The season 3 finale of House of the Dragon, episode 8, premieres Sunday, August 9, 2026, on HBO and HBO Max, the streaming platform that holds the Game of Thrones spinoff's catalog.
The episode picks up after the events of "The Dragon in Winter," in which Rhaenyra Targaryen, played by Emma D'Arcy, sought answers from Helaena Targaryen, played by Phia Saban, hoping to ease her doubts about holding the Iron Throne. The conversation did not give her the certainty she wanted, and things worsened when she learned who rides the dragon Sheepstealer.
Rhaena Targaryen, played by Phoebe Campbell, turns out to be the true rider of Sheepstealer, the dragon tied to the death of Rhaenyra's eldest son. Their meeting sets off a clash between dragons that leaves Syrax injured. Rhaenyra leaves with Rhaena, while Daemon Targaryen, played by Matt Smith, tries to take control of Sheepstealer, but the dragon escapes.
On the other side of the conflict, Alicent Hightower, played by Olivia Cooke, manages to get close to Aemond Targaryen, played by Ewan Mitchell, once again and win back his trust. Aemond ignores warnings from Alys, played by Gayle Rankin, and ends up poisoned. Meanwhile Aegon II, played by Tom Glynn-Carney, faces the Red Fork's army and discovers his dragon Sunfyre is still alive. Their reunion leads to a decisive moment when Aegon orders Dracarys, an action also tied to one of Helaena's visions. The First Battle of Tumbleton looms as one of the finale's central events.
Finale premiere details
The final episode of season 3 was directed by Andrij Parekh, with a script by Ryan Condal and Ti Mikkel. It runs 75 minutes, or one hour and 15 minutes.
What time does the finale air
Episode 8 arrives on HBO Max and HBO at 9 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday, August 9, with different local start times depending on the country.
- United States: 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET, Sunday, August 9
- Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica: 7 p.m., Sunday, August 9
- Peru, Colombia, Panama and Ecuador: 8 p.m., Sunday, August 9
- Chile, Venezuela, Bolivia, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico: 9 p.m., Sunday, August 9
- Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil: 10 p.m., Sunday, August 9
- Spain: 2 a.m., Monday, August 10
Watching the finale requires an active HBO Max subscription, since the series is part of the platform's and HBO's exclusive catalog.
