After 14 Years, 2026 Will Be the Biggest Year Ever for Game of Thrones Fans

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Despite ending in 2019, the world of *Game of Thrones* is poised for a massive 2026. While the series finale initially disappointed many fans six years ago, the franchise has since evolved and expanded. *Game of Thrones* was always known for growing in scope and spectacle, and that trend continues with HBO developing several spin-off series.

So far, only *House of the Dragon* has been successfully made, and even it has received some criticism – including from the author of *A Song of Ice and Fire*, George R.R. Martin. Several other potential spinoffs haven’t worked out. For example, a prequel focusing on the Long Night was cancelled after about $25-30 million was spent on a pilot episode that will likely never air. A Jon Snow spinoff, planned with Kit Harington and HBO, was also scrapped because they couldn’t develop a compelling storyline. While *Aegon’s Conquest* and *10,000 Ships* (a story about Princess Nymeria and the Rhoynar people) are still in development, next year promises to be a pivotal time for *Game of Thrones* spinoffs.

2026 Will Have A Franchise First For Game of Thrones: Two Shows Releasing

Currently, the third season of *House of the Dragon* is projected to premiere in 2026. Filming began in March 2025 and is scheduled to wrap up in October. This timeline suggests a release in the latter part of 2026, similar to how previous seasons have been released. To illustrate, Season 2 finished filming in September 2023 and debuted on HBO in June 2024.

The first season came out in August, so the network is aiming for another summer release. HBO and HBO Max content head Casey Bloys has suggested a June release date, following the 2025 Emmys. While the season is the biggest one yet and might take longer to finish, a return to screens next year-even in the fall-seems likely. A delay into 2027 is possible, but that would mean almost three years between seasons, which is a concern for streaming series.

Before that, HBO will release *A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms*, a series based on George R.R. Martin’s *Tales of Dunk and Egg*. The show follows the adventures of Dunk, a wandering knight, and his young squire, Egg, as they travel across Westeros. The first season is mainly set at a jousting tournament. Although filming finished in 2024 with a planned 2025 release, the premiere has been pushed back to early 2026. While a specific date hasn’t been announced, HBO’s Casey Bloys recently told *Variety* it’s expected in January.

2026 will be a huge year for the *Game of Thrones* universe, marking the first time ever that two shows will premiere in a single year. This makes it the biggest year for the franchise since the original series began in 2011, a year that also saw the release of *A Dance with Dragons*, the fifth book in the *A Song of Ice and Fire* series. Considering the franchise wasn’t the cultural phenomenon it is today, 2026 is poised to be even more significant. Perhaps we’ll even get an update on *The Winds of Winter* or hear about another new spin-off series – we can hope!

Is Two TV Shows In The Same Year Good For The Game of Thrones Franchise?

Despite the criticism surrounding the ending of *Game of Thrones*, the franchise remains incredibly popular. While some believe the show has faded from conversation, viewership numbers tell a different story. *Thrones* consistently ranks among the most-watched shows on HBO Max and continues to be popular through other means, and its prequel, *House of the Dragon*, has also performed well. Any slight dip in ratings is likely due to changing viewing habits, not a rejection of the series itself. With Westeros still being a major draw for audiences, it makes sense that HBO is investing further in the universe in 2026.

There’s also a danger of having too much content, something we’ve already seen with big franchises like Star Wars and Marvel on Disney+. They grew their streaming offerings too fast, which hurt the quality of their shows and caused viewers to lose interest. While some Marvel shows are still planned for 2025 due to previous commitments, both Marvel and Star Wars are now pulling back. This raises the question: is HBO taking a different approach by continuing to expand when other studios are cutting back?

Even though HBO has been careful about expanding the world of *Game of Thrones*, there’s always a chance of overdoing it. They’ve wisely cancelled potential spinoffs like *Bloodmoon* and the Jon Snow sequel when they didn’t meet their standards, which is a good sign for quality. The two new shows planned for 2026 are different too. *A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms* will be a smaller, more lighthearted story. While this could appeal to viewers, there’s a worry it might not be as popular because it’s less epic in scale and won’t feature dragons.

Ideally, *A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms* would have launched in 2025, followed by new seasons of *House of the Dragon* every other year. After *House of the Dragon* concludes, they could then introduce the next prequel series. However, the success of any future spinoffs could complicate this plan.

Okay, so looking at how things are going, it seems like we’ll probably see the final season of *House of the Dragon* around 2028. And if the buzz is true, *A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms* could be hitting our screens with its third season around the same time – they might even film seasons two and three together to avoid the young actor aging too much! Now, if HBO gives the go-ahead to another *Game of Thrones* spin-off next year and gets it into production by 2027, could we realistically have *three* shows dropping in 2028? That might be a bit much, honestly, and something to be careful with. Still, the future of the franchise looks good, and I’m especially hyped for *A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms*. Hopefully, HBO can pace the releases just right so we don’t get overwhelmed and people stay engaged.

All seasons of Game of Thrones are streaming on HBO Max, alongside House of the Dragon Seasons 1 and 2.

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2025-09-16 23:43