House of the Dragon season 3: what we know so far about hit HBO Max show's return

Send a raven to all who don't know, because House of the Dragon season 3 is on the way. That's right, the Game of Thrones prequel series is getting another installment, and we're here to deliver the latest news and rumors about its development ahead of its eventual debut.

Indeed, we sent our spies to learn everything about House of the Dragon's third season and report back once they had some juicy intel to pass on. Thanks to their investigative work, we've got plenty of details to share with you, including our prediction on when it'll be released, its probable cast, potential storylines, and more.

Full spoilers follow for House of the Dragon season 2 and George R.R. Martin's 'Fire and Blood' novel, which the show is based on. Proceed at your own risk, dragonseed.

House of the Dragon season 3 release date prediction

House of the Dragon season 3's release date hasn't been revealed. So far, HBO has only confirmed House of the Dragon is returning for a third season, with the critically acclaimed fantasy series being renewed for another outing on June 13.

Days before its third season was greenlit, co-showrunner Ryan Condal told TechRadar that work on House of the Dragon's next season was already underway. Indeed, Condal shared that script work had been ongoing for some time, although it's unclear how many have been completed.

So, when do we expect season 3 to arrive on our screens? Speaking during a press conference after the season 2 finale aired, Condal said (as reported by IGN) that the cast and crew were aiming to start shooting the third season "early-ish 2025". If, like its forebear, principal photography on season 3 takes five months to complete, that would mean filming won't wrap until July or August 2025. There was a nine-month gap between the end of season 2's shooting schedule and its release date, too. If its sequel season's post-production phase is similarly lengthy, we wouldn't expect House of the Dragon to debut until April or May 2026.

House of the Dragon season 3 trailer: is there one?

No. We won't see one until much closer to season 3's launch, either, so don't be shocked if one isn't released online until early 2026.

House of the Dragon season 3 expected cast

House of the Dragon season 3's cast list hasn't been confirmed yet but, based on how its predecessor ended, here's who we expect to see next time:

• Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen
• Emma D'Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen
• Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower
• Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower
• Steve Touissant as Corlys Velaryon
• Fabien Frankel as Criston Cole
• Harry Collet as Jaecerys Targaryen
• Tom Glynn-Carney as Aegon II Targaryen
• Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen
• Phia Saban as Helaena Targaryen
• Bethany Antonia as Baela Targaryen
• Phoebe Campbell as Rhaena Taragaryen
• Kurt Egyiawan as Grand Maester Orwyle
• Matthew Needham as Larys Strong
• Kieran Bew as Hugh Hammer
• Tom Bennett as Ulf White
• Clinton Libert as Addam of Hull
• Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull
• Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria
• Jefferson Hall as Jason and Tyland Lannister
• Freddie Fox as Gwayne Hightower
• Simon Russell Beale as Simon Strong
• Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers
• Abigail Thorn as Sharako Lohar

That extensive list of actors is likely to be added to. Some characters, who have integral roles to play during the Targaryen civil war, haven't shown up in HBO's TV adaptation yet. That includes Daeron Targaryen, Ormund Hightower, Dalton Greyjoy, Roderick Dustin, and Manfryd Mooton, among others. Until we know how much of 'Fire and Blood' will be adapted in season 3, though, we can't say which of these individuals will definitely turn up as part of next season's plot. Speaking of which...

House of the Dragon season 3 plot speculation

Full spoilers follow for House of the Dragon season 2. Potentially big spoiler also follow for 'Fire and Blood'.

Predictably, season 3's story brief hasn't been unveiled yet. Based on House of the Dragon season 2's finale, what co-showrunner Ryan Condal has said recently, and what we know from 'Fire and Blood', though, we can determine what'll happen next time out.

Let's start with some non-spoiler-based details. Responding to a query about how many episodes there'll be in this third season of one of the best Max shows', Condal told reporters (per Variety): "I would just anticipate the cadence of the show, from a dramatic storytelling perspective, will continue to be the same from season 2 on". In layman's terms, then, we can expect the series' next chapter, like its predecessor, to comprise eight episodes instead of 10, which season 1 contained.

On the topic of why season 2 had two fewer episodes than its forebear, Condal told TechRadar: "Once season 1 landed and we knew where we were in the narrative, we had a clear path of view to the end and knew what the end of this particular chapter in the Targaryen history was. Looking at that, and knowing essentially how much storytelling time we needed to get there, there was a bit of a rebalancing of the narrative that was necessary to happen. This eight-episode cadence helped us to find that."

If Condal, alongside fellow co-showrunner and Game of Thrones franchise creator George R.R. Martin, have already plotted out a roadmap for every season of House of the Dragon, they'll know where each one will begin and end. If eight-episode installments are all that's required to tell the rest of the story in 'Fire and Blood', it wouldn't make sense to diverge from the course they've charted.

But enough of season 3's possible episode count. What can we expect to see in House of the Dragon's next entry? Given the clear lack of action in its predecessor's finale – Condal previously told TechRadar that season 2 wouldn't "just be big dragon events", nor would it be "full of action" – we're hoping for some tentpole battles to make up for it. Indeed, fans were left unimpressed by the dearth of large-scale set-pieces in season 2; something Condal was forced to defend in the post-season 2 finale press conference (per IGN).

Anyway, the eighth and final episode of House of the Dragon's second season ended with Team Green and Team Black's pieces being moved into position ahead of what'll be a brutal and lengthy conflict where thousands – humans and dragons alike – will unnecessarily die. That's despite Alicent effectively allowing Rhaenyra to take the Iron Throne without a fight, which the pair agreed upon in their secret Dragonstone meeting in season 2 episode 8.

'The Fall of King's Landing', aka chapter title in 'Fire and Blood' that sees Rhaenyra return to the Six Kingdoms' capital, will surely be the first big moment we'll see in season 3. It's unlikely there'll be much bloodshed – or, rather, as much as there would've been in Rhaenyra and her dragonriders had tried to take King's Landing by force – but, don't worry, there's bound to be plenty more carnage elsewhere.

Why do we say that? Because, from this point on, there are numerous bloodbaths that'll play out on the screen. We'll only mention the first of those – The Battle of the Gullet – because it was discussed at length by Condal as part of his post-season 2 finale press conference. 

"That event (The Battle of the Gullet) will happen very shortly in terms of the storytelling in House of the Dragon," he admitted (as reported by Screen Rant). "Based on what we know now, it should be the biggest thing to date that we've pulled off, and we just wanted to have the time and the space to do that at a level that is going to excite and satisfy the fans in the way it deserves. And, we also wanted to build some anticipation towards it.

"The show is so complex that we're really making multiple feature films every season, so I apologize for the wait. But, I will just say, if Rook's Rest and the Red Sowing are any indication, the team that we have together, we're going to pull off a hell of a win with The Battle of the Gullet."

There'll be plenty more to look forward to in House of the Dragon season 3, including classic storytelling elements we've come to expect from the Game of Thrones franchise, such as betrayals and political infighting, familial melodrama, horror-esque sequences, and even the odd R-rated joke. If you were underwhelmed by what season 2 had to offer, its sequel should make up for it.

What to watch while we wait for House of the Dragon season 3

Want to pass the time with other high fantasy shows before House of the Dragon season 3 arrives? Here are three similar series to check out, as recommended by our senior entertainment reporter Tom Power:

Game of Thrones

Tom Power

An obvious choice, but there's no denying that HBO's TV adaptation of Martin's yet-to-be-completed novel series proved that there was a place for big-budget, prestige projects on the small screen. Game of Thrones is bloody high fantasy at its very best (well, up until its incredibly divisive final season), with high-stakes action, spooky supernatural elements, inter- and intra-house scheming, and riotous humor aplenty. You can binge-watch all eight seasons now on Max/HBO (US), Sky/Now TV (UK), and Binge/Foxtel (Australia). Once you're done, read our best Game of Thrones seasons article to see if you agree with how we ranked them.

• Watch Game of Thrones on Max
• Watch Game of Thrones on Sky
• Watch Game of Thrones on Binge

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Tom Power

An Amazon prequel series, The Rings of Power is a popular TV show available to stream exclusively on Prime Video. Depending on who you ask, it's either a fantastic watch (I sit squarely in this camp) or an insult to J.R.R. Tolkien's legendary literary works, aka The Lord of the Rings franchise. Sure, I'll admit it's not perfect, but there's plenty to enjoy here, whether you're a Tolkienite or not. And, with The Rings of Power season 2 set to arrive on August 29, there's no better time to catch up on a show that promises to fill that high-fantasy void in your life until House of the Dragon season 3 launches.

• Watch The Rings of Power on Prime Video

The Sandman

Tom Power

One of the best Netflix shows of the last two years, The Sandman's TV series turned author Neil Gaiman's *ahem* dream for a worthy live-action adaptation into reality in mid-2022. Indeed, it had spent over 20 years in development hell before Netflix did something other studios had failed to do. It was an oh-so-nearly perfect retelling of Gaiman's most famous works, too, which I thoroughly enjoyed for multiple reasons (its amazing cast performances, elaborate story, and mind-blowing visuals to name just three). With The Sandman season 2 currently in development, you've got time to *double ahem* stop sleeping on this high-fantasy program. So, hop to it!

• Watch The Sandman on Netflix

Is House of the Dragon season 3 going to be the show's last entry?

No, House of the Dragon season 3 won't be the hit show's final chapter. Writing on his personal website in December 2023, Martin told fans that he'd spoken to HBO executives about a four-season plan for the series. Condal reconfirmed that House of the Dragon would get four entries when speaking to the press after season 2 episode 8 had aired (as reported by Deadline). There'll be one more season after the third chapter is released, then.

House of the Dragon notwithstanding, HBO isn't waving goodbye to its Game of Thrones live-action universe anytime soon. Another prequel series, which is based on Martin's Dunk and Egg novella, is called A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and is currently being filmed in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Its first footage was revealed as part of a thrilling Max teaser about HBO's exciting lineup of TV shows that'll arrive between now and the end of 2025.

In January, we also reported that three animated Game of Thrones spinoffs were in development, but it's unclear if any of them have officially been given a series order by HBO. Regardless, it's a busy and exciting time to be a Game of Thrones fan – if you are, you've got lots to look forward to.

For more Max-based coverage, read our guides on The Last of Us season 2, Euphoria season 3, and the best Max movies that are worth streaming today.