The House of the Dragon season 2 release has finally been confirmed - and it's sooner than you think

The Targaryens are on their way back

House of the Dragon season 2 release
(Image credit: © 2023 Home Box Office, Inc)

Following Game of Thrones' meteoric success for eight years and equally as many seasons, House of the Dragon aired in 2022 to critical acclaim. Fans of George R.R. Martin's fantasy world were as excited as they were sceptical about the arrival of a prequel, but the show managed to retain elements of its predecessor while creating its own texture - and as a result, 9.3 million viewers tuned in to watch the finale. 

Although a number of popular TV shows were impacted by the Hollywood strikes last year, House of the Dragon was permitted to continue with production as a result of separate UK labour laws. Now, a Warner Bros Discovery President has finally confirmed when the series two release will be - and you may be surprised at just how soon it is.

During a media conference Q&A this week, the President of Global Streaming and Games confirmed that House of the Dragon season 2 will be returning to small screens in June, two years after the first episode of season 1 landed. 

Discussing the return of shows such as The Last of Us, Euphoria and The White Lotus, he confirmed: "When we look at the next 12 to 18 to 24 months, we have all of our four biggest HBO tentpoles – House of the Dragon season 2 coming in June."

Previously, the only piece of information that fans of the show had on the return was a promise that it would be back in 'the early summer', so now there's a much more concrete release month in view. While the exact date is still yet to be confirmed, it's a short wait for House of the Dragon fans who last saw Rhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy and Matt Smith), Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) in 2022 when the first series wrapped with a brutal ending. 

House of the Dragon season 2 is expected to be shorter than the first instalment, but show runner Ryan Condal told Deadline that it will feel more like Game of Thrones now that the storylines have been set. He explained: "Now we get to fall into the more traditional rhythms of storytelling and Game of Thrones. We’ve always talked about this particular tale, George [RR Martin] has too, of being a Shakespearean or Greek tragedy. This series is very much about a house tearing itself apart from within. Now that all those pieces have been set on the board, I’m really excited to tell the next chapter, to see what happens now that Viserys is gone and no longer keeping a lid on things."

Excited? Same. 

Jadie Troy-Pryde
News Editor

Jadie Troy-Pryde is News Editor, covering celebrity and entertainment, royal, lifestyle and viral news. Before joining the team in 2018 as the Lifestyle and Social Media Editor, she worked at a number of women’s fashion and lifestyle titles including Grazia, Women’s Health and Stylist, and now heads the Marie Claire UK news desk.