PS4 port of PS5 first-party exclusive leaks in PlayStation's strangest move of 2026

PlayStation could be bringing the worst-reviewed game in the God of War series to PS4, just months after its surprise PS5 release earlier this year, making it one of Sony's strangest decisions of 2026.

It's fair to say that 2026 has been a stellar year for video games, giving us the likes of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake, Resident Evil Requiem, Big Walk and more. However, this year's God of War release hasn't quite enjoyed the same success.

Developed by Mega Cat Studios with support from Santa Monica Studio, God of War: Sons of Sparta is a 2D Metroidvania-inspired prequel featuring a young Kratos and his brother Deimos. It's also the earliest entry in the God of War timeline, but its lukewarm reception makes this potential PS4 port particularly surprising.

God of War: Sons of Sparta looks set for surprise PS4 release following new leak

According to the reliable X account PlayStation Game Size, God of War: Sons of Sparta could be heading to PlayStation 4, despite originally launching as a PS5 exclusive earlier this year.

However, what makes this potential decision even more surprising isn't just that it's the worst-reviewed game in the series, but that Sony has largely moved away from releasing or porting its first-party exclusives to the last-generation PS4.

This also comes at a time when Sony has confirmed that physical disc production for new PlayStation games will end in January 2028, while reports suggest the company is also scaling back its plans to bring first-party single-player games to PC. So, why would Sony reportedly bring God of War: Sons of Sparta to PS4?

At this time, we can only speculate, especially as PlayStation Game Size hasn't provided any further details, including a potential release date or download size. That being said, the PS5 version is just under 6.5GB, so it's reasonable to expect a similarly modest download on PS4, although this hasn't been confirmed.

Perhaps the decision could be related to the game's reportedly modest sales. According to estimates published by Alinea Analytics in June 2026, the digital-only God of War: Sons of Sparta had sold around 132,000 copies.

That might seem low by typical God of War standards, but for a smaller-scale, essentially indie-style game that was shadow-dropped, it's not necessarily the worst sales figure in the world. Perhaps bringing God of War: Sons of Sparta to PS4 could give the game a welcome sales boost before 2026 comes to an end.

As for its reception, on the review aggregator Metacritic, God of War: Sons of Sparta has a critic score of 64 and a user score of 6.0. By comparison, the next lowest-rated mainline entry is the 2013 PS3 prequel God of War: Ascension, which scored 80, highlighting just how differently this latest spin-off has been received.

When could God of War: Sons of Sparta be released on PS4?

Unfortunately, just like the original leak, we can only speculate for now, with Sony yet to officially announce a PS4 version or confirm a release date.

However, if Sony is looking to give the game a sales boost, God of War: Sons of Sparta could potentially arrive before the end of 2026. Who knows, perhaps it'll follow the same strategy as its PS5 release and shadow-drop like an RKO out of nowhere.