Game of Thrones: Winter is Coming review

This Game of Thrones Winter is Coming review is based on official sources and player reviews, not on our own play time. YOOZOO Games' real-time strategy game, licensed from HBO through WB Games, is free on Windows via the GTarcade Desktop app, Steam and the Epic Games Store. You build a castle, recruit commanders from the show and fight other lords for Westeros. Money buys packs, VIP Points, Monthly and Weekly Cards and paid pass rewards.

What is Game of Thrones Winter is Coming?

Game of Thrones Winter is Coming is a free-to-play real-time strategy game developed and published by YOOZOO Games, officially licensed from HBO's series through Warner Bros. It was announced at Gamescom 2018 and has been on Steam since November 14, 2019. YOOZOO built it in Unity and describes it as a mix of strategy and roleplaying.

You play a Westeros lord. You build and upgrade a castle, expand your territory, train troops and recruit commanders such as Jon Snow, Arya Stark and Tyrion Lannister, whose skills you use in battle. The map recreates Westeros with its major castles, and the Steam page says up to 10,000 players fight across one world at the same time. Alliances compete for castles and, in the end, the Iron Throne.

PvE content includes Weirwood Trials and rebel leaders; PvP covers attacks on other castles, Alliance Conquest, All-Out War and King's Landing Conquest, a three-alliance mode announced in the October 15, 2026 update. The October 29 update added two advisors, Daenerys Targaryen and Aemond, and a Halloween event from October 31. The game supports English plus 12 other languages.

Is Game of Thrones Winter is Coming free to play?

Yes. Steam lists it as Free To Play, and the Epic Games Store lists it as free.

The official FAQ lists many free sources of Diamonds: joining an alliance for the first time, alliance and Mysterious Chests, in-game events, saving in the Iron Bank, placing in the top 5,000 of the Fighting Pits, slaying Rebel Leaders and in-game surveys. Installing the GTarcade Desktop app adds a one-time reward of 280 Diamonds.

VIP Points also come for free from daily logins, and the streak bonus grows the more days in a row you log in; quests and events add more. Commanders are recruited with 10 matching medals, which Weirwood Trials and events hand out. Event passes such as the Advisor Pass have free reward tiers for completing tasks.

Is Game of Thrones Winter is Coming pay to win? What money buys

Real money goes through GTarcade's recharge page, where you buy G Coins; the desktop app adds 100 loyalty points for every $1 recharged.

The VIP system has 15 levels. The official FAQ says higher levels add resource production, marching speed and increased army attack, defense and health, and that a higher VIP level grants "a greater advantage in battle." VIP Points can be bought as items from the VIP screen.

Packs sell power directly. The FAQ says commander medals, which recruit and upgrade commanders, come from pack purchases among other sources, and Lord Equipment Badges come from shop packs. Castle Upgrade Packs appear at certain keep levels, and Discount Packs are priced in Black Diamonds. A Monthly Card gives daily rewards including 3-hour speed-ups and unlocks Auto Attack, and the Weekly Gathering Supply card unlocks Auto Gather. Event passes like the Advisor Pass unlock extra rewards for Black Diamond.

Update notes mention a Limited Time Advisor Card Pool and draw-based events, but no official odds page was found. Players attack each other's castles across the map.

Based on what the official stores sell, we rate it as strongly pay to win; we will check this again when we play it ourselves.

Game of Thrones Winter is Coming on PC, Facebook, Mac and mobile

This is a Windows game. There are three official ways to install it: the GTarcade Desktop app, which requires Windows 7 or later, Steam and the Epic Games Store. Steam lists Windows only.

Facebook play has ended. In a September 28, 2026 notice, the team said that Facebook would discontinue web-based games on September 30, 2026, so the game could no longer be offered there. Players with a Facebook character can keep it by using Facebook Quick Login in the GTarcade client or by linking the character in the client's settings. A special Facebook login link also works, but purchases made that way cannot be checked on GTarcade and do not earn G Points.

The official site still has an older FAQ answer saying you can play on Facebook; the September notice replaces it.

YOOZOO lists no Mac, console or mobile version of this title. The official Steam description calls it a PC strategy game, and the GTarcade download page offers only a Windows installer.

Game of Thrones Winter is Coming system requirements

Steam lists light requirements, and the GTarcade Desktop download page adds only that it requires Windows 7 or later.

Minimum: Windows 7 SP1, an Intel Core i3 or equivalent, 4 GB of RAM, a 512 MB video card with DirectX 10 support, DirectX 10, a broadband connection and 2,048 MB of storage.

Recommended: Windows 10, an Intel Core i5 or better, 8 GB of RAM, a 1,024 MB video card with DirectX 10 support, DirectX 10 and 4,196 MB of storage.

The game is online only. Update notices list three-hour maintenance windows roughly every two weeks, usually starting at 3:00 GMT, and the team suggests using a Truce of four hours or more before them.

Games like Game of Thrones Winter is Coming

These strategy MMOs from our catalog also center on castles, commanders and alliances:

Rise of Kingdoms: Lilith Games' real-time war strategy game with 15 civilizations and historical commanders on one shared map, free on iOS, Android, Windows and Apple silicon Macs.

Vikings: War of Clans: Plarium's Norse strategy MMO with town building, clan wars and asynchronous PvP, on mobile and on Windows and Mac through Plarium Play.

Lords Mobile: IGG's kingdom-building war game with hero RPG elements, on Steam since 2019 and on iOS and Android.

Evony: The King's Return: Top Games' medieval strategy MMO with world-map PvP and alliances, on mobile and as a Microsoft Store edition.

• Rise of Kingdoms
• Vikings: War of Clans
• Lords Mobile
• Evony: The King's Return