God of War: Sons of Sparta on PS5 does have a two‑player local mode, but it is not available during the main campaign. You have to beat the roughly 8–10 hour single‑player story once, then you unlock a separate challenge mode that supports couch co‑op.
| Feature | Main Story | Challenge Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Players | 1 (Solo) | 1–2 (Local Co-op) |
| Character | Kratos only | Kratos + Deimos |
| Unlock | Default | Beat Story First |
| Online? | No | No |
| Goal | Narrative | Survival / Score |
This unlock requirement, combined with marketing that leaned on “join young Kratos and Deimos” and a “1–2 players” tag on the PlayStation Store, has triggered a backlash, with some players accusing Sony and Santa Monica Studio of misleading or false advertising and seeking refunds.
If you bought Sons of Sparta expecting to play the story with a friend from the start, that is not how the game works. You must finish the campaign solo, then you can play the post‑game co‑op challenge mode locally with a second player.
How to unlock co‑op in Sons of Sparta
If you just want to know how to get to the multiplayer, here are the steps.
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Start Sons of Sparta on PS5 and play through the main story in single‑player.
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Finish the entire campaign and roll the credits at least once.
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Return to the main menu after completion.
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Look for the new Challenge Mode option (also referred to as The Pit of Agonies in some guides).
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Select Challenge Mode, then choose to play in local co‑op: Player 1 controls Kratos, Player 2 controls Deimos.
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Note that this mode is offline only; there is no online matchmaking or campaign co‑op.
Expert insight: in practice, this means Sons of Sparta works like a traditional single‑player spin‑off with an unlockable arcade mode on top, not a full “co‑op God of War” you can binge with someone on night one.
Campaign vs co‑op mode: what’s actually different?
Here’s a quick breakdown of how the main story and multiplayer differ.
| Feature | Main Story Campaign | Co‑op Challenge Mode (Pit of Agonies) |
|---|---|---|
| Players supported | 1 (Kratos only) | 1–2 local (Kratos + Deimos) |
| When available | From the start | Only after beating the campaign once |
| Online multiplayer | No | No (couch co‑op only) |
| Progression focus | Linear story levels, narrative beats | Wave/arena‑style challenges, score/survival |
| Platform | PS5 | PS5 |
Why players are calling this “false advertising”
A few specific things lit the fuse here:
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The PS Store listing highlighted “1–2 players” and invited players to “join young Kratos and Deimos,” which many read as a campaign co‑op promise rather than a post‑game side mode.
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Trailers and promotional art leaned hard into both brothers fighting together, visually framing Sons of Sparta as a co‑op God of War experience.
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Sony Santa Monica only clarified a day after the shadow‑drop that co‑op is limited to a challenge mode unlocked after completing the story, which arrived too late for players who had already bought in on day one.
Coop being locked until you beat the games defeats the purpose of coop : sons of Sparta
byu/nealo79 inPS5
Coverage and community posts show multiple buyers saying they picked up the game solely to play through the story with a partner, then felt “cheated” when they learned they needed to clear it solo first, with some explicitly citing “false advertising” in refund requests.
How the community is reacting (and talking refunds)
Reactions fall into a few clear buckets:
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Disappointed co‑op fans: Players who love couch co‑op say locking it until after the first playthrough “defeats the purpose of co‑op” and makes Sons of Sparta feel like it broke an implied promise.
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Refund seekers: Social posts and articles highlight people trying to return the game on PlayStation because they bought it under the assumption of full co‑op and feel misled, though success with refunds seems mixed.
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Design critics: Some commentary points out that tying a brother‑bond story to a solo‑only campaign, then putting co‑op into a disconnected challenge mode, is an odd design choice when players are “craving couch co‑op content these days.”
There is a consistent suggestion from players and press that a simple fix would be a patch that unlocks Challenge Mode from the start, but as of now there is no confirmed plan or date for such an update.
Is Sons of Sparta worth it if you mainly want co‑op?
If you love God of War and are happy with a retro‑style solo spin‑off first, with co‑op as a post‑game bonus, Sons of Sparta can still be a solid purchase. You get a focused 2D campaign, then a replayable local co‑op challenge ladder with Kratos and Deimos once you’re done.
However, if your main goal is to sit down and play through the story with a partner in co‑op, Sons of Sparta is a poor fit right now. There’s no way to share the campaign from the start, no online multiplayer at all, and you have to replay separate challenge content to actually use the two‑player mode.
A good rule of thumb:
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Buy now if: You’re fine soloing the campaign, enjoy post‑game challenge modes, and treat co‑op as extra value you unlock later.
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Wait or skip if: You want a campaign‑first co‑op experience, need online play, or are sensitive to how a game marketed its multiplayer.
Sons of Sparta co‑op alternatives to consider
If this unlock requirement kills the appeal for you, you might be better off with other co‑op‑friendly action games or brawlers that let you jump in together from the start. Several recent and older titles offer straightforward couch or online co‑op campaigns without completion walls, and don’t lock their multiplayer behind finishing the story.
In other words, Sons of Sparta is best approached as a solo God of War side story with a co‑op twist tacked onto the end, not as “the co‑op God of War game” many players assumed they were finally getting.
