Helen Sloane/HBO
Winter has come: The eighth and final season of Game of Thrones arrives tonight — Sunday, April 14. The show has just aired and if you’re a subscriber HBO Now or HBO Go you can watch the first episode right now.
Head here to read our in-depth recap of the first episode.
Also, if you’ve already watched, feel free to head here to watch the trailer for episode 2!
Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen and the Starks will line up against the White Walkers and their recently acquired dragon — and the final Battle of Winterfell is rumored to be insanely lengthy and excruciatingly bloody. To watch the action in Westeros, you will need a way to watch HBO. Thankfully, there are plenty of easy ways to subscribe, even if you don’t have cable, starting with HBO Now and HBO Go.
Online HBO options compared
*$25 monthly = 1/12 of annual $120 Amazon Prime fee plus $15 per month for HBO
From Chowhound: Raise these Game of Thrones goblets for toasting the final season
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Game of Thrones Season 8: All your questions answered…
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Game of Thrones season 8 schedule
This last season will comprise six, supersize, hour-plus-length episodes. It will all be over — sniff — by mid-May.
Plan to clear out your Sunday evenings at 9 p.m. (8 p.m. Central) in the US, starting around tax day. Here’s the schedule:
- Episode 1: April 14 (now available on demand)
- Episode 2: April 21
- Episode 3: April 28
- Episode 4: May 5
- Episode 5: May 12
- Episode 6: May 19
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HBO’s main two streaming options
HBO Go
If you’re already a subscriber to HBO as part of a cable or satellite TV package, you get HBO Go for free. It lets you stream Game of Thrones along with the rest of HBO’s shows on supported phones, tablets, connected TVs and gaming consoles. Not only can you watch all seven past seasons of GoT with HBO Go, but you can live stream the new episodes as they air on HBO.
See at HBO Go
HBO Now
As opposed to the free streaming add-on mentioned above, HBO Now is a standalone subscription to HBO — no cable or satellite TV subscription required.
It costs $15 a month and lets you watch HBO via the HBO Now app or in a browser at HBONow.com. The HBO Now app is available on a number of devices, including mobile devices, smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Roku. As with HBO Go, you can steam the new episodes live on Sunday nights, the same time that they air on HBO.
See at HBO Now
Add HBO to a streaming service
You can add HBO to four of the TV streaming services below for an additional monthly charge. If you’re a GoT fan and also a subscriber to Sling TV or YouTube TV, then I’m sorry to report that you are out of luck; neither service offers HBO. Here are four that do:
Amazon Prime Video
Prime members can add HBO for $15 a month. A Prime membership costs $119 a year.
See at Amazon Prime Video
Game of Thrones in the UK, Australia and elsewhere
According to an HBO representative, Game of Thrones airs in all but four countries around the world — but not necessarily on HBO itself. In the UK, for example, HBO shows are on Sky Atlantic and Sky’s online services Sky Go and Now TV. In Australia, Game of Thrones airs on TV and online on Foxtel. In both countries the show airs at the same time as in the US (i.e. early Monday), and is repeated on Monday night.
And for the record, HBO restricts the use of VPNs used to stream any of the above services from outside the US.
From Chowhound: How to make the food you see in Game of Thrones
Originally published March 5.