House of the Dragon season 3 trailer description has leaked — and it sounds epic

Next year, HBO will premiere its third season of House of the Dragon, turning up the heat on the Dance of the Dragons civil war until it's a raging inferno. Warring factions of House Targaryen will tear the Seven Kingdoms apart in their dispute over who should sit the Iron Throne. If you've read Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin, you know that there's a lot of drama ahead for the dragonriding first family of Westeros.

There are signs the publicity machine is grinding into motion over at HBO for the Game of Thrones prequel. Already we learned that House of the Dragon season 3 will premiere in Summer 2026, and that it has been renewed for season 4 — which may no longer be the final season of the series. We've also gotten first look images for season 3, hinting at the war to come. Now, it seems a first trailer has been unveiled for members of the press in Brazil at an HBO Upfronts presentation...and descriptions of what the trailer entailed are already circulating online.

There aren't really spoilers in this description, so read on whether you're avoiding those or not.

It's Aemond versus Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon season 3

The reveal that House of the Dragon had premiered a trailer for season 3 came from Brazillian pop culture outlet Omelete, who wrote up some of what they had seen. The article no longer works for me, so I'm not sure if HBO asked them to take it down or its a regional compatability issue, but the internet remembers. @Targ_Loyalist over on X translated the description of the trailer:

"The teaser centers on the divided state of Westeros. Some back Aemond as the rightful king, while others stand behind Rhaenyra. We get a glimpse of Aegon, his appearance drastically changed after Rook's Rest last season, his face now heavily scarred. We also see Aemond embracing his mother, Alicent, followed by quick flashes of several characters: Otto Hightower, Ser Criston Cole, and Daemon Targaryen. Daemon, in particular, is shown gearing up for a major battle."

Based on that description, I'd imagine that this is only a teaser trailer — perhaps slated to debut at CCXP, a large fan convention in Brazil that takes place from December 4-7. HBO has unveiled new material for House of the Dragon at that convention in the past, and knowing that a finished trailer exists and has been seen by Brazillian reporters, it seems an even safer bet now.

As for the transcription, it sounds just like what you might expect. When last we left our characters in season 2, Aemond had assumed the seat of Regent, while Rhaenyra had won a major victory by enlisting three new dragonriders to her side during the Red Sowing. Armies and fleets were on the move, and we know for a certainty that major clashes like the Battle of the Gullet are just around the corner.

It is interesting that the show is playing up Aemond versus Rhaenyra, rather than Aegon. Aegon Targaryen fled King's Landing with Larys Strong at the end of season 2. After that, he spends a large amount of time off-screen in the book, before making a comeback later in the war. I doubt House of the Dragon will let Aegon linger in the wings that long, so surely we'll see some sort of journey for him in season 3. But whatever it is, it will be away from he attention of the noble houses, who will be forced to choose between Aemond as King Regent and Rhaenyra as Queen while Westeros bleeds around them.

As for Daemon preparing for battle, I'd wager that may be related to the image we've already seen for the season of him covered in blood, leading a host of Rivermen. We have a few theories about what's going on in that shot.

We are most likely getting a House of the Dragon season 3 trailer soon

While getting a description is exciting, obviously the thing we're all waiting for is to actually see this teaser with our own eyes. Given the timing of a potential CCXP debut, and the fact that we now know for a fact that a trailer for House of the Dragon season 3 is finished, the chances feel very high that we'll get that wish sooner rather than later. If we haven't gotten a trailer by the end of the year, I'll be surprised.

HBO knows the value of drumming up anticipation for its shows far in advance, and House of the Dragon stands to be the studio's biggest release of 2026. They'll be pulling out all the stops for this one. We'll have our eyes peeled for the trailer for House of the Dragon season 3 in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, we're also expecting more news about the other Westeros spinoff, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which premieres its first season on January 18, 2026. It has already been renewed for season 2, and stars Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell are scheduled to appear at CCXP next week. Stay tuned!