Jon Snow Is Finally Returning to 'Game of Thrones', But There’s a Catch
The game is going to allow players to to take control of one faction from the Starks, Lannisters, Targaryens, and the Army of the Dead, with the object of conquering Westeros.
Updated July 7 2026, 7:29 a.m. ET
Real-time strategy and grand strategy games are well-suited to the world of A Song of Ice and Fire. With factions vying for control of the Iron Throne or fighting to survive the Night King, George R.R. Martin’s world favors players drawn to strategy, resource management, and tactics.
Game of Thrones: War for Westeros, developed by PlaySide Studios, is a real-time strategy game built around that appeal. Players can take control of factions such as House Stark, House Targaryen, House Lannister, or the Army of the Night King.
The game’s reveal trailer, released roughly a year ago at Summer Game Fest 2025, depicted a string of events that never occurred in the show.
'War for Westeros' Will Let Fans Write Their Own Narrative
Game of Thrones ended with a widely criticized final season. War for Westeros, through its marketing, has positioned itself as a way for fans to rewrite the canon ending of the show through their gameplay. The game is set to have a single-player campaign and a multiplayer mode.
The players in the game aim to conquer the Seven Kingdoms using their chosen faction. Depending on the faction, players will have access to units such as dragons, giants, or white walkers. Each faction is set to have unique strengths and weaknesses meant to encourage different playstyles.
GameSpot has confirmed at least two locations that are set to appear in the game: King’s Landing and The Wall. The game is currently scheduled to release on PC in 2026.
Fans Excited at the Prospect of Doing Jon Snow’s Story Justice
A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones are related but are separate stories. A number of characters, plots, and stories that are present in the books never made it to screen.
One of the show’s biggest changes was to reveal that Jon Snow was actually Aegon VI Targaryen, the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. However, this reveal ultimately had little bearing on the story, since Jon didn't play a major role in defeating the Night King; that task fell to Arya Stark.
The game's reveal trailer opens with a direct clash between Jon Snow and the Night King, a confrontation that never happened in the show. Since the game is built around the show's canon rather than the books, fans have expressed excitement at the chance to give Jon Snow's story a different outcome.
The cinematic trailer shows Jon Snow dying and being resurrected as one of the Night King's undead, suggesting there may be significant flexibility in how the campaign mode's story can unfold.