a mobile role-playing game that draws on the Norse mythological tradition. The protagonist is the Norse god Týr, who has been freed from a long imprisonment and who must reassert his place in the Norse cosmos. The game is, in part, a retelling of the Norse mythological narrative, with the player taking on the role of Týr and fighting through the nine worlds of Norse cosmology.
The game is a major source of the modern popular engagement with the Norse tradition, and the game has been widely discussed in modern scholarship. The game is one of the most popular Norse-themed mobile games of the modern era, and it has been a major source of the modern popular image of the Norse cosmos.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, developed by CD Projekt Red and published in 2015, is the third major installment in the Witcher franchise. The game is set in a world based on the medieval Slavic and Germanic traditions, and the game draws on a wide range of mythological sources, including the Norse, the Celtic, and the Slavic.
The Norse elements of the game include the figure of the Wild Hunt (a band of spectral riders drawn from the Celtic and Germanic traditions), the figure of the Crones (a trio of wise women who control the events of the world), and the figure of the Lodge of Sorceresses (a council of magic-users). The game is, in this sense, a major source of the modern popular engagement with the Norse tradition, and the game has been widely discussed in modern scholarship.
The game is one of the most critically acclaimed in the video-game industry, with the 2015 release winning multiple Game of the Year awards. The game has, in turn, made the Norse tradition newly visible to a generation of video-game players, and the game has been a major source of the modern popular image of the medieval Northern European world.
Vikings: Wolves of Midgard
Vikings: Wolves of Midgard, developed by Games Farm and published in 2017, is an action role-playing game that draws on the Norse mythological tradition. The game is set in the Viking Age, and the protagonist is a Viking warrior who must fight against the giants of Norse mythology. The game is, in part, a retelling of the Norse mythological narrative, with the player taking on the role of a Viking hero and fighting through the nine worlds of Norse cosmology.
The game is, in this sense, a major source of the modern popular engagement with the Norse tradition, and the game has been widely discussed in modern scholarship. The game is one of the most popular Norse-themed action role-playing games of the modern era, and it has been a major source of the modern popular image of the Viking Age.
Senua’s Saga and the Wider Representation of the Norse
In addition to the games listed above, there are many other modern video games that draw on the Norse tradition. The Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, the Diablo series, and many other major franchises have included Norse-themed content. The Skyrim game of the Elder Scrolls series (2011) is set in a world with significant Norse elements, and the God of War series has set the standard for the modern Norse-themed video game.
The Norse tradition has, in this sense, become a major source of the modern video-game industry. The image of the Norse as a place of beauty, of heroism, of great danger, has inspired the modern video-game industry, and the Norse tradition has been the subject of modern interpretation. The reading appears in the medieval sources, and has been treated in modern scholarship.
The Norse Tradition and the Future of Gaming
The Norse tradition is likely to continue to be a major source of the modern video-game industry. The success of the God of War series, the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla game, the Hellblade series, and many other games has made the Norse tradition a major source of the modern video-game industry, and the tradition is likely to continue to be a focus of modern engagement.
The image of the Norse as a place of wisdom, of heroism, of great beauty and great terror, has inspired the modern video-game industry, and the image is likely to continue to be a focus of modern engagement. The reading appears in the medieval sources, and has been the subject of modern interpretation. The Norse tradition is, in this sense, one of the most important sources of the modern video-game industry, and it is likely to continue to be so for the foreseeable future.