There is a lot of buzz around the American drama tv show, Game of Thrones or more commonly known as GOT. Fans around the world have seen all eight seasons of the show. We have listed the list of the seasons and a summary of what the season was about. Along with that, we have brought a list of Game of Thrones Seasons ranked from the best to average.
The series Game of Thrones is a creation of David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and the series is adapted from a fantasy novel series that is written by George R. R. Martin – A Song of Ice and Fire. Over the various seasons, the show has been shot in various locations. The series has a huge cast and follows different story arcs throughout the seasons.
Even though determining which season is the best and which is the worst season truly depends on every individual, We are trying to put in our analysis along with analyzing the rating of the seasons and following a best-to-worst Game of Thrones season rank. The list contains all seasons, right from the first season to the final season.
1. Season Six
- Director: David Nutter
- Writer: David Benioff
- Cast: Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Lain Glen, Aidan Gillen, Harry Lloyd, Kit Harrington.
- IMDb: 9.6
The sixth Game of Thrones season was certainly the best and the most successful. It had the never before shown character development of the major characters. The previous seasons were good, but the sixth season is what bought an impact. Melisandre resurrects Jon at the wall. Jon rejoins Sansa and departs from the Night’s Watch. They defeat the Boltons with the help of the Wildlings, loyalists, and Knights of the Vale, and Jon is proclaimed King of the North. He trains with the Three-Eyed Raven beyond the wall, but White Walkers attack them.
Bran and The Plot
Bran takes the place of The Three-Eyed Raven, escaping with the help of Hodor, who dies in the process. He discovers that Jon is the son of his late aunt Lyanna Stark and Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. The Faceless Men train Arya continuously in Braavos but eventually abandon them and return to Westeros to exact revenge on Walder Frey. Cersei Lannister demolishes the Great Sept with wildfire in King’s Landing. Many people, including the High Sparrow, Margaery, and Loras, are killed.
After witnessing the events, Tommen commits suicide, and Cersei is crowned Queen. Euron Greyjoy seizes power in the Iron Islands by assassinating his brother and Theon’s father, Balon. The Dothraki kidnaps Daenerys, but she wins their loyalty by burning their leaders alive. She forgives Ser Jorah. She returns to Meereen just in time to save the city from a slaver naval siege, then sails for Westeros with Theon and his sister Yara. Ellaria seizes control of Dorne and forms an alliance with Daenerys alongside Olenna Tyrell.
2. Season Three
- Director: David Nutter
- Writer: David Benioff
- Cast: Michelle Fairley, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Lain Glen, Aidan Gillen, Harry Lloyd, Kit Harrington.
- IMDb: 9.5
The third season of Game of Thrones, no doubt, is one of the best seasons because it brought a lot of loose ends together. The season it closed the political rivalry, etc., from the first two seasons. It ended the season with the Red Wedding and was a cultural benchmark. The buzz around it was soo much that everyone knew they would never want to be at the Red Wedding.
Along with the Red Wedding, the character of Jon Snow was very remarkable, and the character build-up was one of the best. It also shows his love life. The story shifts to Astapr and tells us about Dany, Jorah Mormont, and Barristan Selmy and their ultimate goal of reaching the Iron Throne. Arya also enlightens us with the folks of Westeros, and we’re given more information about the magical world that exists out there.
3. Season Seven
- Director: David Nutter
- Writer: David Benioff
- Cast: Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Lain Glen, Aisan Gillen, Harry Lloyd, Kit Harrington.
- IMDb: 9.1
This season was a penultimate season; it had good enough elements to keep it going. However, the seventh Game of Thrones season was just seven episodes long. The earlier seasons were very well done, but by the end of the series finale, things started to seem rushed, but it still had the spark. In the seventh season, we see that Daenerys takes over Dragonstone after reaching Westeros. The seventh season was actually where the great Game of Thrones began.
Daenerys plans to overthrow Cersei, but they later fall in love and go ahead of the wall. The Night King kills Daenerys’ dragon. Sansa reunites with her siblings Arya and Bran after the Winterfell and passes through the ice dragon. Lord Protector starts to get the stark children against each other, but he soon gets executed for the same. Bran’s vision tells him about the true heir to the iron throne.
By the end of the season, we are shown that the night king destroys a part of the wall, and this lets the white Walkers and army of the dead pass through and to the seven kingdoms. The seven seasons were a hit, even though there were several good and bad episodes. By the time the Game of Thrones series reached season seven, many of the beloved characters had left the series.
4. Season Four
- Director: David Nutter
- Writer: David Benioff
- Cast: Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Lain Glen, Aisan Gillen, Harry Lloyd, Kit Harrington.
- IMDb: 9.1
The fourth Game of Thrones season was the middle ground of the entire series. It was neither the best nor the worst; it had a good plot and good character development as well. After the events of the third season, including the death of Robb Stark and the Final ending with the Red Wedding, we see the three kings claiming the Iron Throne. We see that Sansa Stark escapes the King’s Landing. Apart from this, Jon Snow and the Night’s Watch plan on going against a one-lakh army of Wildlings while they are truly outnumbered.
Bran is seen meeting with the Three-eyed raven. We then get to know that Daenerys Targaryen finds difficulty in ruling; she’d rather conquer. As time passes, her dragons start getting difficult to control, so she decides to tie the with chains. Arya Stark sails to Braavos by the season’s end. Many fans have a love-hate relationship with this Game of Thrones season of the series.
5. Season One
- Director: David Nutter
- Writer: David Benioff
- Cast: Sean Bean, Mark Addy, Michelle Fairley, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Lain Glen, Aisan Gillen, Harry Lloyd, Kit Harrington.
- IMDb: 9.1
The first season of the show did not start very well, it was new, and it had a list of absurd things that aren’t really appreciated or, more so, not commonly found in shows and series. However, even though the first season wasn’t a success, it set the groundwork for the pop culture phenomenon. The first season of the show introduced us to the Starks and told us about the start of the Game of Thrones. We were introduced to Westeros and Ned Stark.
Jaime Lannister suspects Bran Stark to be sleeping with his sister, and this leads to the start of the war between the Lannisters and the Starks. Spoiler alert – We soon witness Ned Stark’s beheading. Along with this story arc, we are also shown a story going on in Essos; we’re introduced to Daenerys and her brother and how her brother marries his sister off for Khal Drogo, for an Army. However, we’re shown that they start falling for each other, but soon Drogo dies.
The first season of the show was not well made as the five seasons following it. The later seasons could be made in a better way, because of the growing technology with green screens, etc. However, it wasn’t a flop either; it was perfect for kick-starting people to talk about the show, The Game of Thrones.
6. Season Two
- Director: David Nutter
- Writer: David Benioff
- Cast: Michelle Fairley, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Lain Glen, Aisan Gillen, Harry Lloyd, Kit Harrington.
- IMDb: 8.96
In the second season, Jaime is taken captive after a war. Cately plans to sell Jaime to King’s Landing. We’re then greeted with the story of Kings Landing, where Sansa is often mistreated while working for the King. Lannisters youngest son fails an attack that he had planned. We see that Bran and Rickson escape to the wall.
Also, Jon seems to have gained the trust of the Wildlings. Along with all this, we’re told about the alternate story going on in Essos. There Danerys is staying in Qarth, and her dragons are robbed; however, she finds them later on and decides to steal some wealth so that she can go on, and she then eventually leaves the city. The Seven Kingdoms are at war, with the King of the North, Robb Stark, fighting for the independence of his people and the people of the Riverlands.
Robb decides that he needs to win the allegiance of the fiercely unbiased ironborn to his cause and sends his best friend, Theon Greyjoy, to deal with him together with his father, who is hatching his plans. House Lannister is the most powerful house, but his uncle Renly has also claimed the throne with the aid of House Tyrell, whose armies are much larger. Tyrion Lannister arrives in King’s Landing to take matters into his own hands, most effectively to compete with his scheming sister, Cersei, now Queen Regent.
7. Season Five
- Director: David Nutter
- Writer: David Benioff
- Cast: Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Lain Glen, Aisan Gillen, Harry Lloyd, Kit Harrington.
- IMDb: 8.83
In the fifth season of Game of Thrones, we saw the story in a different place from Westeros. While in King’s Landing, we see that Joffery’s younger brother Tommen Baratheon marries Margaery. Jaime Lannister goes to Dorne in search of Myrcella Baratheon. On the other hand, Oberyn Martell’s mistress Ellaria and her cruel daughters murder Myrcella in retaliation for Oberyn’s death.
Baelish, as the seat of House Bolton, arranges Sansa’s marriage to Roose Bolton’s now-legal son, the sadistic Ramsay. The newly elected Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, Jon Snow, allies with the wildlings to save them from the White Walkers and their army of reanimated corpses at the wall.
On the other hand, Jon is stabbed by some brothers who see him. Ser Jorah, like a traitor, saves Daenerys’ life from a slaver revolt fleeing Meereen on the back of Drogon. Stannis’ long, slow fall from power was also depicted in Season 5. This storyline told primarily through the eyes of Ser Davos, was one of the season’s most successful, if also one of the most heartbreaking.
Further On The Plot
Davos’ loyalty to Stannis is tested as Stannis increasingly relies on Melisandre’s dubious advice. Throughout it all, Davos’ friendship with Princess Shireen is a ray of hope in the midst of despair. This show has never felt more effectively cruel than when Stannis agrees to sacrifice Shireen in order to gain more power from the Lord of Light. It’s difficult to feel sorry for Stannis by the time Brienne kills him after the Boltons defeat his army.
Even Stannis seems to believe he deserves it at this point, which makes him an even more interesting character. The best part of Season 5 was Jon Snow’s storyline, in which he formed an alliance with the Wildlings to become the new Lord Commander. His tenure has a desperate and tragic arc, as he faces the White Walkers and their wight army at Hardhome, only to be betrayed and stabbed to death by his Night’s Watch for daring to join forces with the Wildlings.
It is a testament to Game of Thrones’ overall quality that, even in what is arguably the worst season yet, we get an episode like “Hardhome,” which is one of the best of the entire series.
Related: The 25 Best Shows Like Game of Thrones You Must Watch
8. Season Eight
- Director: David Nutter
- Writer: David Benioff
- Cast: Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Lain Glen, Aisan Gillen, Harry Lloyd, Kit Harrington.
- IMDb: 6.33
In my opinion, the worst season out of all was the eighth season because it didn’t have the slow burns of the story as it should have been in the later seasons. Moreover, the shocking execution of the story in the eighth season is what makes it worse. In the final season of the show, we saw that the final episode of season seven ended with the breach at the wall. Theon rescues Yara, and they both return to Winterfell.
We then witness the epic battle of the series in the final six episodes. In these final episodes, we see that Arya kills the night king, and the army of the dead is destroyed. Daenerys turns her gaze to the Iron Throne. Euron’s navy kills Rhaegal and captures Missandei, who is later executed by Cersei, infuriating Daenerys, who indiscriminately destroys much of the city after her army takes King’s Landing. Then, Cersei and Jaime are assassinated.
Tyrion Lannister denounces Daenerys and is imprisoned for treason and sentenced to death. In the final two episodes, Jon is forced to kill Daenerys because he is unable to stop her. Bran Stark is crowned King, allowing the North to secede as a separate kingdom. Tyrion is appointed as Bran’s Hand. Sansa is crowned Queen of the North, and Arya sets sail in search of new lands. Jon is sentenced to the Night’s Watch and returns with the Wildlings north of the wall.
Where To Watch Game of Thrones?
The series Game of Thrones is available for streaming on HBO Max and DirecTV in the United States, Sky Go, and Now tv in the United Kingdom. In Australia, you can watch it on Foxtel now and Binge, while in Canada, it’s available only on Crave.
The show’s final two seasons had a lot of potential, but it lost its spark because of the rush. However, overall the Game of Thrones series is a famous and quite successful story in the fantasy genre. The series had a lot of memorable scenes and the finest scenes. Moreover, the series is definitely a must-watch as it’s an experience with all the visuals and storyline.
