How to Watch Every 'Game of Thrones' Episode Online for Free Before the Season 8 Premiere
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The Game of Thrones season 8 premiere is set for Sunday, April 14, at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.
If you need a refresher on which Game of Thrones characters are still alive, or you're trying to watch old GoT episodes for the first time to understand what's going on in the new season, you better start binge-watching ASAP. The first seven seasons of Game of Thrones cover 67 episodes and would require 2 days, 15 hours, and 30 minutes to watch, according to bingeclock.com.
OK, so you may not have the time to watch every Game of Thrones episode before the new season begins. But there are plenty of strategies you can use to stream Game of Thrones for free online, and it's also easy to watch Game of Thrones for free on TV, assuming you have a library card and a DVD player.
Here's everything you need to know if you are looking for ways to watch old Game of Thrones episodes for free — online or on TV — before the eighth and final season begins.
Stream Game of Thrones Season 1 to Season 7
The quickest and easiest way to watch Game of Thrones online for free is by signing up for a free trial of a streaming service that includes HBO content — and Game of Thrones in particular.
Let's start with Amazon Prime Video, since there's a good chance you're already an Amazon Prime member. Amazon Prime subscribers can stream lots of old HBO content for free, including all seasons of HBO original shows like The Wire and The Sopranos. But streaming Game of Thrones on Amazon Prime isn't possible without taking an extra step.
While Game of Thrones streaming isn't included with a regular Amazon Prime subscription, you can stream old seasons of the show by signing up for a free seven-day trial of HBO on Amazon. After you stream as many GoT episodes as you can during that free week of HBO, you'll be charged $14.99 per month.
If you'd rather skip Amazon and deal directly with HBO to watch Game of Thrones online, another option is to sign up for a subscription with the network's own streaming service, HBO Go. The deal is essentially the same as the one offered by Amazon: New subscribers get a free seven-day trial of HBO Go and then will be charged $14.99 per month if they do not cancel before the free trial ends.
Several live-streaming TV services will also let you watch Game of Thrones online for free via their own free trials. And yes, they will allow you to stream old GoT episodes now and watch Game of Thrones season 8 live starting on April 14. As with HBO Go and HBO on Amazon, you must remember to cancel any of these streaming services before the free trial ends if you don't want to become a paying subscriber.
The live-streaming service DirecTV Now includes HBO with its base "Plus" package, which costs $50 per month normally but is available to new subscribers free for seven days. With a subscription, you can stream every Game of Thrones episode on any device you want, including old seasons and season 8 (once it's released).
Other live-streaming TV services, including Hulu + Live TV and PlayStation Vue, do not have HBO with base streaming packages that cost $45 and up per month, but make Game of Thrones and other HBO content available in add-on packages. It generally costs an extra $15 to get HBO added to your live-streaming package, though it is available for free during a seven-day trial.
Not all streaming services let you watch Game of Thrones and other HBO shows, though. For example, you can't stream Game of Thrones on Netflix, Sling TV, or YouTube TV.
Watch Game of Thrones for Free on TV
While streaming Game of Thrones on Netflix is not possible, you can try out Netflix's DVD subscription service for free for 30 days, and it has the first seven seasons of Game of Thrones available on DVD. Netflix DVD subscriptions, which come with free shipping in both directions, cost $7.99 to $11.99 per month after the free trial.
There is yet another old-fashioned way to watch Game of Thrones for free, and it won't require you to register with a streaming service or worry about canceling a subscription before the free trial ends.
All you have to do is head to your local library and borrow Game of Thrones DVDs. Most libraries loan out DVDs and their inventories feature thousands of movies and TV shows, including Game of Thrones. You should be able to view your library's catalog online, see what Game of Thrones seasons are available in branches near you, and reserve them in advance.
For that matter, it may come as a surprise that libraries have books too. Most have print copies and e-book versions of George R.R. Martin's original Game of Thrones series available for you to borrow and catch up on the epic tale of Starks, Lannisters, dire wolves, and dragons, the truly old-fashioned way.