The Game of Thrones season 8 episode 3 trailer teases bloodshed before next week's 90-minute battle

Welp. This is it. In case you weren’t already aware, the Game of Thrones season 8, episode 3 trailer is about to put you on notice. The Battle of Winterfell is here, and the new Game of Thrones season 8 episode preview has earmarked several people for death, highlighting just about every favourite character in a series of ominous shots during the 30-second clip. You can watch it above, but let’s dive into the calm before Sunday’s storm in a bit more detail below.

Last week was, relatively speaking, pretty laid-back. Sure, everyone was getting ready for their last day on Westeros, but there were some laughs, anointments, and even a particularly milky tale. This is a different story. The sheer scale of the battleground, for starters, is immense. 

Peter Dinklage already hinted that it’d make the Battle of the Bastards look like a theme park but, from the looks of things, it’s instead about to make the Battle of Helm’s Deep look like a leisurely ride on the Mad Hatter’s teacups.

We can expect deaths, too. HBO has put the spotlight on several who got their own happy endings or potentially optimistic character beats last week: Grey Worm, Brienne, Jorah, Sam, Sansa, and even Tyrion could all be on the chopping block come the end of the longest Thrones episode in history.

But it’s not all swords and mayhem. The Game of Thrones season 8 episode 3 trailer also leans on the now-tense relationship between Dany and Jon. “The dead are already here,” snaps the Mother of Dragons. Is that just Khaleesi pointing out the bleedin’ obvious or the fact that the White Walkers have done the unthinkable and breached Winterfell’s walls?

Either way, we’ve got five excruciating days to wait. By my count, you can watch the entire preview about 10,000 times before Sunday. There’s probably no better way to spend the long nights (and even longer days) before all hell breaks loose.

Image: HBO

Check out some of the best new TV shows heading your way in 2019!

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

Latest in Fantasy Shows
Abubakar Salim in House of the Dragon
House of the Dragon season 3's opening battle is "beastly", according to one of the show's stars
Jamie Campbell Bower in Stranger Things
The Rings of Power newcomer Jamie Campbell Bower has 'revealed' his season 3 character – but it could be a Sauron-style misdirect
Jamie Campbell Bower in Stranger Things 4
Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3 adds Stranger Things star and Eddie Marsan to cast
Jeff Goldblum in Kaos
Jeff Goldblum's fantasy series Kaos was Netflix's most-watched cancelled show of late 2024
The Wheel of Time season 3
The Wheel of Time showrunner teases future of the Amazon fantasy series beyond season 3: "My job is to do everything I can to get it to the end"
John Lithgow
The Harry Potter TV show's Dumbledore star John Lithgow says it "was not an easy decision" to sign on to the HBO reboot
Latest in News
Urban Dead
Cult text-based zombie MMO Urban Dead is shutting down after "a full 19 years, 8 months and 11 days" because of new UK legislation
PS5 30th Anniversary collection on a blue background
Echoing Xbox and Steam, PlayStation rolls out a beta program where you sign up to "test participating games for the PS5 console and PC" plus new features
One of the new Vault Hunters in Borderlands 4
"Don’t gaslight me": Borderlands 4 CEO Randy Pitchford begs fans to be optimistic about the upcoming FPS, otherwise "we'll all pay the price"
MobLand
First trailer for Guy Ritchie’s new crime drama sees Tom Hardy and Pierce Brosnan rule a brutal mafia empire
Ncuti Gatwa in Doctor Who season 2
Doctor Who fans think they've spotted a tease for surprise villains in new season 2 trailer
Helldivers 2
Helldivers 2 has an endgame problem, but a developer assures us "things are coming," they just can't say what yet because otherwise our expectations will be too high