 God of War was first released in North America on March 22 , 2005 , for the PlayStation 2 . After ten years in the service of the Olympian gods , Spartan soldier Kratos is tasked by Athena to find Pandora 's Box ; the key to defeating Ares , the God of War , who is running amok through Athens . A series of flashbacks reveals that Kratos was once the servant of Ares , who saved the Spartan and his army from annihilation in battle , but tricked him into killing his family which forced his metamorphosis into the " Ghost of Sparta " . Kratos eventually finds Pandora 's Box , and after finally killing Ares , he ascends to Mount Olympus to become the new God of War . 
