Heading into the final act, the showrunners made a controversial decision to produce fewer episodes, citing the immense production scale and budget required for the CGI-heavy finale.
13 episodes.
[Generated AI Assistant] Date: April 14, 2026 game of thrones seasons episodes count
Game of Thrones Seasons and Episodes Count Game of Thrones , the award-winning HBO fantasy drama based on George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels, consists of . The series premiered on April 17, 2011, and concluded its epic run on May 19, 2019.
. Season 1: 10 Episodes Season 2: 10 Episodes Season 3: 10 Episodes Season 4: 10 Episodes Season 5: 10 Episodes Season 6: 10 Episodes Season 7: 7 Episodes Season 8: 6 Episodes Why the Change in Length? For the first six years, HBO stuck to a consistent 10-episode schedule. However, for the final two seasons, the showrunners opted for shorter episode counts with longer individual runtimes. While Season 8 only has six episodes, several of them clock in at over 80 minutes, essentially making them mini-movies. How Long Does a Full Binge-Watch Take? If you're looking to watch the entire series from start to finish, set aside some serious time. The total runtime is approximately Heading into the final act, the showrunners made
A major point of contention within the fandom is the gap between Seasons 6 and 8. Had the showrunners adhered to the traditional format, the series would have ended with 20 episodes in the final two seasons (10 each), totaling 80 episodes for the series.
When looking at the episode count, it is vital to look at runtime, as Season 8 episodes were significantly longer than those in Season 1. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels, consists of
| Season | Year | Episode Count | Total Runtime (Approx.) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | 2011 | 10 | 9h 13m | | Season 2 | 2012 | 10 | 9h 15m | | Season 3 | 2013 | 10 | 9h 16m | | Season 4 | 2014 | 10 | 9h 06m | | Season 5 | 2015 | 10 | 9h 15m | | Season 6 | 2016 | 10 | 9h 59m | | Season 7 | 2017 | 7 | 7h 20m | | Season 8 | 2019 | 6 | 7h 20m | | TOTAL | | 73 | 70h 14m |
Game of Thrones is an outlier in its , while most prestige shows maintain or expand final seasons.
Several factors explain the reduction in episode count after Season 6: