As the series approached its conclusion, the production scale increased dramatically. Battles became larger, CGI requirements became more complex, and the runtime of individual episodes increased. Consequently, HBO and the showrunners agreed to shorten the final two seasons.
| Season | Episodes | Notable Notes | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | 10 | “Winter Is Coming” (Pilot) | | Season 2 | 10 | “The Night Lands” – “Valar Morghulis” | | Season 3 | 10 | The Red Wedding season | | Season 4 | 10 | The Mountain vs. The Viper | | Season 5 | 10 | “Hardhome” | | Season 6 | 10 | “Battle of the Bastards” / “The Winds of Winter” | | Season 7 | 7 | Shortened due to production complexity | | Season 8 | 6 | Final season (controversial finale: “The Iron Throne”) | | Total | 73 | |
Fans often ask: If the first six seasons had 10 episodes each, why did Seasons 7 and 8 only have 7 and 6?
