It’s a perfect time to revisit the God of War studio’s awesome debut game

Could 2026 be the year that we get a new God of War game? For the past year, rumors have swirled that Sony’s Santa Monica Studio is cooking up something new — a collection, a spinoff, a new entry, you name it — for its flagship series. Regardless of whether any speculation is true, it’s safe to assume that the studio behind the series is working on something considering that it has exclusively developed God of War games since 2005.

While I won’t say no to another rendezvous with Kratos, the certified sicko in me yearns for something completely different from Santa Monica Studio. Forget God of War: It is time to revive Kinetica.

“What the hell is Kinetica?” Thank you so much for asking. Kinetica is the long-forgotten debut game from Santa Monica Studio. Released on the PlayStation 2 in 2001, four years before the first God of War, Kinetica was basically Sony’s stab at F-Zero. It’s a fast-paced, sci-fi racing game where drivers in kinetic suits become human vehicles. While it’s largely only remembered for being the first game to use the engine that would go on to power God of War, Kinetica is a mechanically complex arcade racer that deserves a moment to shine at a time where the genre is once again thriving.

Kinetica looks fairly straightforward at first glance. You compete in “seasons,” which take you through a grand prix of tracks. Outrace opponents, boost, and grab power-ups to win. Simple enough, but there’s some deceptive depth under the hood. For one, a successful race requires some careful maneuvering. Racers are basically human motorcycles who lay stretched out, holding a wheel at each end of their body. That brings some tricky aerodynamics, as taking a turn too wide will spin your racer around like a flag in a gust of wind. Careful, restrained cornering is required, which is unusual for such a fast-paced racer.

The tricks stack up from there. If you break while taking a turn, you can press the accelerate button twice to get a boost and regain the momentum. When you drive over a boost zone, you can absorb and store that boost by holding down the circle button. You can also earn boost by doing tricks in the air, with more complex tricks netting more boost upon a successful landing. There are power-ups like you’d get in Mario Kart too, but you only earn one after collecting five crystals. Those skills only add more depth to the movement, like giving a driver a temporary drafting power that allows them to speed up by driving close behind another racer.

All of that happens on an intricate series of courses that have players riding on walls, turning upside down, and veering down any number of alternate paths. And all of it happens while a high-octane electronica soundtrack thumps in the background. The vibes are off the charts, creating a racing game that feels spiritually linked to modern games like Fast Fusion.

Revisiting it in 2026, I’m struck by how ahead of its time Santa Monica Studio was in 2001. Kinetica isn’t the kind of racing game that you simply pick up and master by holding the accelerate button down. You have to know how gently to press the stick to make a clean turn, or how much air time you’ll have after a jump so you can pull off a risky trick without crashing. It’s a game about racing vehicles, but it’s really about human athleticism. You have to know the limits of your racer’s body and push them to win.

I can’t imagine that Santa Monica Studio is thinking about revisiting it any time soon, but if there was ever a time for a revival, it’s now. 2025 was a renaissance year for arcade racing games thanks to hits like Mario Kart World, Kirby Air Riders, and Sonic Racing: Crossworlds. That momentum is set to continue in 2026 with Star Wars: Galactic Racer, Screamer, and more. Kinetica would fit right in with that trend, filling a gap left behind by F-Zero’s long absence. (Side note: It’s been too long, Nintendo!)

You don’t have to wait for an unlikely revival to try it, though. Kinetica is available for $9.99 on the PlayStation Store, and it’s included with the PlayStation Plus Premium library. If you’re hungry for a new-to-you racing game to sink your teeth into while 2026’s games assemble at the starting line, give it a try. And yes, I am only recommending that you do that so I have more sickos who will beg Sony Santa Monica to take a detour from God of War to bring back an obscure PS2 game. I’m just trying to keep things interesting here.