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Season 2 of House of the Dragon took the fighting to the air, eliminating several major players from the story and escalating tensions between the Greens and Blacks beyond repair.
Nevertheless, the war has only just begun. Daemon’s vision in Harrenhal revealed that there are many more bloody battles ahead, as fans of the original Fire and Blood books will know. But when will we return to Westeros and the Targaryen civil war?
We’ve rounded up everything you need to know about House of the Dragon season 3.
If you want to know who’s who in the series, check out our guide to the main characters in House of the Dragon.
For fans of the fantasy genre, we also have a similar overview for The Witcher on Netflix. Alternatively, here’s all the information you need if you want to rewatch Game of Thrones in its entirety.
Spoilers for House of the Dragon season 2 below.
When could House of the Dragon season 3 be released?
House of the Dragon season 3 doesn’t have a confirmed release date from HBO yet, but we can estimate when it will arrive based on previous episodes.
There were two years between seasons 1 and 2, and the show was not affected by the Hollywood strikes as most of the filming took place in Britain. Therefore, we estimate that House of the Dragon will return in mid-2026.
House of the Dragon season 3 cast and crew: who returns?
HBO hasn’t confirmed a cast list yet, but based on last season, these are the characters we expect to see again:
- Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower
- Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen
- Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen
- Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower
- Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon
- Fabien Frankel as Criston Cole
- Harry Collett as Jacaerys Velaryon
- Tom Glynn-Carney as Aegon Targaryen
- Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen
- Bethany Antonia as Baela Targaryen
- Phoebe Campbell as Rhaena Targaryen
- Phia Saban as Helaena Targaryen
- Matthew Needham as Larys Strong
- Jefferson Hall as Jason Lannister and Tyland Lannister
- Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria
- Simon Russell Beale as Simon Strong
- Freddie Fox as Gwayne Hightower
- Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers
- Abubakar Salim as Alyn van Hull
- Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull
- Tom Taylor as Cregan Stark
- Amanda Collin as Jeyne Arryn
- Kieran Bew as Hugh Hammer
- Tom Bennett as Ulf White
- Kurt Egyiawan as Grand Maester Orwyle
- Oscar Eskinazi as Joffrey Velaryon
- Jamie Kenna as Alfred Broome
- Vincent Regan as Rickard Thorne
- Abigail Thorne as Sharako Lohar
It’s unlikely we’ll see Princess Rhaenys (Eve Best) again, as she died in season 2, episode four, at the hands of Vhagar and Aemond.
Many expected we would see the debut of Nettles, a character from the books who is the rider of the dragon Sheepstealer and the lover of Daemon Targaryen. However, her storyline appears to have been adapted for Rhaena Targaryen.
Ollie Upton/HBO
Ollie Upton/HBO
Ollie Upton/HBO
Ryan Condal, the co-runner for the first season and showrunner for the second season, will return for season 3. We also suspect that the creator of the book series, George RR Martin, will return as executive producer.
What could be the plot of House of the Dragon season 3?
The third season will likely kick off as the Targaryen civil war, also known as the Dance of the Dragons, begins to escalate. Westeros is divided by the two claims to the throne: one by King Aegon II Targaryen, who ascended the throne after his mother Alicent falsely overheard her late husband saying he wanted his son to be heir.
The second is from Queen Rhaenyra I Targaryen – Viserys’ original choice as his firstborn daughter. She believes that the Hightowers stole the throne while she was away in Dragonstone, and therefore claims that Aegon’s coronation is considered treason.
The last episode showed both sides gearing up for battle. Daemon had prepared his army and allies at Harrenhal, while Rhaenyra had gained three new dragonriders in Addam, Hugh and Ulf. The Sea Serpent was ready to take his naval army to the sea with his bastard son Alyn. Rhaena also appeared to meet the dragon Sheepstealer, which she could eventually claim if she follows Nettles’ plot from the books.
Ollie Upton/HBO
Ollie Upton/HBO
Ollie Upton/HBO
The Greens seemed to be in a much weaker state. After learning of the new dragons, Aemond burned the city of Sharp Point in anger against Vhagar, causing unrest in King’s Landing by leading the citizens to starvation.
The king, Aegon, fled from King’s Landing towards Essos with Larys Strong. This was mainly due to Aemond burning him earlier in the season, leaving him crippled, disfigured and unable to properly fulfill his duties as a leader.
Meanwhile, Alicent attempted to reach a peaceful resolution with Rhaenyra, offering to open the gates of the Red Keep for her while Aemond is distracted in the battle. Meanwhile, it turns out that her father Otto Hightower has been captured, but we don’t know where yet.
The only source of strength came from Tyland Lannister and Sharako Lohar, who seemed to have a strong army at sea. We also don’t know if Rhaenyra will take Alicent up on her offer, or go to war anyway – we’d bet on the latter.
As we enter the second phase of the war, the Blacks certainly seem to be the stronger side – but this is the Game of Thrones universe, after all. Everything can happen. Additionally, Daemon’s vision in the Godswood reveals that the battle will take place above the God’s Eye – but this may be reserved for a later season, if Season 3 isn’t the last.
How many episodes will there be in House of the Dragon season 3?
If season 3 follows the same pattern as the last two episodes, there should be between eight and ten episodes in total.
Will there be more than three seasons of House of the Dragon?
Variety revealed that George RR Martin has signed a five-year deal to create content with HBO and Max in 2021, so they would last until then in 2026.
That’s why we don’t know yet if season 3 will be the last season. Showrunner Ryan Condal told The Radio Times: “We’re trying to find a satisfying television ending or the conclusion where we can let everyone know that time moves on from here, but we’ve brought this dramatic story to a close.
“So I think that’s become very clear as we’ve just gotten further down the timeline. But I’m not ready to talk about how many episodes or seasons are left.”
Meanwhile, George RR Martin revealed on his blog that the story of the Targaryen-Hightower War should consist of four seasons. If his prediction is correct, next season would be the penultimate.
We may hear more in the coming weeks or months.
How can I watch House of the Dragon?
In the US, you can watch House of the Dragon on HBO if it is included in your cable package. Alternatively, you can stream it on Max – accounts start from £9.99 per month for ad-supported viewing.
As with Game of Thrones, UK viewers will get access via Sky Atlantic for Sky TV customers, and via the flexible streaming service Now – which has packages starting from £9.99 per month for the entertainment membership.
If for some reason you can’t access any of these channels, here’s how to watch HBO outside the US.
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