For more than a decade, Game of Thrones has been one of entertainment’s biggest franchises — and one of gaming’s most reliable disappointments. Between a clunky 2012 action RPG, a string of free-to-play mobile cash-grabs, and forgettable spin-offs, Westeros has never received the video game its epic story deserves. Game of Thrones: War for Westeros, a new real-time strategy title from Warner Bros. Games, might finally break that curse — though Kotaku’s recent hands-on suggests it still has some growing to do.
A Real-Time Strategy Game Worthy of the Seven Kingdoms
Revealed at Summer Game Fest 2025, War for Westeros swaps the action-RPG formula of other recent Game of Thrones titles for old-school, large-scale warfare. The strategy game is heading to PC via Steam, with a release currently expected in 2026. Instead of following a single hero, you command entire armies across Westeros’ most infamous battlefields — the kind of grand, top-down conflict fans have craved since the show’s earliest seasons.
Play as the Great Houses — or Command the Army of the Dead
The big hook is faction variety. Players can lead House Stark, House Lannister, or House Targaryen, each with distinct units, playstyles, and signature heroes drawn straight from the HBO series. Characters like Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen act as powerful hero units capable of turning the tide of battle — Drogon’s dragonfire tends to do that. The most intriguing twist, however, is the option to play as the Night King himself, raising fallen soldiers to swell your undead ranks as the battle rages on.
What Kotaku’s Hands-On Demo Reveals
Classic RTS Bones
According to Kotaku’s preview, War for Westeros
Source: Kotaku