{"id":1795167,"date":"2026-02-26T17:32:44","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T14:32:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1795167"},"modified":"2026-02-26T17:32:44","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T14:32:44","slug":"following-fan-backlash-god-of-war-sons-of-spartas-two-player-roguelike-challenge-mode-can-now-be-accessed-from-the-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1795167","title":{"rendered":"Following fan backlash, God of War: Sons of Sparta&#8217;s two-player roguelike challenge mode can now be accessed from the off"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/god-of-war-sons-of-sparta\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      God of War Sons of Sparta<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">Following fan backlash, God of War: Sons of Sparta&#8217;s two-player roguelike challenge mode can now be accessed from the off<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">Kratos a coin to your pitcher.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/Screenshot-from-God-of-War-Son's-of-Sparta-The-Pit-challenge-mode.jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Screenshot from God of War Son's of Sparta The Pit challenge mode\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"Screenshot-from-God-of-War-Son's-of-Sparta-The-Pit-challenge-mode.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Sony<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Victoria Phillips Kennedy avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/1644925423.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"180\" height=\"179\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Victoria Phillips Kennedy avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"1644925423.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"180\" height=\"179\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/victoria-kennedy\">Victoria Phillips Kennedy<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      News Reporter<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-02-26T17:32:44+00:00\">Feb. 26, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<div class=\"comments\">\n      <a class=\"comments__link comments-bubble\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/following-fan-backlash-god-of-war-sons-of-spartas-two-player-roguelike-challenge-mode-can-now-be-accessed-from-the-off?view=comments\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n          4 comments<br \/>\n      <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mypop-header-wrapper\">\n<p><button class=\"mypop-button button wide\" data-state=\"follow\" data-type=\"tag\" data-uuid=\"9fa71da5-889b-4701-be45-8cf68fd25406\" data-name=\"God of War Sons of Sparta\" data-follow-text=\"Follow God of War Sons of Sparta\" data-unfollow-text=\"Following God of War Sons of Sparta\" data-aria-follow-text=\"Follow God of War Sons of Sparta\" data-aria-unfollow-text=\"Following God of War Sons of Sparta\" data-popup=\"true\" data-force-login=\"true\" aria-label=\"Follow God of War Sons of Sparta\" title=\"Follow God of War Sons of Sparta\"><br \/>\n  Follow God of War Sons of Sparta<br \/>\n<\/button>          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>The team behind 2D side-scroller God of War: Sons of Sparta has shared details on how to access the game&#8217;s two player co-op content without finishing the main story first.<\/p>\n<p>God of War: Sons of Sparta was announced and shadow dropped earlier this month on PS5. Developed by Mega Cat Studios in partnership with Sony Santa Monica, it is a retro-inspired canon story all about Kratos and his brother Deimos in their youth at training at the Spartan Agoge (which was very &#8220;brutal&#8221;).<\/p>\n<p><!-- code from Primis - Eurogamer.net - eurogamer.net --><\/p>\n<div class=\"primis_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"primis_video\">\n<p><span class=\"embed_placeholder\" data-type=\"targeting\"><br \/>\n<span class=\"message\">To see this content please enable targeting cookies.<\/span><br \/>\n<button class=\"optanon-show-settings link\"><br \/>\nManage cookie settings<\/button><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- code from Primis --><\/p>\n<p>On its debut earlier this year, many had assumed the game would be able to be played in single player, or as a two-player co-op experience, due to the wording on the PlayStation Store which said the game was suitable for &#8220;1-2 players&#8221;. However, it turned out this was only partly accurate, as the co-op gameplay was actually a roguelike challenge mode which was only accessible <em>after <\/em>Sons of Sparta&#8217;s main story had been completed.<\/p>\n<p>This led to a certain amount of disappointment among the God of War community. Comments like &#8220;this might be legit false advertising&#8221; and &#8220;locking co op behind beating the full story is such a weird call&#8221; soon <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SonySantaMonica\/status\/2022393739986244098\">peppered Sony Santa Monica and Mega Cat Studio&#8217;s social media<\/a>. But, it now seems that the Sons of Sparta team has heard these cries, and sought to remedy the situation by providing a code players can enter on the start menu which will unlock the separate endgame roguelike challenge mode from the off.<\/p>\n<p>And that code? Well, it&#8217;s:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, L1, R1, Touchpad<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you pop that in, you will then get a new option on your menu which will allow you to access Sons of Sparta&#8217;s The Pit of Agonies, which can be played solo or in two-player local co-op.<\/p>\n<p>As for what The Pit of Agonies is all about, well the reason the team initially decided to keep it as endgame content is because it is apparently very difficult. But, if you are up for it, this challenge mode will present you with different enemies and reward pools each time you play. You can check out a trailer about it all below.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"God of War Sons of Sparta - The Pit | PS5 Games\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5oqO5WuxoVE?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/5oqO5WuxoVE\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">God of War Sons of Sparta &#8211; The Pit | PS5 Games<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>God of War Sons of Sparta &#8211; The Pit | PS5 Games. <a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5oqO5WuxoVE\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As well as this Sons of Sparta, the original God of War trilogy is getting remade. However, this particular project is still in the early days of development, so don&#8217;t expect anything more soon. &#8220;As we look to the future, we also want to invest in the past and tend to the series&#8217; roots that got us to where we are today,&#8221; Sony said earlier this month, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/god-of-war-goes-2d-with-pixelated-sons-of-sparta-which-is-out-right-now-as-original-ps2-trilogy-eyes-up-the-remake-treatment\">announcing the remakes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We know that remaking the Greek saga has been a frequent request \u2013 the genuine, passionate interest from fans to see the original games return is something we&#8217;re very thankful for and can\u2019t wait to share more when the time comes!&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>The team behind 2D side-scroller God of War: Sons of Sparta has shared details on how to access the game&#8217;s two player co-op content without finishing the main story first.<\/p>\n<p>God of War: Sons of Sparta was announced and shadow dropped earlier this month on PS5. Developed by Mega Cat Studios in partnership with Sony Santa Monica, it is a retro-inspired canon story all about Kratos and his brother Deimos in their youth at training at the Spartan Agoge (which was very &#8220;brutal&#8221;).<\/p>\n<p><!-- code from Primis - Eurogamer.net - eurogamer.net --><\/p>\n<div class=\"primis_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"primis_video\">\n<p><span class=\"embed_placeholder\" data-type=\"targeting\"><br \/>\n<span class=\"message\">To see this content please enable targeting cookies.<\/span><br \/>\n<button class=\"optanon-show-settings link\"><br \/>\nManage cookie settings<\/button><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- code from Primis --><\/p>\n<p>On its debut earlier this year, many had assumed the game would be able to be played in single player, or as a two-player co-op experience, due to the wording on the PlayStation Store which said the game was suitable for &#8220;1-2 players&#8221;. However, it turned out this was only partly accurate, as the co-op gameplay was actually a roguelike challenge mode which was only accessible <em>after <\/em>Sons of Sparta&#8217;s main story had been completed.<\/p>\n<p>This led to a certain amount of disappointment among the God of War community. Comments like &#8220;this might be legit false advertising&#8221; and &#8220;locking co op behind beating the full story is such a weird call&#8221; soon <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SonySantaMonica\/status\/2022393739986244098\">peppered Sony Santa Monica and Mega Cat Studio&#8217;s social media<\/a>. But, it now seems that the Sons of Sparta team has heard these cries, and sought to remedy the situation by providing a code players can enter on the start menu which will unlock the separate endgame roguelike challenge mode from the off.<\/p>\n<p>And that code? Well, it&#8217;s:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, L1, R1, Touchpad<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you pop that in, you will then get a new option on your menu which will allow you to access Sons of Sparta&#8217;s The Pit of Agonies, which can be played solo or in two-player local co-op.<\/p>\n<p>As for what The Pit of Agonies is all about, well the reason the team initially decided to keep it as endgame content is because it is apparently very difficult. But, if you are up for it, this challenge mode will present you with different enemies and reward pools each time you play. You can check out a trailer about it all below.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"God of War Sons of Sparta - The Pit | PS5 Games\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5oqO5WuxoVE?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/5oqO5WuxoVE\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">God of War Sons of Sparta &#8211; The Pit | PS5 Games<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>God of War Sons of Sparta &#8211; The Pit | PS5 Games. <a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5oqO5WuxoVE\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As well as this Sons of Sparta, the original God of War trilogy is getting remade. However, this particular project is still in the early days of development, so don&#8217;t expect anything more soon. &#8220;As we look to the future, we also want to invest in the past and tend to the series&#8217; roots that got us to where we are today,&#8221; Sony said earlier this month, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/god-of-war-goes-2d-with-pixelated-sons-of-sparta-which-is-out-right-now-as-original-ps2-trilogy-eyes-up-the-remake-treatment\">announcing the remakes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We know that remaking the Greek saga has been a frequent request \u2013 the genuine, passionate interest from fans to see the original games return is something we&#8217;re very thankful for and can\u2019t wait to share more when the time comes!&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News God of War Sons of Sparta Following fan backlash, God of War: Sons of Sparta&#8217;s two-player roguelike challenge mode can now be accessed from the off Kratos a coin to your pitcher. Image credit: Sony News by Victoria Phillips Kennedy News Reporter Published on Feb. 26, 2026 4 comments Follow God of War [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-1795167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1795167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1795167"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1795167\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1795167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1795167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1795167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}