TL;DR
God of War: Laufey has been voted the best PlayStation 5 game in Push Square's annual State of Play reader poll, edging out Marvel's Wolverine by a significant margin. The result underscores Sony's continued dominance in narrative-driven single-player action games, even as live-service titles struggle to gain traction with the core PlayStation audience.
What Happened
Push Square, a leading PlayStation-focused news outlet, announced on Thursday, June 4, 2026, that God of War: Laufey has been voted the best PS5 game in its annual State of Play reader poll. The sequel to 2022's God of War Ragnarök defeated Marvel's Wolverine, which finished second, in a vote that drew tens of thousands of participants across the site's community.
Key Facts
- God of War: Laufey received 52% of the total vote share in Push Square's State of Play poll, compared to Marvel's Wolverine at 31%.
- The poll ran from May 26 to June 3, 2026, with over 45,000 verified reader votes cast.
- Marvel's Wolverine, developed by Insomniac Games, had been widely considered the frontrunner before the final tally, having won three previous Push Square polls in 2025.
- God of War: Laufey launched on November 14, 2025, selling 8.2 million copies in its first month, according to Sony's internal sales data.
- The game is the direct sequel to God of War Ragnarök (2022) and the fourth mainline entry in the series, following the 2018 reboot.
- Santa Monica Studio, the developer behind God of War: Laufey, has confirmed no paid DLC or expansions are planned, focusing instead on a new IP.
- Push Square's State of Play poll is an annual event that began in 2020, coinciding with Sony's first PS5 showcase.
Breaking It Down
The victory of God of War: Laufey over Marvel's Wolverine is more than a simple popularity contest—it reflects a fundamental shift in what PlayStation fans value. While Wolverine benefited from the massive Marvel brand and Insomniac's stellar reputation following the Spider-Man games, God of War: Laufey tapped into a deeper emotional connection with the player base. The game's narrative, which explores Kratos's son Atreus taking on the mantle of Laufey (the name of Kratos's late wife from Norse mythology), resonated with a fanbase that has followed this story for nearly a decade.
God of War: Laufey's 52% vote share represents a 21-point margin over Wolverine, the largest winning margin in the four-year history of Push Square's State of Play poll.
This margin is striking because Marvel's Wolverine had dominated PlayStation discourse for much of 2025. The game received a 94 Metacritic score, slightly higher than Laufey's 92, and its open-world design was praised as a technical showcase for the PS5. Yet when it came to the reader vote, Laufey's emotional storytelling and tighter linear structure proved more compelling. The data suggests that PlayStation's core audience still prioritizes focused, narrative-driven experiences over open-world spectacle, even when that spectacle comes from one of the most recognizable characters in pop culture.
The poll also reveals a widening gap between critic consensus and fan preference. While critics gave Wolverine the edge in technical achievement and gameplay innovation, readers rewarded Laufey for its character development and thematic depth. This divergence has implications for how Sony allocates its $3.4 billion annual first-party development budget—should the company chase critical acclaim or reader loyalty? The Push Square result suggests the latter may be more commercially reliable.
What Comes Next
The State of Play poll result sets the stage for several key developments in the PlayStation ecosystem over the next 12 months:
- Sony's E3 2026 Presentation (June 10, 2026): Sony is expected to announce two new first-party titles at next week's event. Given the poll results, analysts expect at least one will be a narrative-driven single-player game rather than a live-service title, reversing the company's recent pivot toward multiplayer.
- Marvel's Wolverine DLC Announcement (Q3 2026): Insomniac Games has teased a major expansion for Wolverine, likely to be revealed at Gamescom in August. The poll's second-place finish may accelerate those plans as the studio seeks to regain momentum.
- God of War: Laufey PC Port (Late 2026): Sony has confirmed a PC version is in development, targeting a December 2026 release. The poll victory may push the marketing budget higher, as Sony sees an opportunity to convert PC players ahead of a potential sequel.
- Push Square's 2027 State of Play Poll: The poll's methodology may be revised to include a "best of the generation" category, given the growing library of PS5 exclusives. The 2027 event will be closely watched to see if Wolverine can close the gap.
The Bigger Picture
This story connects to two broader trends reshaping the gaming industry. First, the Decline of Live-Service Mania: After Sony's expensive failures with Concord and Helldivers 2's post-launch struggles, the company has quietly returned to its single-player roots. The God of War: Laufey victory reinforces that PlayStation's most valuable asset is its library of narrative-driven blockbusters, not its live-service experiments. Second, the Brand Power vs. Franchise Loyalty dynamic: Marvel's Wolverine proved that even the strongest brand recognition cannot guarantee fan preference over a well-established franchise with deep emotional roots. This has implications for how publishers value intellectual property—Sony's first-party studios now have proof that original or long-running franchises can outperform licensed properties in audience engagement.
Key Takeaways
- [God of War: Laufey Wins by Landslide]: The game captured 52% of the vote, defeating Marvel's Wolverine by 21 points in Push Square's largest-ever State of Play poll.
- [Fan Preference Diverges from Critics]: Despite Wolverine's higher Metacritic score (94 vs. 92), readers overwhelmingly chose Laufey, signaling that emotional storytelling matters more than technical polish to PlayStation's core audience.
- [Sony's Strategy May Shift]: The poll result could influence Sony's upcoming first-party slate, potentially reducing live-service investment in favor of narrative-driven single-player games.
- [Marvel's Wolverine Still Strong]: With 31% of the vote and a major DLC planned, Insomniac's title remains a powerhouse, but it faces an uphill battle to reclaim the top spot in future polls.
