House of the Dragon season 3 has landed! And with it, the bloody Battle of the Gullet has got the season off to a fiery start. But that's only the beginning: things are set to heat up from here in the devastating Targaryen civil war.
With one major loss already on the board, and plenty more still to come, House of the Dragon couldn't be more different from fellow Game of Thrones spin-off A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. They aren't the only World of Westeros projects in the works, either; look no further for a full rundown of all the upcoming Game of Thrones movies and TV shows in development.
For now, you'll find everything you need to know about House of the Dragon season 3 below, from what's known about the plot, who's who in the cast, and more. If you're all caught up, you'll want to know when the next episode hits screens. Our House of the Dragon season 3 release schedule should help there, as should our House of the Dragon season 3 review, which covers the new season's first four episodes.
House of the Dragon season 3 release date
House of the Dragon season 3 episode 1 released on June 21, 2026. In the UK. The release date was confirmed with the second trailer for season 3. The show will be eight episodes and will wrap up on August 9.
Season 4, meanwhile, is marked for 2028. "We're actually starting to show HBO," Ryan Condal said about season 4's scripts at a recent press conference attended by GamesRadar+. "This is our early iteration. I don't put the script down and take it away from me in production, and we have many months ahead of that. But we're as far ahead at this point in crafting a new season while we're still posting the old one."
Is House of the Dragon season 3 the final season?
No, House of the Dragon season 3 won't be the final season – but season 4 will be. Showrunner Ryan Condal confirmed that things will wrap up after four seasons in a press conference after the season 2 finale and HBO boss Casey Bloys confirmed the news in February 2026.
"The idea has always been to follow the history of the Targaryens. If you know the books, you know how the Targaryens end up. So there is a natural end to this particular history of that House of the Targaryens," he said.
House of the Dragon season 3 cast
There were some big casualties in the second season – including Eve Best's Rhaenys and some of the younger Targaryens (thanks to Blood and Cheese, need we say more?), which means there will be some changes to the House of the Dragon season 3 cast.
We have some new arrivals in the third outing as well, including James Norton appearing as Ormund Hightower, after he was name-dropped at the end of season 2.
Check out the full cast list as it stands below.
- Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen
- Emma D'Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen
- Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower
- Tom Glynn-Carney as Aegon Targaryen
- Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen
- Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole
- Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower
- James Norton as Ormund Hightower
- Matthew Needham as Lord Larys Strong
- Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon
- Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria
- Phia Saban as Helaena Targaryen
- Harry Collett as Jacaerys Velaryon
- Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull
- Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull
- Bethany Antonia as Baela Targaryen
- Phoebe Campbell as Rhaena Targaryen
- Kieran Bew as Hugh Hammer
- Jefferson Hall as Jason/Tyland Lannister
- Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers
- Freddie Fox as Gwayne Hightower
- Tom Bennett as Ulf White
- Simon Russell Beale as Simon Strong
- Tommy Flanagan as Ser Roderick Dustin
- Dan Fogler as Ser Torrhen Manderly
- Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Hightower squire
House of the Dragon season 3 plot speculation
The season 2 finale of House of the Dragon ended on the eve of war, and season 3 begins with the bloody Battle of the Gullet. While Team Black wins the day, it's far from a decisive victory, with Jace and Vermax lost in the fray. Rhaenyra still has the clear advantage thanks to her dragonseeds. This means that after Daemon bent the knee, she now has six dragons (potentially seven if Rhaena manages to tame Sheepstealer).
Her fighters are preparing to make the approach on King's Landing, where Alicent has told them that they'll be allowed in to take control of the city. However, we're not totally sure that it will all go as smoothly as that... Aemond and Vhagar, meanwhile, now have their eye on Harrenhal, and we know better than to bet against Vhagar...
Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin (who also penned House of the Dragon's source material, Fire & Blood) seemingly has some issues with what's to come, though. "There are larger and more toxic butterflies to come, if House of the Dragon goes ahead with some of the changes being contemplated for seasons 3 and 4…" he wrote in a now-deleted blog post (which contains a possible major spoiler for the new season).
The new season also introduces Lord Ormund Hightower, a major new player in the brutal Targaryen civil war. And we may have already glimpsed his ward, Daeron Targaryen, as fans think he appears in the background of episode 1. Daeron has his own dragon, Tessarion, which could go some way to addressing Rhenerya's fire-breathing advantage.
Condal has also teased a "conceptual" episode in the new season that will see the show go in a slightly different direction. "We got to have a little fun this season, and there’s a conceptual episode that I’m really excited about that [Sara Hess] wrote, and that’s all I’m gonna say about it," he said during an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. "It isn’t in the traditional vernacular of what we have laid out. It’s very character-driven, I think it’s really great and I’m really excited to see it rendered."
House of the Dragon season 3 reviews
Reviews for House of the Dragon season 3 are very positive, with the show scoring a near-perfect 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.
"Burning bright from the opening episode's Battle of the Gullet, House of the Dragon season 3 repositions the Targaryen civil war's key players, operating as a thrilling fresh start for the fiery Game of Thrones prequel. On the basis of the first four episodes, this could be the best season of a Westeros-set show in over a decade," reads our own House of the Dragon season 3 review.
Is there a House of the Dragon season 3 trailer?
The trailer for House of the Dragon season 3 sets up the darkest season yet, with a sombre mood and plenty of foreboding warnings about what's to come. Check it out above.
The first House of the Dragon season 3 trailer dropped in February 2026. The teaser gave us a long-awaited look at the new episodes, including Jaehaerys riding his dragon into the Battle of the Gullet, a glimpse of Aemond on the Iron Throne, and our best look yet at James Norton as Ormund Hightower. Check it out above.
For more on House of the Dragon, check out our House of the Dragon timeline and our breakdown of the Targaryen family tree.
You can watch the show on HBO in the US and on Sky and NOW TV in the UK.
