Which 2013 God of War game serves as a prequel to the original trilogy?

God of War: Ascension is the 2013 game that serves as a prequel to the original God of War trilogy.

The story takes place six months after Kratos kills his wife and daughter, an event that begins his tragic break with Ares. Kratos has been imprisoned by the Furies for breaking his blood oath to the former god of war, and the game follows his escape and growing resistance.

Ascension was developed by Santa Monica Studio and released for PlayStation 3. It is the earliest chronological chapter in the main Greek-era storyline, showing Kratos before he becomes the god of war and before the events of the 2005 original.

Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta are also prequel stories, but they were released for the PlayStation Portable and cover different periods in Kratos's life. Betrayal was a mobile game released in 2007. Ascension is the 2013 PlayStation 3 prequel with the specific relationship to the original trilogy asked here.