You can watch House of the Dragon Episode 1 on YouTube for free

With suspicious timing given the rollout of the first two episodes of Amazon’s The Rings of Power today, HBO has put the first episode of its Game of Thrones prequel up on YouTube for free.

HBO’s House of the Dragon: How and where to watch the Game of Thrones prequel

House of the Dragon starts with a bang, an episode full of gore and new characters to meet, so being able to watch it without committing to a free trial or subscription is great news.

We’ve embedded the YouTube video at the top of this story, although we’d heartily recommend watching it on the biggest screen possible at 1080p, the maximum the YouTube upload allows.

As a way of getting some attention back from Amazon’s phenomenally expensive and expansive Lord of the Rings show, this is a great move from HBO, which is normally pretty tight-fisted when it comes to letting people watch its shows for free.

Of course, it’s only the first episode – so if you do get hooked (and we’re already enjoying it), you’ll have to find a way to get access to the rest of the show as it airs.

Following the machinations of House Targaryen, House of the Dragon is set nearly 200 years before the events of the main Game of Thrones saga, but has already featured plenty of references to the older show. From prophecies of endless winter to a certain Valyrian Steel dagger, there’s a lot to look out for.