Tower of God: New World vs. the Webtoon — Story, Canon & Gameplay

Spoiler level: Low. This comparison discusses the opening premise of Tower of God, the game’s storytelling structure, and examples of its original content. It avoids major twists and later plot revelations. Some game stories may contain spoilers if you explore them before reading the corresponding webtoon material.

If you’ve read Tower of God, you may recognize Bam, Khun, Rak, and Rachel in Tower of God: New World.

But seeing familiar characters doesn’t mean you’re experiencing another version of the webtoon chapter by chapter.

New World is a mobile collectible RPG developed by Netmarble N2 and published by Netmarble. It draws on SIU’s Korean webtoon while adding battles, character collection, progression systems, and stories made for the game.

Some content follows the original narrative. Other parts explore possibilities or use characters in ways designed for gameplay.

Here’s what that means for someone who knows the webtoon—or wants to discover it.

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Is Tower of God: New World a Sequel to the Webtoon?

No. Tower of God: New World is an official game adaptation of the franchise, not the next season of SIU’s main webtoon.

The original Korean comic is 신의 탑 (Tower of God), created by SIU and serialized on Naver WEBTOON.

The game’s Korean title is 신의 탑: 새로운 세계, meaning Tower of God: New World.

The words New World identify a different way of experiencing the property. They don’t mean that SIU’s main webtoon has restarted under a new title.

The original story follows Bam as he enters the Tower in pursuit of Rachel and encounters an increasingly complex world of tests, relationships, and conflicting ambitions.

The game uses that setting for an interactive experience.

Netmarble’s official introduction describes a mixture of story content, strategic battles, character collection, and progression.

That distinction is the starting point for understanding how the two relate.

1. Following Bam’s Journey vs. Building Your Own Team

In the webtoon, the story unfolds through SIU’s chosen sequence of episodes.

Readers follow the characters as their circumstances, relationships, and understanding of the Tower develop.

You can’t decide which characters appear together in a particular scene or rearrange the events of the original narrative.

The game offers a different kind of involvement.

In New World, players assemble teams from collectible characters and use them to progress through battles.

Netmarble’s official guide distinguishes Adventure Mode from Story Mode.

Adventure Mode centers on team-based battles and stage progression.

Story Mode presents the narrative material associated with the Tower. According to Netmarble’s guide, it unlocks after progressing through the early Adventure stages.

So the story and the battle progression are connected, but they aren’t the same activity.

The webtoon asks you to follow a narrative. The game also asks you to manage a team and advance through playable challenges.

That creates two different kinds of progress within the same fictional setting.

2. The Game Has Original Stories, Not Just a Retelling

One of the most important differences is easy to miss.

New World includes material created specifically for the game.

Netmarble has explicitly described some of this material as original story content.

For example, its September 2023 announcement introduced Same Goal, Different Purpose, an original story focusing on an early part of Rachel’s journey.

The announcement presented it as additional narrative material rather than simply another numbered installment of the main webtoon.

That makes a practical difference for readers.

A game-exclusive story can explore another viewpoint or an imagined situation, but its existence doesn’t automatically mean the corresponding event appeared in SIU’s published comic.

It also doesn’t establish that every game-original detail must be treated as a confirmed event in the main continuity.

The game can provide an additional perspective on the setting without replacing the original source.

If you’re mainly interested in Bam’s story as SIU originally presented it, the WEBTOON remains the primary reading path.

If you’re curious about additional material created for the game, New World offers something different to explore.

3. Shinsu Links Are a Game System, Not a Webtoon Chapter

Here’s another distinction worth understanding.

In Korean, the word 신수 (shinsu) is part of the original Tower of God setting.

It belongs to the fictional world’s terminology and is associated with the abilities and environment of the Tower.

New World uses the familiar name in one of its progression systems: Shinsu Link.

According to Netmarble’s official game guide, Shinsu Links provide levels and ranks that apply to characters assigned to the corresponding team slots.

Players improve these links using in-game resources.

That’s a game mechanic.

It shouldn’t automatically be interpreted as a newly revealed rule about how Shinsu works in the original webtoon’s narrative.

The name creates a connection to the source material, but the system serves a particular gameplay purpose.

This distinction is useful because Korean webtoon games often adapt familiar terms into mechanics that players can manage.

A concept that belongs to a story’s world may become the name of a resource, a progression system, or a combat feature.

The two uses can be related without being identical.

If you want to understand Shinsu as a part of the fictional world, begin with the webtoon.

If you want to understand Shinsu Link as a progression mechanic, Netmarble’s game guide explains how the slots and upgrades work.

4. Collectible Character Versions Aren’t Always Story Events

Character collection introduces another possible source of confusion.

In the original webtoon, a character’s appearance belongs to a particular part of the narrative.

In a collectible RPG, a character can appear as a playable teammate with a designated grade, element, role, and set of abilities.

The game may also introduce alternative versions of familiar characters.

Netmarble’s April 2025 update provides a useful example.

It introduced an XSR+ character version of Zahard and explained that the XSR+ category could include hypothetical “IF” versions or appearances based on the original work.

That is a distinction made by the developer itself.

A version presented as an imagined possibility shouldn’t automatically be understood as evidence that the corresponding event happened in the original webtoon.

Likewise, collecting two characters and putting them on the same team doesn’t establish that they fought together at the same point in the original narrative.

Those combinations are part of the game’s interactive design.

The same caution applies to the game’s character grades.

An SSR or XSR+ designation describes a category in the game. It is not automatically equivalent to a character’s status as a Regular, Ranker, or High Ranker in the webtoon’s world.

If those original terms are unfamiliar, the Tower of God Regulars, Irregulars & Rankers Guide explains what they mean.

5. What Does “Canon” Mean for New World?

This is the question that needs the most careful answer.

Tower of God: New World is an official, licensed game.

Netmarble has also stated that it developed game-specific story content in partnership with original creator SIU.

That makes the game an authorized part of the Tower of God franchise.

But official licensing and narrative continuity are not exactly the same thing.

A licensed adaptation may retell existing events, introduce extra stories, or create game mechanics and hypothetical character versions.

Those elements don’t all have to carry the same relationship to the original comic.

For New World, the safest distinction is:

Original webtoon events are part of the story published by SIU.

Game-specific stories and features are official game content, but their existence alone doesn’t establish that every detail belongs to the webtoon’s main continuity.

Hypothetical character variants should not be treated as confirmed historical events simply because they’re available in the game.

That doesn’t mean game-exclusive material is automatically unofficial or meaningless.

It means a particular claim about continuity needs evidence beyond the fact that the content appears in a licensed product.

Without a clear statement establishing a specific story’s place in the main continuity, it’s better not to assign it a definitive status.

For readers who want the original narrative, the webtoon remains the clearest reference.

Can You Play New World Without Reading Tower of God?

Yes. Netmarble has described New World as being designed for people unfamiliar with the original series as well as existing fans.

Its story content introduces characters and the setting rather than assuming every player has finished the webtoon.

But there’s a difference between being able to start the game and preserving every surprise in the original story.

The game draws on established characters and story material from across the franchise.

If you’re sensitive to spoilers, encountering later characters or game-specific presentations before reading the relevant chapters may affect how you discover the source material.

For the most spoiler-conscious route, begin with the original webtoon and explore the game once you feel familiar with the Tower’s world.

If your main interest is collecting characters and assembling teams, starting with the game is also a reasonable choice.

Just remember that knowing a game character’s abilities or grade doesn’t necessarily tell you how that character’s story unfolds in the webtoon.

Which Should You Choose?

Start with the original WEBTOON if:

• You want to experience SIU’s story in its original sequence.
• Character relationships and narrative discoveries matter most to you.
• You want the clearest reference for the main storyline.

Try Tower of God: New World if:

• You enjoy collecting characters and building teams.
• You want to interact with familiar characters through battles and progression systems.
• You’re interested in additional story content made for the game.

You don’t have to treat them as competing versions of the same experience.

The webtoon is a serialized story designed to be read. The game is an interactive adaptation with systems and content of its own.

If you want to find the game, use Netmarble’s official Tower of God: New World website for its current store links.

Game systems and availability can change with updates, so the publisher’s current guide is more useful than an old character-build recommendation for checking specific mechanics.

The Difference That Matters Most

Tower of God: New World carries recognizable characters and ideas from SIU’s webtoon into a different medium.

The interesting part isn’t only that the characters can now take part in battles controlled by players.

It’s how familiar elements change roles.

A Tower test becomes part of playable progression. Shinsu becomes the name of a growth mechanic. Characters can be collected in forms that reflect the original story or explore other possibilities.

And the game can add its own stories alongside material adapted from the comic.

Understanding those distinctions lets you enjoy the additional content without confusing every game system, alternate character version, or original scenario with the main webtoon’s events.

For an introduction to the original comic, its official spin-off, anime, and other adaptations, visit the Tower of God Hub.

Official Sources and Further Reading

• WEBTOON — Tower of God — SIU’s original English webtoon.
• Naver WEBTOON — 신의 탑 — official Korean original.
• Netmarble — Tower of God: New World — official game website and current store links.
• Netmarble — Adventure and Story Mode — official explanation of story and adventure progression.
• Netmarble — Shinsu Link — official explanation of game-specific growth slots.
• Netmarble — First Original Story Announcement — introduction of Same Goal, Different Purpose.
• Netmarble — Alternate Character Update — explanation of XSR+ character variants.
• Netmarble — Original Game Announcement — original game structure and development collaboration.
• Netmarble — Korean Launch Announcement — official Korean announcement identifying Netmarble N2 as the developer and Netmarble as the publisher.