God of War Sons of Sparta Hermes Mode: Unlock Guide

What Is Hermes Mode?

God of War Sons of Sparta Hermes Mode turns young Kratos’s adventure into a race against the clock, adding dedicated tools for speedrunning. It arrives in the free November 16, 2026, content update for PS4 and PS5. You can unlock it through a completed playthrough or a start-menu code, so finishing the story first is optional.

The mode includes a split-based timer and a persistent scoreboard. Those tools give repeat playthroughs a different goal: improving your pace through the adventure across Laconia.

The update accompanies the PS4 version’s November 16 launch, scheduled for midnight local time. Existing PS5 players receive the new mode through the free content update.

The campaign combines combat, platforming, and puzzles in a 2D Metroidvania. You control a teenage Kratos during his Spartan training, traveling with Deimos to find their missing comrade Vasilis. Sparta serves as the central hub, while the adventure takes the brothers through locations including the Laconian Woods, Oenus Vineyard, and Mount Taygetos.

Official page: God of War Sons of Sparta (playstation.com)

How to Unlock Hermes Mode

There are two ways to gain access:

• Complete the game once to unlock Hermes Mode through normal progression.
• Enter the unlock code at the start menu to access it without completing the campaign first.

Use this exact sequence:

Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, L1, R1, Touchpad

The final three inputs are L1, R1, and Touchpad, in that order. Enter the sequence at the start menu rather than during gameplay.

For the code route, follow these steps when the November 16 update arrives:

1. Install the content update for your PS4 or PS5 version.
2. Enter the sequence at the start menu.
3. Start a new game and select a save slot.
4. Choose Hermes Mode for that save.

If you want to experience the story before chasing times, complete a regular playthrough and use the completion unlock instead.

Using the Speedrunning Tools

The split-based timer breaks timing into segments, making individual parts of a run useful targets for improvement. The persistent scoreboard provides a record to return to between attempts.

Use the splits to focus your practice. Pick a segment where you lose time, practice that stretch, and compare your pace on the next attempt. That gives you a specific goal beyond simply trying to finish the entire game faster.

Keep the two tools’ purposes separate: use the timer to assess your pace during a run and the scoreboard to review your performances afterward.

Kratos’s campaign equipment centers on the Dory spear and Aspis shield, with additional items providing special attacks and magical abilities. Green orbs restore health, blue orbs replenish magic, and gold orbs refill spirit for special weapon abilities. Red blood orbs pay for new offensive and defensive techniques for Dory, Aspis, and the Victory Sandals, and also serve as a crafting resource.

Campaign upgrades also come from olive offerings at temples. Dionysus, Nike, and Hestia increase maximum health, spirit, and magic, respectively. Apollo improves Dory, Artemis improves Aspis, and Demeter improves the Belt of Tyche, which supports gouri attachments.

Choose Your Save Mode Carefully

You select a game mode when starting a new game and choosing a save slot. That save file’s mode cannot be changed afterward. Choose Hermes when creating the save you intend to use for speedrunning.

The same update also introduces Erebus Mode, which presents a different challenge:

Mode	Main challenge	Defining feature
Hermes Mode	Complete the game quickly	Split-based timer and persistent scoreboard
Erebus Mode	Survive one-hit combat	Both Kratos and enemies fall in a single hit

Choose Hermes for timed runs. Choose Erebus for the one-hit challenge, and check your selection before committing to the save slot.

The Pit of Agonies is a separate roguelite challenge that supports solo play as Kratos or offline couch co-op with another player controlling Deimos. Its weapon and ability upgrades last for the current run, while additional rewards unlock permanently. Death returns you to the start of the Pit. The main campaign remains single-player.