Which is the highest rated episode of Game of Thrones?

George R.R. Martin published A Game of Thrones, the first book in his sprawling A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy saga, in 1996, and for the ensuing 20 years, readers obsessed over the mystery of Jon Snow’s parentage. Through five of Martin’s novels and 59 episodes of the show that those tomes inspired, the speculation and theorizing surrounding that question fueled an unrivaled shared fan experience. In “The Winds of Winter,” Bran returned to the Tower of Joy to uncover the truth, in so doing providing legions of amateur sleuths and genealogists with the clarity they’d craved for two decades: Jon is not Ned’s son; he’s Lyanna’s. The cut from baby Jon’s face to adult Jon’s face as he’s poised to be named the White Wolf and the King in the North instantly earned its place in the pantheon of shattering TV moments, the rare reveal that not only meets but exceeds expectations and that sparks as many new questions as it just answered. Jon isn’t the episode’s only new ruler, though: Cersei channels her inner Aerys, burning her enemies by blowing up the Sept of Baelor in a chillingly choreographed and scored sequence. As always, her miscalculations have grave consequences, in this case her son Tommen’s suicide. But as Littlefinger once said, chaos is a ladder, and Cersei climbs those rungs right to the Iron Throne, crowning herself queen. She won’t sit comfortably for long, though. After years of languishing out East, Dany finally heads West as the episode concludes, a new Hand by her side, and Greyjoy, Martell, and Tyrell ships in her fleet. Not even Frey pie can beat that.

HBO's first Game of Thrones show is in the rearview mirror, but that doesn't mean Game of Thrones is over. With the prequel series House of the Dragon on the horizon, now is the perfect time to go back and watch some episodes.

We took all 73 original episodes for a trial by combat that'll weed out the Top 25 of the bunch. The real question now is: Given how polarizing Season 8 was for die hard fans, did any episodes from this final run crack the list? You'll have to find out!

Sitting in a damp cave in the far frozen North, greenseeing over all Seven Kingdoms and beyond, we've sifted through the past to bring you the very best episodes of this malicious and magical series; from diabolical dragonfire to legions of swarming undead to face-swapping assassins to laudably lethal weddings, these are our picks for the 25 best Game of Thrones episodes or take a look at the best shows like Game of Thrones.

The 25 Best Game of Thrones Episodes

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25. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

AKA "the last episode before some fans started to seriously sour on Season 8," "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" focused on the final hours before the Night King's undead assault on Winterfell, with each character having to come to terms with what might be their last moments alive. Arya decided to take Gendry as a lover, Tormund tried his best to woo Brienne, and Tyrion opted to drink and listen to the long saga of Bran the Broken. In the chapter's most rewarding scene, Jaime knighted Brienne, giving her the honer she never knew she always wanted. This was very much a "calm before the storm" episode, executed with grace, humor, and heart.

24. Winter is Coming

Ah, back where it all began. For us, the viewers, anyhow. "Winter Is Coming" invited us into Westeros, back when the dire wolves were all pups and the Stark kids were...well, they were all pups too. Stoic Warden of the North, Ned Stark, agreed to help his old friend, King Robert, down in the capital city so that he could secretly look into the death of his childhood mentor. All while, across the sea, a young Daenerys Targaryen was sold off to a barbarian by her older brother, who believed he was the rightful ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. It's amazing that, even with all the information that was heroically hurled at us in "Winter Is Coming," it was still just a small peak into this wicked and wonderful world.

23. The Old Gods and the New (Season 2)

This spectacular Season 2 entry introduced us to the Wildling Ygritte, Qarth-napped Daenerys' baby dragons, and made us bear witness to the fall of Winterfell at the hands of Theon Greyjoy (RIP Ser Rodrik). What "The Old Gods and the New" is probably most-known for, however, is Tyrion smacking the ever-loving smirk off of Joffrey's face (once again) following a riot in the streets of King's Landing and Arya scrambling to cover her snooping in Harrenhal by asking Jaqen H'ghar to smite Ser Amory Lorch. And man, those scenes between Arya and Tywin are still some of the best moments from the entire show.

22. The Dance of Dragons (Season 5)

The name of the game in this harrowing penultimate Season 5 episode was FIRE. Not just the blazing agony Daenerys' biggest dragon, Drogon, unleashed on Dany's Sons of the Harpy attackers in the fighting arena of Meereen, but also the cruel flames that Stannis condemned his sweet daughter, Shireen, to so that the Lord of Light would bless his army in his quest to conquer the North. It was a cold move, even by Game of Thrones' usual standards for sinister behavior, and one that would ultimately be Stannis' undoing.

21. Kissed by Fire (Season 3)

Very important, transcendent things happened in steaming pools of water in "Kissed by Fire." Not only did Jon Snow and Ygritte consummate their budding relationship inside a hotspirngs cave, but Jaime laid bare his soul in front of Brienne, confessing the real reasons he killed King Aerys, the man he'd sworn a sacred oath to protect. Elsewhere, in this heavyweight episode, The Hound faced off against the flaming sword of Beric Dondarrion, leading to Lord Beric's umpteenth death, causing Thoros to demonstrate a Lord of Light resurrection trick...that would come in very handy a few seasons later.

20. Mother's Mercy (Season 5)

In Season 5's busy, and rather brutal, finale, Cersei was forced to endure abuse and humiliation at the hands of her own disgruntled citizens while Arya, overseas, wiped one more name off her list - Ser Meryn Trant - thanks to some tricks she learned from the House of Black and White. Despite those big moments however, all most people were talking about by the time the final credits rolled was...THEY KILLED JON SNOW! The show that had seemingly committed every heinous act under the sun, in order to make fans cry, had done the unthinkable. It murdered one of the few crucial-to-the-endgame characters it had left.

19. Valar Morghulis (Season 2)

The superb Season 2 finale, "Valar Morghulis," was an early-on game changer as both Arya and Jon Snow took huge steps into unknowable futures. The youngest Stark girl was given a mysterious coin by the assassin Jaqen H'ghar and offered a terrifying tutelage off in Braavos while Jon was forced to kill a fellow member of the Night's Watch in order to pretend like he'd defected and joined the Wildlings. Stellar writing and an ominous final scene featuring an encroaching army of the dead helped this follow-up to Season 2's "Blackwater" soar.

18. You Win or You Die (Season 1)

This pivotal chapter, from back in Season 1, is memorable for many reasons - Tywin Lannister's first appearance, Daenerys surviving her first assassination attempt, Jon Snow taking his Night's Watch vows - but it's most notable as Ned Stark's ultimate unraveling. Being stubbornly noble and true, a quality ill-suited for survival in Westeros, Ned offered Cersei the chance to come clean regarding the real father of her children. Unfortunately, while King Robert expired from a hunting injury, Cersei used Ned's generous "window" to paint Ned out to be a traitor and plan Prince Joffrey's kingly coronation. We all still remember Littlefinger's knife to Ned's neck. "I did warn you not to trust me."

17. The Bear and the Maiden Fair (Season 3)

In a rare episode of Game of Thrones that featured no deaths whatsoever - either onscreen or off - "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" featured the gorgeous final act of Jaime Lannister's Season 3 redemption arc, as he jumped into a fighting pit at Harrenhal to save Brienne of Tarth from an angry bear. Elsewhere, in this intense episode directed by Michelle MacLaren, Theon reached the absolute apex of his physical torture at the hands of Ramsay Bolton after having his most prized possession - his genitals - savagely removed.

16. The Climb (Season 3)

As an episode that started off a bit slow, but then built up to a roaring crescendo, “The Climb” featured Tormund and Ygritte’s Wildling party ascending The Wall with nothing but hands, hooks, and grit - leading to Jon and Ygritte’s iconic kiss overlooking all of the known North. The rest of this chapter dealt with manipulative maneuvers via marriages, as Tywin and Lady Olenna negotiated a wedding between Sansa and Tyrion and Robb Stark had to come clean about breaking his oath to marry one of Walder Frey’s daughters.

15. Fire and Blood (Season 1)

Despite following one of Game of Thrones’ biggest and most shocking episodes, the Season 1 finale, “Fire and Blood,” still managed to sear its way into everyone’s psyche using the iconic image of a naked Daenerys emerging, unharmed, from a massive funeral pyre with a newly hatched baby dragon on her shoulder. Despite being forced to put her husband, Khal Drogo, out of his cursed misery, the Khaleesi officially transformed into the Mother of Dragons after one magical, miraculous move. Meanwhile, the Stark family, scattered throughout the realm, all learned of Ned’s execution and dealt with the tragedy in varied ways.

14. The Watchers on the Wall (Season 4)

Season 3’s big battle episode, “The Watchers on the Wall,” may not have quite captured the unique majesty of Season 2’s “Blackwater,” but it still packed a huge punch (and a hefty production budget) as Jon Snow rallied what was left of Castle Black’s forces against the full brunt of Mance Rayder’s Wildling army. Many fell, including Jon’s fire-haired star-crossed love, Ygritte, in a ferocious fight that featured giants, Thenn cannibals, and humongous Wall-sized pendulum blades. This was a full hour of underdog heroics and spectacular stunts.

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13. The Lion and the Rose (Season 4)

After four seasons, Game of Thrones finally gave us a wedding reception we could rejoice over. King Joffrey - a complete pain in the ass until the very end - choked to death while engaging in one of his favorite pastimes: tormenting Tyrion. The young, dim brute died in agony, clutching his throat. George R. R. Martin couldn't have planned it better. Well, he did in more ways than one, we suppose, since he wrote the episode. Yes, the author who'd robbed us of so many heroes finally wiped one of the show's most foul villains off the map. And it was glorious.

12. And Now His Watch Is Ended (Season 3)

Jaime was forced to wear his severed hand around his neck, Margaery began her manipulation of Joffrey (much to Cersei's displeasure), Theon got tricked by Ramsay into thinking he was escaping, and Lord Commander Mormont of the Night's Watch was killed during a dastardly mutiny at Craster's Keep. All that and Daenerys made off with an army of 8,000 Unsullied soldiers after she turned her dragons loose on the slave masters of Astapor, leaving scorched earth and crackled bodies in her wake. DRACARYS!

11. The Laws of Gods and Men (Season 4)

Tyrion Lannister stood trial in “The Laws of Gods and Men,” unjustly accused of regicide, watching his loved ones betray him as his own sister blamed him for the death of her son. Star Peter Dinklage delivered one of the show's most powerful scenes as a convicted Tyrion spit poison and unleashed years of pent-up hatred at everyone in the court. Tyrion would then demand a trial by combat and - well - the rest is history. Nothing would ever be the same for the Lannisters, as Tyrion’s future would involve exile…and working for the “enemy.”

10. The Door (Season 6)

Hodor’s sacrificial demise in Season 6’s “The Door” gave us the ultimate Game of Thrones two-for. Not only does it stand as one of the show’s trademark great and gruesome deaths, but it also opened the “door” to a whole new world of time-shifting, providing answers about Hodor’s confounding timespace-looped origin while also cluing us in on some of the real ramifications of Bran’s greenseeing/warging powers. Veteran LOST director Jack Bender helmed this episode, his first ever Game of Thrones chapter, and infused it with nightmarish intensity.

9. The Mountain and the Viper 22 (Season 4)

In "The Mountain and the Viper," Daenerys discovered Jorah's betrayal and banished him while a newly confident Sansa donned a striking new black dress. But what everyone remembers the most is the final, jaw-dropping -- and head-popping -- 10 minutes featuring the fight between Oberyn Martell and Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane... a fight that almost went the way many viewers hoped until the last few seconds when Oberyn got caught monologuing and paid the painful price. Proof that George R. R. Martin probably would have had Count Rugen kill Inigo Montoya had he written The Princess Bride.

8. The Winds of Winter (Season 6)

With one of the most suspenseful and mercilessly explosive sequences on the show to date, "The Winds of Winter" wonderfully paid off a two-season storyline that had started to drag. Cersei, choosing violence like she loves to do, purged King's Landing of just about every named character (including, unfortunately, her last remaining child) and ascended to the Iron Throne with Qyburn as her Hand. Meanwhile, Daenerys finally set sail for Westeros, with a larger force than ever now under her control. And on top of that, it was solidified that Arya's two-season arc over in Braavos was truly over via a throat slit, a gurgle, and some pies, as she returned to Westeros with a new bag of tricks and wiped out the entire Frey male line. All in all, one of the best season finales the show's ever done.

7. Battle of the Bastards (Season 6)

Containing the most sweeping, expansive and impressive battles sequences the series has ever pulled off -- AND some of the best CGI work involving dragons mercilessly setting enemy ships ablaze -- "Battle of the Bastards" saw Jon Snow and his undersized army of loyalists scrape and claw to retake Winterfell. It was a massive, emotional fight to the finish as Sansa saved the day, with Littlefinger's smarmy aid, and then fed Ramsay to his own starving mutts. And with both Dany and Jon overcoming their foul enemies (one more easily than the other, of course), this chapter gave us perhaps the most decisive win for GoT's heroes to date.

6. The Children (Season 4)

Stannis and his army arrived at the Wall to save Jon Snow and the Night's Watch, Daenerys chained up her dragons, and Tyrion, set free by Jaime, took a detour during his escape to grimly murder both Tywin and Shae (who he discovered in his dad's bed). But it was Brienne's ear-biting battle with The Hound that helped make the Season 4 finale, "The Children," excel. That and Arya's cold, silent refusal to put The Hound out of his misery.

5. Baelor (Season 1)

Season 1's "Baelor" was the jumping off point for the show not playing by conventional story rules. Within the delicious audience contempt behind killing off Sean Bean's Ned Stark lay the blueprints for a saga that would run circles around us tragedy-wise. The series had already been great, but this was the shocking moment that got the misery ball rolling. Elsewhere, Robb made a vow to the grotesque Walder Frey, Tyrion played a drinking game with Bronn and Shae, and Daenerys unwittingly lost her unborn child after seeking out dark magic to save a dying Khal Drogo.

4. Blackwater (Season 2)

In Season 2, many scrambled to claim the Iron Throne while many viewers sought out the person they thought would be the show's new hero (now that Ned was without head). Would it be Robb, out to defeat the Lannisters and find justice for his father? No. It would be Tyrion who'd rise up. And in the epic, impressive all-King's Landing battle episode, "Blackwater," he'd not only put into action a dangerously clever plan involving wildfire so as to wipe out Stannis' ships, but he'd be the one to rally the citizens to fight for their city after Joffrey tucked his tail and ran. Boats exploded, the Hound fled when he saw fire and Cersei prepared to poison herself and Tommen.

3. The Spoils of War (Season 7)

Season 7 won't exactly live on in history as the best season of the show, but - hoo boy - "The Spoils of War." That episode. From Arya returning to Winterfell and sparring with Brienne to Jon verbally sparring with Daenerys to, naturally, that final awesome battle sequence involving Daenerys riding her dragon into war against Jaime Lannister's forces - this was a marvelous masterstroke of worlds colliding. It was so damn good that it was almost able to dethrone our number one choice for the show's best action/battle sequence (see our pick for #1) and it solidly reigns as the true gem of the seventh season.

2. The Rains of Castamere (Season 3)

The Red Wedding stands as one of the most diabolical bloodlettings in TV history. Fans unspoiled by the books were protected by those who'd read up, so as to preserve their shock and misery for all time. Viewers left "The Rains of Castamere" feeling hollowed out, and that was the exact intention. Writers/producers D.B. Weiss and David Benioff mentioned, at the very outset of the show, that if the series could last just long enough for them to film the Red Wedding, they'd be happy, as it was the moment in the books that made them decide that the story needed to be taken to TV.

1. Hardhome (Season 5)

The way Season 5 was going -- still great TV, but not the best Game of Thrones had offered -- we don't think anyone expected it to deliver an episode as mighty as "Hardhome." What a chilling, insane final 20 minutes director Miguel Sapochnik delivered unto us as the Night's King unleashed a literal avalanche of ferocious undead minions on the last remaining frozen holdout of Mance Rayder's Wildlings. It brought the White Walkers to the forefront of the series in terrifying fashion and further helped solidify Jon Snow as the show's ultimate hero, not only proving that he was right in his attempt to unite enemy factions, but that he was, as shown in Season 4's "The Watchers on the Wall," an action-ready bada$.

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This article was originally published in 2019. It has been updated in anticipation of the upcoming prequel series.

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