It’s still going to be a while before Game of Thrones: War for Westeros arrives, but at Gamescom Opening Night Live, developer Playside showed off some gameplay to make the wait a little bit easier.
First announced in 2025–and originally scheduled for a 2026 launch–Game of Thrones: War for Westeros is a real-time strategy game that features several of the franchise’s legendary Houses–Lannister, Stark, and Targaryen–as well as the sinister forces of the Night King. With each faction vying to take control of the Seven Kingdoms, it’s up to players to command their armies and lead them to victory.
Hero units look to play a major role in War for Westeros’ RTS gameplay, with characters like Tywin Lannister, Jon Snow, and others shown to have special abilities that can turn the tide of battle. And Daenerys Targaryen, of course, has a dragon, which seems like it will be more than a little overpowered.
The trailer gives a glimpse of this, and how players will be able to rewrite Game of Thrones history. At one point Robb Stark can be seen cutting down Jamie Lannister before later approaching the Iron Throne. Someone must have warned him about the Red Wedding. It also teases what the ending of Game of Thrones may have looked like had the White Walkers won, with the end of the trailer showing the Night King sitting on the throne triumphantly.
The final season of Game of Thrones back in 2019 is largely remembered now as one of the greatest fumbles in the history of television, so it will be interesting to see how War for Westeros will let players change events to their liking. Don’t like the fact that Bran the Broken was seemingly chosen at random to sit the Iron Throne? Now you can choose who wins, and (hopefully) create a more satisfying ending than the one from the show.
Designed to be a nod to classic RTS games, War for Westeros features a single-player campaign and multiplayer modes for when you want to test your skills against real players across the world. After being out of the limelight for many years, real-time strategy games appear to be making a soft comeback, as Battle for Westeros follows in the wake of several other popular games in the genre, like Age of Empires 4, Age of Mythology: Retold, and Homeworld 3.
Upcoming titles like Stronghold 4 and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 also suggest that there’s still a healthy appetite for old-school strategy games. Currently, the Game of Thrones series is owned and controlled by Warner Bros. Discovery, but that could all change if Paramount succeeds in its $100 billion bid to acquire the company.
For now, Game of Thrones remains a key pillar for Warner Bros. Discovery, alongside Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, and the DC Comics portfolio that includes famous IP like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.
