God of War Laufey Collector’s Edition Deliberately Excludes the Game

I won’t let this become the new norm. No matter how often it occurs, it’s utterly absurd, and we need to keep calling it out. The God of War Laufey Collector Box has been unveiled, featuring a light-up statue, a 51-card deck, and an art book—but no actual game. Priced around $130 (with the U.S. price still under wraps, while the UK version is set at £130), you’ll need to shell out an additional $70 if you want to actually play the game this box is supposedly celebrating.

Initially spotted on the Spanish PlayStation Store, the Caja de Coleccionista de God of War Laufey leaked early, with other regions following suit, though the U.S. has yet to weigh in. Inside the box, you’ll find a resin statue of Faye battling foes with her long sword, complete with a purple ribbon and illuminated blue cubes for that extra flair. There’s also a deck of Oracle cards—51 in total—each featuring unique artwork inspired by Faye’s journey and supposedly capable of Everywhen magic. And, of course, there’s the obligatory “mini artbook,” because for over $100, a full-sized one is just too much to ask. In the end, you’re left with a pricey statue, a deck of cards, and a pamphlet, all the more ridiculous considering you still haven’t purchased the game itself.

In comparison, God of War Laufey’s offering seems almost reasonable next to Rockstar’s announcement of a $400 GTA 6 collector’s edition that also lacks the game. Yet, this practice remains utterly ridiculous, especially when it boils down to the simple act of including a piece of paper with a code. Given that the items in the box likely cost no more than about $60 to produce, it’s disheartening that the game isn’t included by default, aside from the inherent oddity of the situation. And unlike GTA 6, Laufey is getting a physical release.

This situation is even stranger considering the chaos surrounding the last God of War’s launch. 2023’s Ragnarok had two far superior special editions—the Collector’s and the Jötnar Edition—both of which were supposed to come with a download code for the full game and, inexplicably, a steelbook case that didn’t hold a disc. It got worse when people found out the download code was missing. While Sony worked to fix that error, three years later, this absence seems entirely intentional.

As for why this happens, one possible explanation is cost-cutting. When selling the game across multiple consoles, you need to create different versions of the collector’s edition, leading to various SKUs and box designs. However, Laufey is a PS5 exclusive, so that reasoning doesn’t apply here. It feels more like a test to see how much they can get away with while still raking in profits. At least this time, the box doesn’t include a disc case without a disc.