"God of War" received "universal acclaim" according to review aggregator Metacritic with a score of 94 out of 100, and a score of 94% from GameRankings. Tom Lane of CNN wrote, ""God of War" is the type of game that makes you remember why you play games in the first place." He said it is addictive and the action is balanced with a modest amount of puzzle and platforming elements. He praised how quickly it progresses and said it "is one of the most violent on the market".