House of the Dragon Season 4 Update Has Game of Thrones Fans Fired Up

If you like your royal family drama with more dragons and fewer apologies, good news: HBO is keeping House of the Dragon flying for a while.

HotD gets a fourth season, and the endgame is coming into focus

HBO just locked in Season 4 of House of the Dragon. Casey Bloys, the Chairman and CEO of HBO and HBO Max, announced the renewal during a presentation in New York City. That puts the Targaryen saga on the books well beyond the already-filming third season, and it lines up with what showrunner Ryan Condal has said before about aiming for a four-season arc.

Here is the twist worth noting: the Season 4 scripts are still being written, and the final call on whether that is the true endpoint will be made once those scripts are done. Translation: the plan is four, but they are giving themselves room to land this thing cleanly.

As a reminder, the series is based on George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood, which always suggested a tight, saga-sized runway rather than an endless sprawl. Fans have been asking for a clear finish line; it looks like there is one, even if HBO is keeping a little wiggle room.

Season 3 timing: summer 2026, with a scheduling-nerd wrinkle

Season 3 is officially in production and aiming for summer 2026. Bloys called out that the premiere will fall just outside the May 31 Emmy eligibility cutoff, which all but spells out a June 2026 debut.

"Just outside" the May 31 Emmy eligibility cutoff

Filming for Season 3 reportedly wrapped in 2025, and you should expect the same eight-episode run as Season 2. The cast lineup holds steady: Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Steve Toussaint, Rhys Ifans, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, and more.

Meanwhile in Westeros: another prequel is already stacking seasons

HBO also renewed A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms for Season 2 months before its first season even arrives on January 18. Ordering more sight-unseen is a pretty loud vote of confidence.

The quick version

• House of the Dragon is renewed for Season 4; scripts are in progress and the final decision on ending with Season 4 happens after they are written.
• Season 3 is targeting summer 2026, likely June, landing just outside the May 31 Emmy window.
• Season 3 wrapped filming in 2025, is expected to run eight episodes, and stars Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Steve Toussaint, Rhys Ifans, Fabien Frankel, and Ewan Mitchell.
• A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is renewed for Season 2 before Season 1 premieres on January 18.
• House of the Dragon is adapted from George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood.
• Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon are streaming on HBO.

Martin is still grinding away on the last two books, but at least on TV, the gears are turning. For Westeros fans, this is the kind of long-view planning that pays off later.