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A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms taught us that George R.R. Martin's Westeros can be heartwarming, even humorous, at times. House of the Dragon is here to remind us: not always.

HBO has released its first trailer for House of the Dragon season 3, and where the Tales of Dunk & Egg were small and fairly hopeful, this story looks to be big and bloody. We'll talk about what we learned from the trailer in a moment, but first, check it out for yourself:

Lots to talk about here, obviously, but the big thing is that we finally have a release date window for the latest Game of Thrones spinoff - House of the Dragon season 3 will drop sometime in June 2026, according to this trailer. And what awaits us on that release date is a lot of bloodshed, particularly for those who have set themselves against Rhaenyra Targaryen.

Or as it seems we're about to know her - Rhaenyra the Cruel.

Yeah, it's not a spoiler to Game of Thrones fans that the leader of the "Black" regiment of the Targaryen Civil War - AKA The Dance of Dragons - will eventually come to be known by the above "Cruel" moniker. Not only does this show up in Martin's prequel novel Fire & Blood, on which House of the dragon is based, but it's a name that came up more than once in the HBO megahit series that started it all. 

All that to say, it sure seems like this season will find Rhaenyra earning that name; there are plenty of battles and burnings in her name being teased in the trailer. Of course, we know that things don't ultimately end up so well for Rhaenyra or her dragons - watch A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to find out what happens to the latter - but they're not going down without a fight. 

And not without taking a hell of a lot of Westerosi citizens with them.

House of the Dragon season 3 airs on HBO Max in June 2026. 

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has brought Westeros back to HBO Max, and Popverse has got more Game of Thrones articles than could fit on a spiky chair. We've got everything you need to dive into the series, including:

• Popverse's Game of Thrones watch order 
• How to read George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones series in order 
• The biggest differences between The House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones
• The history of Westeros's greatest houses & families
• Every single dragon in The House of the Dragon so far

Plus much more coming as it gets announced!