House of the Dragon season 3 is currently filming, but in the last few weeks, we've heard a lot of good things about production ending soon. That's giving fans hope that we might not have to wait as long as we feared for House of the Dragon season 3 to be released on HBO.
The Hollywood Reporter is the latest to confirm production on House of the Dragon season 3 will officially wrap in October 2025, assuming the last month-ish of filming goes well. The outlet published the news in an interview with Olivia Cooke, who stars as Alicent Hightower in the HBO series.
Matt Smith, who plays Daemon Targaryen, also confirmed in August that they had just over 30 days left of filming.
House of the Dragon season 3 is wrapping this fall is good news for obvious reasons. The sooner production ends, the sooner we get to see season 3 on HBO. There's more to it than that, but at the end of the day, it is that simple.
Why some fans think House of the Dragon season 3 will be pushed to 2027
Unfortunately, fans have been thinking House of the Dragon season 3 will actually be released in 2027.
Just had a thought. What if they delayed A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms because they’re going to delay House of the Dragon Season 3 to 2027?… https://t.co/mKp0tjUPaA
— westerosies (@westerosies) May 14, 2025
In this case, things get complicated when you start to factor in the other series set in Westeros, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Originally, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was supposed to be released in 2025, but it was pushed to 2026. Is HBO going to release two Game of Thrones shows in the same year? That's one reason fans are sounding the alarm that it might be an incredibly long wait until House of the Dragon season 3 premieres.
We also have to factor in how long it's going to take for post-production on House of the Dragon season 3. If it takes longer than a year, the season will definitely be pushed to 2027. That's the big question mark right now.
Why House of the Dragon season 3 will likely come out in 2026
Personally, I don't think it's going to take that long for post-production on House of the Dragon season 3. We already know about that other big show that HBO has planned for 2027, and I don't see the upside to releasing House of the Dragon season 3 and Harry Potter in the same year. I would argue it's more likely that we'll see A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms early in 2026, with House of the Dragon season 3 set for a fall 2026 release. That's the most likely scenario to me!
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is barely going to be enough to scratch the itch for Game of Thrones fans. It's only a six-episode season, and each episode will only be 30 minutes. That's not nearly enough, not when we're getting eight-plus hours for each season of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon on the low end.
With House of the Dragon ending after season 4, HBO shouldn't try to stretch this show until 2029. With Harry Potter set to be released yearly, more Game of Thrones stories in the works, and long gaps between the seasons so far, it makes so much more sense for House of the Dragon season 3 to be released in 2026, with season 4 ending the series in 2028.
We could even see A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 2 and season 3 in 2027 and 2029. That would ensure HBO is giving Game of Thrones fans a new season every single year.
Then, it opens the door for more Game of Thrones stories in 2029 and beyond. That's what I hope the timeline will be, and there's definitely more than enough time, with production winding down, for that to happen.
In the end, HBO will be making the big decisions, but I can't imagine dragging the show out for another half-decade is really the ideal scenario for these performers, for the network, and most importantly, for the story.
We'll continue to share updates on House of the Dragon season 3 as we find out. Stay tuned for more information about the penultimate season.